As we ring in a new year, it's essential to take the time to review and update your website to ensure it is performing at its best. From conducting a security audit to creating backups of your files, there are a few critical tasks you should prioritize to prepare your website for the new year. This checklist provides a step-by-step guide to help ensure your website is ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.

Tune Up Checklist:

  1. Review and update your website's content to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date.

    Start by creating a content audit that involves reviewing your website's content. First, list all the pages and posts, along with important details such as the content's date and any keywords used.

    Once you have a list of all the content on your website, go through each page or post and make sure that the information is accurate and up-to-date. If you need any updated or corrected information, make the necessary updates.

    Not sure where to start? If you include staff information, are new hires on the site? Does everyone have a photo? If your business moves or changed hours, update that, too. Are your services and prices correct?

    As you review your website content, look for opportunities to improve the quality and relevance of information. For example, add new information or expand on existing topics to make your content more comprehensive and useful for your audience. For example, some businesses have blog posts that include the year – like this one. Could that post be refreshed? 
  1. Perform a security audit to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities on your website.

    If your website is not secure, it is vulnerable to attacks from hackers who may try to steal sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or personal data, or who may try to use your website for malicious purposes. This can result in financial losses, legal liabilities, and damage to your reputation.

    A WordPress security audit can help you identify any potential vulnerabilities on your website and take steps to fix them. This can include things like implementing strong passwords, regularly updating your website software and plugins, and using secure hosting and encryption to protect your website and the information that is transmitted through it.

    In addition to protecting your business and your customers, having a secure website can also help to improve your search engine rankings. Search engines like Google give higher rankings to secure websites, so performing a security audit and addressing any potential vulnerabilities can help improve your website's visibility and traffic.

  2. Create a backup of your website to ensure you have a copy of all your files and data in case of unforeseen issues.

    If you don’t already have one, Install a backup plugin. There are several WordPress plugins available that can help you automate the process of backing up your website. Some popular options include UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, and BackupBuddy.

    Once you have installed a backup plugin, go to the plugin settings and configure the backup options. This may include choosing where you want to store your backups and how often you want the backups to be created.  We recommend using a remote storage service like Dropbox, so your data is accessible should your website or personal computer be inaccessible.

    After configuring the backup options, run a test backup to ensure everything works properly. If the test backup is successful, the plugin will automatically create backups of your website according to your schedule. You can view and manage the backups from the plugin settings page.

    In the event that you need to restore your website from a backup, you can use the plugin to upload the backup file and restore your website to the state it was in before a problem occurred.

    It is important to note that backing up your website does not guarantee that your website will be fully protected from all potential threats. In addition to creating regular backups, you should also take steps to secure your website and keep it up-to-date to help protect against hacking and other security risks.
  1. Ensure that all your website's plugins, themes, and other third-party tools are up-to-date and compatible with the latest version of your website's content management system.

    For WordPress, new versions of plugins are often released to fix bugs and security vulnerabilities. Regularly updating your plugins can help keep your website running smoothly and protect it from potential security risks.

    Before running any updates, we recommend you back up your website.

    If you’re a Website HQ client, you can skip this step because we keep your website up-to-date and backed up for you daily.

    Here are the steps you can follow to update your WordPress themes:
  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. From the dashboard, go to the “Appearance” section in the left-hand menu, and then click on the “Themes” sub-menu.
  3. In the “Themes” section, you will see a list of all the themes installed on your website. Look for any themes that have an update available and click the “Update” button next to the theme to begin the update process.
  4. After clicking the “Update” button, WordPress will download and install the latest theme version on your website.
  5. Repeat this process for any other themes that have updates available.
  6. Once all of the updates are complete, it is a good idea to clear your website's cache and test your website to make sure that everything is working correctly.


Here are the steps you can follow to update your WordPress plugins:

  1. Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard.
  2. From the dashboard, go to the “Plugins” section in the left-hand menu.
  3. In the “Plugins” section, you will see a list of all the plugins installed on your website. Look for any plugins with an update available and click the “Update” button next to the plugin to begin the update process.
  4. After clicking the “Update” button, WordPress will download the latest version of the plugin and install it on your website.
  5. Repeat this process for any other plugins that have updates available.
  6. Once all of the updates are complete, it is a good idea to clear your website's cache and test your website to make sure that everything is working correctly.
  1. Test your website on different browsers and devices to ensure that it functions correctly and provides a good user experience.

    This is an easy task, especially if you are used to always looking at your site on the same device(s) and in the same browser. First, install other browsers like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge and compare how your web pages look from browser to browser.

    Additionally, look through your website's pages on tablet and mobile devices. Sometimes website updates get implemented without checking the mobile view, and we want to make sure users have a good experience no matter what device they use to come into your world.

  2. Evaluate your website's performance and make any necessary optimizations to improve its speed and reliability.

    You can take several steps to evaluate your website's performance, such as using tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights to analyze the loading time of your pages and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, you can use techniques such as image optimization, reducing HTTP requests, minifying CSS and JavaScript, leveraging browser caching, and using a lightweight WordPress theme to optimize your website's performance further. By following these tips and best practices for website speed optimization, you can ensure that your website runs at its best.

  3. Check your website's analytics data to identify trends or patterns that can help inform your future strategy.

    Regularly checking your website's analytics can help you identify trends and patterns that can provide valuable insights into how visitors engage with your site. You should pay special attention to any changes in traffic sources, bounce rate, conversion rate, exit pages, or other key metrics. Additionally, you can use analytic tools such as Google Analytics or Hotjar to help track user behavior across your website and identify areas for improvement. Leveraging the data gathered through analyzing your website's analytics is an effective way to optimize and improve your online presence continuously.

  4. Review and update your website's privacy policy to ensure it is compliant with any new laws or regulations that may have come into effect.

    Keeping up-to-date with current laws and regulations related to website privacy is essential for protecting user data. To ensure your website's privacy policy is compliant, you can review resources such as the Internet Law Library and The Privacy & Information Security Law Blog for updates on data protection and privacy legislation. Additionally, you can utilize resources such as Termly's GDPR Consent Policy Generator and the International Association of Privacy Professionals to help create a comprehensive privacy policy that meets the strict requirements of data protection laws like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

  5. Consider implementing new features or functionality on your website to improve its user experience and engage your visitors.

    We always say your website is never 100% complete. Technology changes, and your product and service offerings may evolve. Are you reflecting those changes on your site and providing a good user experience?

  6. Plan and implement a strategy for promoting your website and generating more traffic and engagement.

    Every business and entrepreneur should plan for marketing and strategy. More eyeballs on your offers lead to more conversions!

 

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