The year is almost over. You've been busy running your business, and your website has been running on autopilot. Maybe that's been fine. Maybe it hasn't. Either way, now is the time to take a hard look at your digital presence before the new year starts.
Think of this as the digital equivalent of a year-end financial review. It doesn't take long, it doesn't cost anything, and it can save you from starting the new year with problems you didn't know you had.
Here's your checklist.
Your Website
Check That Everything Works
This sounds basic, but you'd be surprised how many business websites have broken links, missing images, or forms that don't submit. Go through your site like a customer would:
- Click every navigation link
- Submit every form (and verify you actually receive the submission)
- Check that all images load properly
- Test any integrations — booking systems, payment processors, chat widgets
- Make sure your phone number and email are correct and clickable on mobile
If something's been broken for months without you noticing, that's been costing you leads.
Review Your Content
Read through your main pages. Is the information still accurate?
- Are your services or products listed correctly?
- Have your prices changed?
- Are your team members still current?
- Is your "About" page still telling the right story?
- Do you have any outdated promotions or announcements?
Outdated content doesn't just look bad — it erodes trust. If a visitor sees a "Summer 2024 Special" still on your site, they'll wonder what else is out of date.
Check Your Site Speed
Go to Google PageSpeed Insights and enter your URL. You'll get a score and specific recommendations. You don't need a perfect score, but if you're below 50 on mobile, that's hurting you.
Common culprits: oversized images, too many plugins, outdated code, cheap hosting. Note the issues and plan to address them in the new year.
Verify Mobile Experience
Pull out your phone and browse your entire site. Not just the homepage — every page. Is the text readable? Are buttons easy to tap? Does the layout make sense on a small screen?
Over half your visitors are probably on mobile. If the experience is clunky, they're leaving.
Your Online Listings
Google Business Profile
If you serve local customers, this is critical. Log in and verify:
- Business name, address, and phone number are correct
- Hours are up to date (especially holiday hours)
- Your business description is current
- Photos are recent and professional
- You've responded to recent reviews
Your Google Business Profile often shows up before your website in search results. Treat it like a second homepage.
Other Directories
Check your listings on any platform relevant to your industry — Yelp, TripAdvisor, industry-specific directories. Make sure your information is consistent everywhere. Inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data across the web can hurt your local search rankings.
Your Analytics
Check That Tracking Is Working
Log into Google Analytics and verify that data is being collected. If your tracking code was accidentally removed during a site update, you could have months of missing data without realizing it.
Review the Year's Performance
Look at the big picture:
- Did traffic go up or down compared to last year?
- Which pages performed best?
- Where did your traffic come from?
- What was your conversion rate?
You don't need a deep analysis — just a general sense of direction. If traffic dropped significantly at some point, figure out why. A drop you don't investigate is a problem you'll repeat.
Your Security
Update Everything
If your site runs on WordPress or any CMS, make sure everything is updated: the core software, your theme, and every plugin. Outdated software is the number one way sites get hacked.
Check Your SSL Certificate
Your site should load with "https" and show a padlock in the browser. If it doesn't, fix this immediately. Browsers now warn visitors about insecure sites, and that warning kills trust instantly.
Review User Accounts
If multiple people have access to your website backend, review who has access. Remove anyone who no longer needs it — former employees, old contractors, that intern from two summers ago.
Verify Backups
Confirm that your site is being backed up regularly and that you can actually restore from a backup. Having backups you've never tested is almost as bad as having no backups at all.
Your Social Media
Audit Your Profiles
Look at every social media profile your business has. Is the branding consistent? Are the bios current? Are the links pointing to the right pages?
If you have profiles on platforms you stopped using, either start posting again or consider deactivating them. An abandoned social media profile looks worse than no profile at all.
Review What Worked
Look at your posts from the year. Which ones got the most engagement? Which ones drove actual traffic or leads? Do more of what worked. Stop doing what didn't.
Your Email
Clean Your List
If you have an email list, remove inactive subscribers. Most email platforms charge by list size, and a bloated list of people who never open your emails is costing you money and hurting your deliverability.
Check Your Automations
If you have automated emails — welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, follow-ups — test them. Send yourself through the flow. Make sure the content is current and the links work.
The Point of All This
None of this is glamorous. It's maintenance. But starting the new year with a clean, functional, up-to-date digital presence means you're building on a solid foundation instead of patching holes while trying to grow.
Block an hour. Go through this list. Fix what you can, and make a plan for what you can't.
Want help getting your digital presence ready for the new year? Let's talk.