Skip to main content
Website Refresh Checklist: Start 2026 With a Better Site
News | | 5 min read

Website Refresh Checklist: Start 2026 With a Better Site

Your website worked hard for you in 2025. Before the new year starts, give it a thorough checkup. This checklist covers the essentials — from performance and content to security and SEO — so you can enter 2026 with a site that actually helps your business grow.

Performance Check

Slow websites lose customers. Run your site through Google PageSpeed Insights and check both mobile and desktop scores.

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Should be under 2.5 seconds. If it is not, look at image optimization and server response times.
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Should be under 0.1. Add width and height attributes to all images and avoid dynamically injected content above the fold.
  • Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Should be under 200ms. Review any JavaScript that blocks the main thread.
The single biggest performance win for most small business websites: compress and properly size your images. Tools like Squoosh or ShortPixel can reduce image file sizes by 60-80% without visible quality loss.

Content Audit

Walk through every page of your site and check:

  • Outdated information. Are your hours, pricing, team members, and service descriptions current?
  • Copyright year. Update your footer to 2026 (or better yet, make it dynamic).
  • Dead links. Use a free tool like Broken Link Checker to find and fix 404 errors.
  • Old blog posts. Refresh your top-performing content with updated statistics and current information. Google rewards freshness.
  • Calls to action. Are your CTAs still relevant? Do they point to the right destinations?

SEO Fundamentals

  • Title tags and meta descriptions. Review your top 10-20 pages. Are titles under 60 characters and descriptions under 160 characters? Do they accurately describe the content?
  • Header structure. Each page should have exactly one H1 tag. Use H2s and H3s in logical order.
  • Image alt text. Every meaningful image should have descriptive alt text. This helps both accessibility and SEO.
  • XML sitemap. Verify your sitemap is up to date and submitted in Google Search Console.
  • Robots.txt. Make sure you are not accidentally blocking important pages from search engines.

For a deeper SEO analysis, tools like Semrush can run a comprehensive site audit that catches technical issues you might miss in a manual review.

Security and Maintenance

  • SSL certificate. Verify it is valid and not expiring soon. All pages should load via HTTPS.
  • Software updates. If you are on WordPress, update core, themes, and plugins. If you are on a managed platform, check for any pending configuration changes.
  • Backups. Verify your backup system is working. Test a restore if you have not done so recently.
  • Forms. Submit a test entry through every form on your site. You would be surprised how often contact forms silently break.
  • Analytics. Confirm Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console are properly connected and receiving data.
If your SSL certificate expires, browsers will display a security warning that immediately drives visitors away. Set a calendar reminder 30 days before your certificate renewal date.

Mobile Experience

Open your website on your phone and go through the full user experience:

  • Can you read all text without zooming?
  • Do buttons and links have enough tap space?
  • Does your navigation work cleanly on a small screen?
  • Do forms work properly on mobile?
  • Does your site load in under 3 seconds on a mobile connection?

Over 60% of small business website traffic now comes from mobile devices. If your mobile experience is poor, you are losing the majority of your potential customers.

  • Privacy policy. Is it current and does it reflect your actual data collection practices?
  • Cookie consent. If you serve visitors in the EU or use tracking cookies, make sure your consent mechanism is functioning.
  • ADA accessibility. Run a basic accessibility check with a tool like WAVE. Fix any critical issues like missing form labels or insufficient color contrast.

The 30-Minute Version

If you do not have time for a full audit, focus on these five high-impact items:

  1. Update all outdated business information
  2. Fix any broken links or forms
  3. Compress your largest images
  4. Verify your SSL certificate and analytics
  5. Test your site on mobile

A few hours invested now prevents problems from compounding throughout 2026. Your website is your most important digital asset — treat it like one.