The Top 5 New Years Resolutions For Websites
As we head into the new year, business owners & non-profit managers should be making new years resolutions for websites, along with new years resolutions for themselves. On a practical level, websites are the number one marketing asset for businesses & non-profits. The new year is a great time to make your website more powerful in lead generation, more secure & provide a more valuable experience to site visitors. With that in mind, here are DeWinter Marketing & PR’s recommendations for the top actions to take to improve your website at the beginning of the new year.
Top New Years Resolutions For Websites 1: Improve Your Control Over Your Own Website
We at DeWinter Marketing & PR have encountered multiple situations where a new client came to us for help on their website, only to find out that they did not have access or control of their own website. In one instance, a new client told us where her website was hosted. We checked and found that the website had been moved to a new hosting platform under the complete control of her website developer. This was done without her knowledge or consent, and we successfully got control back for her website under her own account.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Confirm The Website Hosting Platform: Make sure you know where your website is hosted. Ask your web developer where the website is hosted, and confirm that with the hosting platform.
- Set Up Your Own Account On The Hosting Platform: If your website hosting is in your website developer’s hosting account, insist that your website is set up under your own account on the hosting platform. Set it up so that you are paying for your website hosting directly, rather than being billed by your website developer.
- Get Your Own Website Logins Set for “Admin” Level: Some website developers only give “Editor” control to the website owner. Insist that you get your own logins to your website, and ensure that they are “Admin” level logins. This gives you the flexibility to move the website to a new hosting platform if you so choose. It also gives you the power to switch website developers and take control away from your existing website developer if you want to make a change.
Top New Years Resolutions For Websites 2: Deploy SEO Correctly
First and foremost, you must have best-practice search engine optimization applied to your website. It’s astounding that we still have new clients coming to us for website help, and we have to inform them that no SEO has been applied to their website. That’s the first place to start.
In addition, it’s true that AI is significantly changing how search engine optimization works. But if you want your website pages to be found, you still need to apply SEO best practices to your website.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Confirm SEO Has Been Applied To Your Website: First, make sure that standard search engine optimization has been applied to your website. Have a third-party marketing agency or web developer check the website to ensure that proper SEO has been deployed on your website.
- Confirm That SEO Best Practices Have Been Applied To Your Website: There are best practices for SEO, and there are “cheater” techniques that can get you in trouble with Google. It’s critically important to make sure that SEO best practices are what’s been applied to your website. Again, have a third party check your website, rather than your existing website developer.
For more information on how to deploy proper, best-practice SEO, check out our expert article: SEO Basics for Websites.
Top New Years Resolutions For Websites 3: Improve Your Page Load Speeds
Google ranking factors have changed dramatically over the years. Ranking factors are the attributes that the Google algorithm uses to judge where your website should fall in the rankings when someone is doing an internet search. As of 2026, page load speeds are one of the top ranking factors that the Google algorithm will use to judge how high your website page will be featured in Google searches. There are multiple ways to improve page load speeds on a website:
- Use A Website Hosting Platform With Robust Server Infrastructure: Hosting platforms with old, or underpowered, server infrastructure can result in slow page loads. When a website is hosted with a hosting platform that has modern, powerful servers, page load speeds can sometimes improve by 1-3 seconds.
- Compress Photos On The Website: Photos that have not been sized down correctly can slow down page load speeds. There are widgets that can be applied to websites that will compress photos so page load speeds are faster.
- Minimize Videos: Heavy use of video on a website can slow down page load speeds.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Assess Your Current Page Load Speeds: Have a website development team use a tool to assess your current page load speeds. Then compare existing page load speeds to the standard.
- Build & Deploy A Game Plan For Improving Page Load Speeds: Work with your website development team & build a game plan for the specific steps to be taken to improve your page load speeds. Actions may include moving to a more modern website hosting platform and optimizing your pages with compressed photos & videos that help improve the page load speeds of pages on your website.
Top New Years Resolutions For Websites 4: Ensure Compliance With Website Laws & Regulations
The top two areas of compliance for websites include having a privacy policy on the website and offering Americans With Disability (ADA) accessibility for websites. If you don’t have a privacy policy, get one. If you don’t have an ADA widget on your website that allows the disabled to more easily access your site content, get one installed.
For more information on Privacy Policies For Websites, check out our expert article on Website Privacy Policy Basics.
For more information on ADA Compliance For Websites, check out our expert article on ADA Compliant Website Basics.
Top New Years Resolutions For Websites 5: Deploy Or Improve Your Content Marketing Program
Another top Google ranking factor is the requirement to add at least one fresh new piece of content to the website every month. Blogs are the fastest, easiest way to meet this Google ranking factor requirement.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Develop A Blog Content Calendar: If you don’t have a consistent blogging program, work with a marketing agency to develop a yearly blog content calendar tied to what you do, and your products or services.
- Develop & Post A Blog At Least Once A Month: Deploy consistent, ongoing blogging to add helpful, relevant new content to your website.
For more information on Content Marketing, check out our expert article on Content Marketing Basics.
Many people tend to make new years resolutions for themselves. Business owners & nonprofit managers will help their organizations tremendously if they deploy new years resolutions for websites.
Need help developing a new website or refreshing & strengthening an existing website? Contact DeWinter Marketing & PR USA for help!
