Ten website checks before 2027: the year-end tune-up
Backups never tested, forms that never arrive, expiring certificates, access still in the hands of former collaborators: the end of the year is the right time for your website's tune-up. Ten checks for a business owner — not a sysadmin — to start 2027 without surprises.
The tune-up nobody does
We all service our cars; almost nobody services their website — which often brings in more customers than the car. The end of the year is the perfect moment: business slows down, new budgets are being planned, and you get the certainty of not dragging problems into 2027. These ten checks are designed for a business owner, not a sysadmin: for each one you just need to know what to ask and whom.
The checklist
1. The backup (and the restore test)
Asking “is there a backup?” is not enough: ask when the last restore was tested. A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a protection.
2. Updates
CMS, plugins, PHP version: outdated software is the number one entry point for attacks. If your site runs on components that are years old, this is check number one.
3. Certificate and renewals
HTTPS certificate, domain, hosting, mailboxes: check the expiry dates and who receives the renewal notices. Every year we see websites disappear because the renewal notice landed in a former collaborator's inbox.
4. Speed, tested from your phone
Open your website from your phone, on mobile data: if you wait more than three seconds, your customers will not wait at all. Core Web Vitals — the metrics Google uses to measure experience — can be checked for free with PageSpeed Insights.
5. Forms and email
Fill in your own contact form: does it arrive? Does it end up in spam? Does anyone reply? A broken form is the most expensive failure because it is invisible: the site looks healthy while it silently loses enquiries.
6. Consent and policies
A cookie banner that really blocks trackers before consent, an updated privacy notice (including email pixels), texts consistent with what the site does today — not with how it was three years ago.
7. Basic SEO
Broken pages (404s), duplicate titles, an up-to-date sitemap: you don't need an agency audit, just Google Search Console — free — and a look at the warnings nobody has probably read for months.
8. Analytics measuring the right things
A visit counter is not enough: are you measuring real conversions? Orders, quote requests, phone calls? If 2027 starts with advertising campaigns, without tracked conversions you will spend your budget blindfolded.
9. Access and passwords
Who can get into the website panel, the hosting, the social accounts? Former collaborators, old agencies, past suppliers: at year end you take inventory of access, revoke what is no longer needed and switch on two-factor authentication where it is missing.
10. Expired content
The Easter promotion still online in December, the colleague who left two years ago still on the “about us” page, outdated opening hours: every expired piece of content tells visitors the site is abandoned. And if visitors think so, so does Google.
In short
The year-end website tune-up is ten owner-level checks: a backup with a tested restore, CMS and PHP updates, certificate, domain and hosting renewals, speed tested from a phone, forms that actually arrive, updated consent and policies, basic SEO via Search Console, analytics measuring real conversions, an access inventory with revocation of unneeded accounts and two-factor authentication, and expired content to remove. Half an hour of checks in December is worth more than a restyling in March: problems found now get fixed before they cost customers.
Frequently asked questions
I have no technical skills: can I run these checks myself?
More than half of them, yes: testing the form, browsing from your phone, reading expiry dates, hunting for old content. For the others, the checklist gives you the exact questions to ask whoever manages the site — and the answers will tell you a lot.
How much time does it take?
A couple of hours for the full round the first time, much less in following years. The return is disproportionate to the investment: a single broken form caught in time pays for everything.
How often should the tune-up be repeated?
The full round once a year; backups, forms and renewals deserve a mid-year check too. Ideally, put it in the calendar like any other recurring maintenance.
At A126 we support companies through digital transformation: websites and e-commerce, custom management software, vertical micro-applications and strategic consulting. If you want to see how to apply all of this to your business, get in touch for a free consultation.
A126 Corporate Advisors — digital transformation for businesses and professionals.