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The new year is the perfect moment to give your marketing foundations a proper tune‑up. Just like you’d check the smoke alarms or bleed the radiators at home, your website and core systems need the same kind of annual maintenance.

January’s focus is simple: fix what broke, refresh what’s outdated, and make sure your digital “front door” is actually working.

Below are your five weekly tasks for January — each one practical, doable, and designed to strengthen your marketing for the rest of the year.

Week 1 — Test Every Link on Your Website

Broken links are like potholes on a road: small at first, but they damage trust and stop people in their tracks.

How to do it

• Use a free tool like BrokenLinkCheck, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, or Screaming Frog to scan your entire site.
• Export the list of broken links and fix them one by one.
• Manually test your main navigation, footer, and any “money pages” (services, shop, booking).
• Check links on mobile too — sometimes mobile menus hide issues desktop doesn’t show.

What to look for

• 404 pages
• Redirect chains
• Buttons that don’t click
• Outdated links to old offers or expired pages

This one task alone can improve SEO, user experience, and conversions.

Week 2 — Test Your Newsletter Signup Form

If your email list isn’t growing, it might not be your content — it might be your form.

How to do it

• Sign up using your own email address.
• Confirm you land on the correct thank‑you page.
• Check that your welcome email arrives (and looks right).
• Make sure the correct tag/segment is applied in your email platform.
• If you use double opt‑in, test that the confirmation email works too.

Bonus checks

• Does your form load quickly?
• Does it work on mobile?
• Is the copy still relevant?

A broken form can quietly cost you dozens of subscribers every month.

Week 3 — Update Your Website Footer

Your footer is one of the most overlooked parts of your site — but it’s where people go when they’re looking for something important.

How to do it

• Update the copyright year to 2026.
• Check your privacy policy, cookie policy, and terms pages.
• Make sure your business address, email, and social icons are correct.
• Add any missing legal requirements (GDPR, accessibility, etc.).

Why it matters

A clean, accurate footer signals professionalism and protects you legally.

Week 4 — Test All Contact Forms

If someone wants to hire you but your form doesn’t work, that’s a lost sale you’ll never even know about.

How to do it

• Submit a test message through every form on your site.
• Confirm the message lands in the correct inbox.
• Check your spam folder — if your own form lands there, fix your email authentication.
• Review your auto‑reply (or create one if you don’t have one).

Pro tip

Add a line to your auto‑reply like:“Didn’t hear back within 48 hours? Please email me directly at…”This protects you from tech glitches.

Week 5 — Refresh Your About Page

Your About page is often the second‑most visited page on your site. If it’s outdated, unclear, or too long, you’re losing trust and momentum.

How to do it

• Update your story, mission, or team details.
• Add recent achievements, press, or certifications.
• Replace old photos with current ones.
• Clarify your value proposition — why you, why now.
• Add a clear call‑to‑action at the bottom.

What to avoid

• Writing your life story
• Using jargon
• Forgetting to speak to the customer’s needs

Your About page should feel like a warm handshake, not a CV.

January Wrap‑Up

By the end of January, your website will be cleaner, faster, more accurate, and more trustworthy. These tasks aren’t glamorous, but they’re the foundation of every sale, every signup, and every first impression you make online.

If you stay consistent with this monthly maintenance plan, your marketing will feel lighter, smoother, and far more effective all year long.

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