Get your site ready for 2025 – free website checklist

Website checklist to prep your site for 2024

1. What to change on your work with me or services page
2. What to change on your about page
3. What to change with old promotions and offers
4. What to update with your emails
5. General site checkups and updates

When was the last time you checked out your website?

I mean, really looked at it.

Maybe you launched your site last year. Maybe it’s been more than a few years. Maybe you don’t even know how to log in and make edits (argh!)

Over the years, I’ve done hundreds of site audits and I’ve discovered a few common issues that could be costing you serious bucks.

It’s easy to forget all the little digital things you’ve done to your site – and it’s critical that everything appears up-to-date. You don’t want anything out there that might confuse your prospective clients and readers.

A lot can happen in a year (or a few years…) and you may have forgotten old offers (and prices!) that you no longer offer or support. Maybe you’ve gotten featured in the media – or maybe you’ve been featured on a few podcasts.

Spend an afternoon now to get your site in good shape for the new year – that way you aren’t rushing to fix things before you launch your next program or offer.

I’ve listed some of the most common issues I find when doing my comprehensive website reviews.

Make sure to download the pdf guide at the end of this post so you can print it off and check it off when doing your own site review.

What to change on your work with me or services page

You want people to hire you or buy your stuff, right? Make sure you’ve updated your offers (and your prices!) to match what you’ll be doing next year. Alternatively, if you DON’T want to be hired for certain things anymore, make sure you take the offers off of your website! I always say – only show the things you want to get hired to do again!

1. Have you raised your prices and need to update copy and buy now buttons?
2. Do you need to remove any old offers or packages?
3. Do you need to update your terms & conditions, refund and/or privacy policies?

What to change on your about page

1. Update your profile photo
2. Update and add professional certifications and credentials
3. Update and add speaking events or writing gigs
4. Update credentials, social proof and recommendations
5. Add any new elements of social proof – companies you’ve worked with, testimonials
6. Add any new press – podcasts, articles, videos

What to change with old promotions and offers

Maybe you’ve had a big course launch, you’ve run a special promotion in your store or you’ve promoted something as an affiliate. But did you clean up what was left behind? This is something I catch ALL the time.

Remember: just because a page isn’t shown in your main navigation, doesn’t mean it’s really hidden.

Google’s pretty smart and can find all sorts of things on your site and share them with the world (unless you specifically tell it not to show the info to outsiders). You don’t want outdated info out there – and you really don’t want confused buyers out there thinking something is one price when it really should be something higher.

People click on links in emails and on social media LONG after a promotion make be over. You want to make sure that if the old offer is no longer valid, you’re sending visitors to either a waitlist page (if you’ll be offering the program again later) or redirect to a relevant page with new offers.

1. Are there old landing/opt-in pages you need to hide or remove (don’t forget things like webinar landing pages!)
2. Do you need to remove old graphics on sidebars or at the end of blog posts
3. Do you need to remove or update any notification bars (usually at the top of your website)
4. Do you need to remove old sales pages and/or wait list pages?
5. Have you set up redirects for pages that no longer exist?
6. Do you need to delete old promo codes so they’re no longer active?
7. Do you need to change the prices of your products in your store or online booking service?
8. Do you need to hide or remove products from your store?

PRO TIP: If you’ve got a WordPress website, I like the Redirection plugin to handle redirects.

What to update with your emails

Got a welcome sequence? (this is a series of emails that gets sent to a subscriber when they first opt-into your list).
This is a perfect time to review and update your sequence with updated information.

1. Update your services and check that your links to products are up-to-date and working
2. Review your newsletter tagging and segments
3. Check your email signature at the footer of all emails you send out – makes sure all of the links correct and working?

SPECIAL NOTES FOR AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

1. Do you need to remove old affiliate links that are no longer valid?
2. Do you want to add new affiliate links for new products and services you’re recommending?
3. Do you have a wait list page for the next time the affiliate program runs?

PRO TIP: Not sure if you’ll be offering a product again? Save the product/page as a draft. That way the old product won’t be visible to outsiders or to the Google Search Engine – but you’ll be able to update it and reuse it in the future.

General site checkups and updates

A lot can change in a year. Maybe you’ve changed your business or social media profile. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve caught simple errors like this – people change their Instagram handle and then their link in the footer no longer works!

1. Update any opt-ins/pop-ups with your new offers for 2024
2. Create any wait list for programs or offers you’ll be running in 2024
3. Test your contact form(s)
4. Test your newsletter sign-up form(s)
5. Test your Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / other social media links

What to change outside your website

1. Update your profile photos on your social media networks (LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.)
   (side note: this is also a great way to remind people that you exist since many platforms highlight the change in the feed).
   And don’t forget to review your FaceBook Page header graphic – this is a great space to promote your next offer!
2. Update your credentials and recommendations
3. Update any links to new sites, products or offers
4. Delete or redirect any links to old offers, sites or products
5. Update / modify email signature