3 Smart Website Tasks to Tackle Before the New Year
The end of the year is a strange time for many businesses. The phone might not be ringing off the hook, decision-makers are on vacation, and you might finally have a moment to breathe. It’s tempting to just coast until after the new year, but this quiet period is a great opportunity.
This is the perfect time to stop working in your business and spend a few hours working on it.
Instead of a massive project, you can make a few updates to your website. These tasks will clean up your site, fix any hidden problems, and ensure your site is sharp, professional, and ready for the new year..
Here are three smart, manageable website tasks you can tackle before the new year.
1. Conduct a "Freshness & Trust" Audit
An outdated website doesn't just look lazy; it actively erodes trust. A new visitor who sees a 2023 copyright date or an old blog post might wonder if you're even still in business. This audit is all about fixing those small details that send a big message.
Why It Matters: This simple clean-up is the fastest way to improve your brand's credibility and professionalism for the new year.
Your Action Checklist:
Update Your Copyright Date: Look in the footer of your website. Does it say "© 2025" or even an earlier year? On January 1st, this instantly dates your entire site. Update it to "© 2026."
Review Your "About Us" Page: Is your team list current? Are the bios and headshots accurate? Remove anyone who is no longer with the company and add your new hires.
Check Your Contact Info: Is your address, phone number, and email still 100% correct in your footer and on your contact page?
Scan for Outdated Content: Look at your blog or homepage. Are you still promoting a "2024 Event" or a "Spring Special"? Archive or update any time-sensitive content that has expired.
2. Become Your Own Customer (The 10-Minute Test)
As a business owner, you may be blind to your own website's flaws. You know how it's supposed to work, so you never see the simple frustrations that make new customers give up.
Why It Matters: A single broken form or confusing link could be costing you leads every single day. This test helps you find and fix those costly friction points.
Your Action Checklist:
Go "Incognito": Open a new "Private" or "Incognito" window in your browser. This ensures you're seeing the site as a new visitor would, with no saved information.
Fill Out Your Own Contact Form: This is the most critical test. Fill out every field and click submit.
Did you get the email notification instantly?
Did a clear "Thank You" message appear?
Or did it just reload, leaving you wondering if it worked?
Test on Your Phone: Repeat the process on your smartphone. Was it easy? Were the form fields easy to tap? Or was it a frustrating?
Click Your Main Buttons: Click your main calls-to-action (e.g., "Our Services," "Schedule a Call"). Do they all go to the right place?
3. Review Your 2025 Data for 2026 Insights
You don't need to be a data scientist to learn from your website analytics. Taking just 15 minutes to look at what worked (and what didn't) in 2025 is the single best way to plan a smarter marketing strategy for 2026.
Why It Matters: Your data tells you exactly what your customers actually care about, not just what you think they care about. This is the key to creating content that attracts more leads.
Your Action Checklist:
Log in to Google Analytics:
Find Your Top 3 Pages: Go to the "Pages and screens" report. Ignoring your homepage, what were your top 3 most-visited pages in 2025? (This tells you what topics are most popular with your audience. Your Goal for 2026: Write more content like this.)
Log in to Google Search Console:
Find Your Top 3 "Queries": Go to the "Performance" report. What were the top search terms people used to find your site? (These are the exact keywords you should use in your 2026 blog posts. Your Goal for 2026: Create content that directly answers these queries.)
Final Thoughts: Start 2026 With a Fresh Site
By taking just a couple of hours to complete these three tasks, you're not just "cleaning up." You are fine-tuning your most important sales tool. You'll enter the new year with a website that is more professional, more trustworthy, and backed by a smarter strategy—putting you miles ahead of the competition.
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