Imagine spending months designing and building the perfect retail store. The shelves are stocked with your incredible products, the lighting is flawless, and the sign above the door is a work of art. On opening day, you unlock the doors, step outside to welcome your first customers, and realise... you've built your beautiful store in the middle of a desert.
This is the reality for most new websites.
Launching your site is just building the store. Without a clear plan to guide people there, you're left waiting for visitors who will never arrive. This realisation can be terrifying, often leading to a frantic scramble to build all the roads at once: social media highways, SEO tunnels, and paid ad flyovers. The result is usually a mess of half-finished projects, wasted resources, and a crushing sense of being overwhelmed.
What you need is not more frantic activity, but a focused, step-by-step roadmap. This 90-day plan is your guide to methodically building the first essential pathways to your digital doorstep. It's designed to create the initial, critical momentum needed to turn your launch into a thriving, sustainable business.
During the first month, rather than fixate on going viral, ensure that your new home on the web is technically sound.
Week 1: The Technical Health Check & Setup
Before you invite guests, get your house in order.
Action 1. Install Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Search Console. This is non-negotiable. These free tools are your eyes and ears, telling you who visits your site, how they find you, and what they do. Without data, you're flying blind.
Action 2. Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. A sitemap is a map of your website. Submitting it directly to Google tells the search engine to start crawling and indexing your pages, kicking off your long-term SEO journey.
Action 3. Do a 'self-audit.' Click every link. Test every contact form. Submit every call-to-action button. View your site on your phone and your laptop. Does everything work as intended? A broken link or a non-functioning form can kill a potential lead instantly.
Week 2: The 'Friends, Family & Fools' Launch
Your personal network is your first, most forgiving audience.
Action 1. Craft a personal email and WhatsApp message. Reach out to your immediate network. Don't just announce the launch with a generic 'check out my new site!' message. Personalise it. Share a bit of your story, and ask for two specific things: their honest feedback on the site, and for them to share it with just one person they think would find it relevant.
Action 2. Update your personal LinkedIn profile. Add your new website link to your contact info and header. Write a heartfelt post about the journey of launching your business, what problem you're solving, and what you hope to achieve. This human element resonates deeply.
Week 3: Claim Your Digital Real Estate
Make it easy for people who are already looking for you to find you.
Action 1. Set up and fully optimise your Google Business Profile (GBP). This is critical for any Singaporean business. A complete GBP with your address, opening hours, photos, and services is the key to appearing in local 'near me' searches on Google Maps.
Action 2. Secure your brand name on the 1-2 social media platforms where your customers actually are. Don't try to be on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook all at once. Research where your ideal customers spend their time and create a professional-looking profile there first. Quality over quantity.
Week 4: The Foundational Content Piece
Start building your reputation as an expert from day one.
Action 1. Write and publish your first pillar blog post. Not a short, fluffy article, but an in-depth, 1,500+ word guide that provides a comprehensive answer to a major question or problem your ideal customer has.
Action 2. Create a simple lead magnet. This could be a one-page PDF checklist or a short guide that relates directly to your pillar post. Set up a basic email capture form on that blog post, offering the free resource in exchange for an email address. This is the start of building your most valuable marketing asset: your email list.
With a solid foundation in place, it's time to move beyond your warm network and start actively engaging with your target market.
Weeks 5-6: Content Repurposing & Social Proof
Work smarter, not harder, with the content you already have.
Action 1. 'Slice and dice' your pillar blog post. That one long article can be repurposed into 5-7 smaller pieces of content. Turn key stats into tweets, create a summary infographic for LinkedIn, or make a short 'how-to' video script for Instagram Reels.
Action 2. Actively seek your first customer testimonials or reviews. If you've made a few early sales, reach out personally and ask for a testimonial. If you haven't, offer your product or service at a discount to a few ideal customers in exchange for a detailed review. Feature these prominently on your homepage and product pages to build immediate trust.
Weeks 7-8: Engage Where Your Customers Gather
Stop waiting for customers to find you. Go to them.
Action 1. Identify 2-3 relevant online communities. This could be local Facebook groups (like 'Singapore Home Cooks' for a kitchen gadget), subreddits (like r/singaporefi for a financial product), or niche industry forums.
Action 2. Dedicate 30 minutes a day to participating helpfully. This is crucial. Do not spam your link. Instead, answer questions, offer valuable advice, and establish yourself as a knowledgeable and helpful resource. People buy from those they know, like, and trust.
Now that you have some data flowing in, you can start making smarter decisions and test the waters of paid advertising.
Weeks 9-10: Analyse & Double Down
Let data guide your next move.
Action 1. Dive into Google Analytics and Search Console. Look at your reports. Which pages are getting the most traffic? What search queries are people using to find you in Google Search Console?
Action 2. Based on this data, plan your next two blog posts. If you see traffic coming for a specific topic, 'double down' on it. Write another article that goes deeper or explores a related angle. This is how you build topical authority.
Weeks 11-12: Your First Paid Experiment
It's time to test pouring a little fuel on the fire.
Action 1. Set a small, fixed budget. Allocate just S$10−S$20 per day for a targeted Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ad campaign. The goal isn't to spend a lot but to learn.
Action 2. Don't promote your product directly. A 'buy now' ad to a cold audience rarely works. Instead, use your small budget to 'boost' your best-performing content piece or promote your lead magnet to build your email list. The primary goal of this first campaign is to gather data on audience engagement and cost-per-lead.
This 90-day roadmap is designed to build a foundation and create initial momentum. The journey from Day 1 (Foundation) to Day 30 (Outreach) and Day 90 (Optimisation) is a microcosm of the entire marketing lifecycle.
The key to long-term success is turning these actions into a sustainable marketing routine. Consistency is far more powerful than short-term intensity. The data and learnings you've gathered over these first three months are invaluable, since they will form the basis of your next 6-to-12-month marketing strategy. You now have a much clearer idea of what works for your specific audience, allowing you to invest your precious time and money more intelligently.
