As a new year approaches, it’s always a good time to reassess what your business does well and what you can do to make improvements. The adage “out with the old, in with the new” always holds at this time of year, and New Years’ resolutions can be a great way to get started on business initiatives.
Are you weary of the same company logo? Do you think your website could use some new features? Make January the month to check it all off of that list!
Consider A Brand Or Website Refresh
This is a great time to rebrand or refresh your website. Website owners can refresh new logos, new site structures, and your brand. Also, consider adding new products and services that you’ve been putting off for one reason or another. You might as well get them out there for this fresh start!
If a total rebranding is beyond your scope, at the very least, ensure your marketing communications are still on-brand. Brand creep happens over time, especially when multiple team members are working on the marketing efforts. Keeping an eye on things like your Facebook page and website is key to ensuring that customers are getting your messaging.
Do A Reality Check On Outgoing Links
If you aren’t going to make any significant changes to your existing website, the new year is ideal for checking existing outgoing links published on the site. By doing so, you ensure the content hasn’t changed or is no longer available.
For instance, an old blog post might point to an article on creating a website in 2018 that was a valid reference at the time. But, years later, the link could be pointing to entirely different content, or worse yet, not working at all! After all, many things can happen over time – posts and articles could get removed or archived after a set time, or the domain could have expired or changed hands. Any of these scenarios can result in broken outgoing links.
Unfortunately, users can click on the link and potentially download malware or other malicious content without any notice. Therefore, it’s best to manually check outgoing links regularly to ensure the information is correct and relevant. It’s a pain, but when it comes to your brand, you can’t be too careful!
Evaluate Your Online Strategy
Developing an effective online strategy is an ongoing process, but the new year is a fresh start to take stock of what you have and where you are going.
What’s working? What’s not? What kind of content could help you meet your business objectives? Is there something missing from your website that could help you grow or maintain your current audience? Answering these questions can help formulate a new strategy for the new year.
Take A Technical Overview
Be sure not to overlook the technical details! Outdated software or plugins can leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks, which is not an excellent way to kick off the new year. Additionally, a slow-loading website with low-quality content can quickly drive away customers and hurt your brand. Sites that don’t format well on mobile devices are also likely to drive customers away. You want to ensure that your website works smoothly for visitors on all devices!
Add Profitability
If adding profit to your bottom line is one of your resolutions, adding or refining eCommerce capabilities to a website is a great way to do it. For sites with active eCommerce, you might consider adding new products, reworking product descriptions, or even adding better images for products.
If you’re considering building an online store, this is the time to do it! How much money do you think you could make with a functional eCommerce website? The answer is, you could be surprised! Ecommerce websites allow you to reach more customers and drive sales 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Reach Out To Your Contacts
A new year is a perfect time to reach out to the people in your network. The start of a new year is a great time to re-engage and reconnect with your network, from customers to vendors to industry professionals.
Suppose you’re unsure how to handle all the technical and functional changes to your site or prefer to focus on other critical business management and growth areas. In that case, Interactive Palette is available to help. Please reach out today to discuss your ideas and goals for the new year, and let’s explore how we can work together – we look forward to hearing from you!
