Websites & marketing

A New-Year Website Checklist for Your Brand

A quick new-year checklist to make your website match your brand: copy, images, contact details, speed, mobile and consistency. Do it in an afternoon.

Coffee & Candle3 min read

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Websites drift. A date goes out of date, a photo is replaced with a different style, a page is added in a rush. Once a year, take an afternoon to bring your site back in line with your brand. This checklist covers what to look at.

In this article

1. The first screen

Open your homepage on a phone. Does it say what you do, who it’s for and what to do next, within five seconds? Try our five-second website test.

2. Facts and dates

Opening hours, address, phone number and email
Prices, packages and delivery details
Team names and photos
Copyright year in the footer
Old offers, events and news that are out of date

3. Copy and tone

Read the main pages out loud. Do they sound like you? Is anything vague, jargon-filled or repetitive? See our tone of voice guide for a reference.

4. Images

Are photos high quality and in a consistent style?
Is there a real image of your product, team or premises, rather than stock only?
Do images have descriptive alternative text for accessibility?
Are they compressed so that pages load fast?

5. Logo and brand assets

Check that the logo, colours and fonts match your current guidelines. Old versions often survive on forgotten pages. A logo file pack helps keep everything right.

6. Speed and mobile

Test your key pages on a phone and on a slow connection. Large images and heavy scripts are common reasons for slow pages.

Photo: Skitterphoto, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

7. Calls to action

Is there a clear next step on every important page? A button, a form or a phone number? Make sure every form works, and that you receive the messages.

8. Search basics

Does each page have a clear title and a short description?
Do headings describe the content?
Are there broken links to fix?

9. Trust

Reviews, case studies, logos of clients, accreditations and a clear About page build confidence. Add what you’ve and keep it current. Our guide on whether your website reflects your brand offers more.

Photo: Zuko.io Images, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

10. Legal and housekeeping

Check that your privacy policy and terms are current, and that any cookie notice does what it says. Take advice on legal text where needed.

Make a list and a date

Score each area and fix the lowest first. Put a reminder in your diary for next year.

Need help?

If your site no longer reflects your brand, we can help. See our branding agency London page or book a free brand consultation.