As 2013 comes to an end, we like to set aside some time, look back on the past year, and prepare for great 2014. Are we talking about New Years resolutions? No, website planning!
Software and Security Updates
Like any software, web software developers release periodic updates. Expression Engine releases a few major updates a year; WordPress releases a few minor updates a month and occasional major updates like the recent 3.8 update. These updates introduce new features and tools, fix known bugs, or address recently discovered security threats.
Now is the perfect time to make sure your software is up-to-date and your website is well-secured* for the coming year.
Look back
Take a few minutes to review your website’s performance in 2013. To start, pull up your Google Analytics account:
- Have you seen increased or decreased traffic over the last year?
- Any seasonal traffic patterns you can identify?
- Any new or surprising sources of referral traffic that you can leverage?
- What cities, states or countries are your site visitors from? What browsers or devices are they using?
Next, think about how you personally use the site on a daily or weekly basis:
- Have you posted news or other fresh content lately?
- Any parts of the site that are out-of-date or need to be updated?
- Any problems or issues with the website that you’ve just come to “live with”?
Look ahead
Finally, take a few more minutes to think ahead to the coming year:
- Has your business or organization defined any new goals for 2014? Does your website support that?
- Any upcoming marketing or advertising campaigns that the website needs to be prepared for?
- Are there any day-to-day organizational tasks that can be shifted online to save your team time and money?
And that’s it. In less than an hour, you can lay the groundwork for a successful 2014. If we can offer any advice or assist with your 2014 website planning, please let us know.
*Retainer clients, we’ve already made your software updates or have them scheduled, depending on your maintenance plan. And we’ll be in touch soon to schedule your end-of-the-year review, if we haven’t already.