What better time to give your website a fresh start than the New Year?
Just like organizing your workspace or cleaning out your inbox, taking a closer look at your digital presence helps set the tone for the months ahead.
For the majority of firms and businesses, your website is the first place clients, colleagues, and prospects will interact with your brand. Conducting a quick tune-up can go a long way toward keeping it relevant, engaging, and performing at its best.
Whether you’ve had your site for two years or 10, chances are there’s room for improvement. Technology evolves quickly, user expectations rise, and what worked flawlessly a year ago may now feel outdated. By taking a few intentional steps, you can make sure your site is updated, effectively represents your company and is running smoothly.
#1: Peek Under the Hood
A lot happens behind the scenes that site visitors can’t see, including complicated code, hosting, plugins, and other critical elements that can be easy to overlook—at least until a problem arises.
But as technology advances and web standards evolve, routine maintenance is essential to ensure your site runs efficiently.
A good place to start? Check how long your website takes to load, which should be almost instantaneously considering the standard today is 0-2 seconds.
Anything longer and the user experience suffers. Visitors are more likely to leave the site immediately, which increases the bounce rate and negatively impacts SEO. If you’re experiencing a slow load time, check for large files, outdated plugins, or clunky features that could be slowing things down.
Don’t forget to review your mobile responsiveness as well. With more than 60% of website traffic coming from mobile devices, your site must look and function seamlessly on screens of all sizes. In 2026 and beyond, having a website that operates effectively on mobile is non-negotiable.
Speaking of multiple screen sizes, make sure your images are optimized for all devices and screen sizes as well. All visual elements should be crystal clear on your website, no matter what size they’re being viewed at.
#2: Check-In on the User Experience
If your site’s performance is up to speed and everything’s running smoothly, focus next on the user experience and general feel of the site (especially for new visitors).
Here’s a quick exercise you can do: Ask a friend or family member who’s never viewed your website before to provide some quick feedback.
Give them a few seconds to check out the homepage and share their first impression. Did they know immediately what you do? Who you serve? Where you’re located? If not, that’s a good indication your homepage (the most-viewed area of your website) could use a refresh.
Ask them to continue navigating through your site, as if they were a prospect learning about you for the first time. Did they find your offerings to be clear enough, or were they confused about what you do? Did they have trouble finding important info?
As simple as it is, your viewers shouldn’t have to search high and low for critical information like your phone number, onboarding process, services, or fees (if applicable).
Approaching your website with “fresh eyes” can reveal blind spots that develop over time. If your leads aren’t where you want them to be, go back to basics. Start with your main navigation to make sure it clearly communicates what you do and includes a straightforward call-to-action button.
Sometimes, in the name of creativity, we sacrifice clarity and simplicity. Make sure your site is guiding visitors toward a desired action (such as scheduling a meeting). That might mean simplifying your calls to action, reworking the language to feel more inviting, or even testing a few variations to see what resonates best.
#3: Review for Accuracy
If your business felt like it was moving a mile a minute in 2025, odds are you experienced some operational or team changes.
Read through the content on your website to confirm it still accurately reflects your team and offerings. If you’ve lost or added team members in the past year, now’s the time to update the website.
The same goes for your services, offerings, pricing, process—you name it. Your website is often your first impression; make sure it’s an accurate portrayal of who you are and what you do.
#4: Create an Interconnected Online Presence
Your website doesn’t exist in isolation. Think of it as a hub that links people to and from multiple platforms. Take stock of where else you might be showing up online, including:
- Social media
- Podcast appearances
- YouTube
- Media appearances
- Guest articles
Where possible, tie these touchpoints together. Add links to your social profiles on your website so visitors can easily follow and engage with you elsewhere. Highlight media features or podcast appearances directly on your site to build authority. And just as importantly, make sure all those external platforms link back to your website as well. Every digital road should lead back home.
Is Your Website Ready for 2026?
Your website is a living, breathing part of your operations that’s meant to evolve overtime, especially as technology advances and your business grows. Invest a little time now, before the new year begins, to make sure your website is in the best shape it can be for months ahead.
Could your website use a little end-of-year TLC? Our team is here to help. Reach out now to schedule your free web consultation today.
