Year-End Website Audit Checklist for Saskatoon Businesses

With 2026 just around the corner, now is the perfect time to give your business website a thorough checkup. Here in Saskatoon, many local business owners set ambitious goals for the new year — more customers, higher sales, better online visibility. But if your website hasn't been updated or reviewed in months, it could be holding you back without you even knowing it.

In this guide, I'll walk you through a complete year-end website audit checklist that covers everything from outdated content to security vulnerabilities. These are the same steps our web development team uses when reviewing client websites at TechYXE. Best of all, most of these checks take just a few minutes each.

88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience. A year-end audit ensures your site is ready to make a great first impression on new customers in 2026.

Why Run a Website Audit Before 2026?

Think of your website like a storefront. Just as you'd clean up and organize your physical shop before the new year, your digital presence deserves the same attention. Over the past year, your website has likely accumulated outdated information, broken links, and potential security vulnerabilities.

For Saskatoon businesses, January is often a busy time as people follow through on new year's resolutions — whether that's finding a new service provider, starting a project, or making purchases they put off during the holidays. You want your website ready to capture that traffic.

Benefits of a Year-End Website Audit:

• Improved SEO rankings: Search engines reward fresh, accurate content
• Better user experience: Fix broken links and outdated info before customers see them
• Enhanced security: Patch vulnerabilities before they become problems
• Faster load times: Remove bloat accumulated over the year
• Clear baseline: Know where you stand before setting 2026 goals

Step 1: Content Audit - Update Outdated Information

Start with the most visible issues — outdated content that makes your business look neglected. Nothing says "we don't care" like a website still promoting your "Summer 2024 Special" or listing business hours that changed six months ago.

Content Checklist:

• Contact information: Verify phone numbers, email addresses, and physical address are current
• Business hours: Update for 2026, including any holiday closures
• Copyright year: Change "© 2025" to "© 2026" in your footer
• Team/staff pages: Remove former employees, add new hires
• Pricing information: Ensure all prices reflect current rates
• Service descriptions: Update if you've added or removed services
• Testimonials: Add recent reviews, remove outdated ones
• Blog posts: Update or remove posts with outdated information

Pro tip: Search your website for "2024" and "2025" to catch any year-specific content that needs updating. Also check for seasonal references that may no longer apply.

Step 2: SEO Audit - Check Your Search Rankings

If you want Saskatoon customers to find you online, search engine optimization isn't optional — it's essential. A quick SEO audit helps you understand how visible your business is and where you can improve.

SEO Checklist:

• Google your business: Search "[your service] Saskatoon" — where do you rank?
• Check Google Business Profile: Ensure your listing is claimed and up-to-date
• Review title tags: Each page should have a unique, descriptive title under 60 characters
• Check meta descriptions: Compelling descriptions under 160 characters for each page
• Verify image alt text: All images should have descriptive alt attributes
• Fix broken links: Use a free tool like Broken Link Checker to find and fix dead links
• Review internal linking: Important pages should be easily accessible from your homepage

If you're not showing up on the first page of Google for your main services in Saskatoon, that's a sign you need to invest in SEO optimization in the new year.

Step 3: Performance Audit - Speed Matters

Website speed directly impacts both user experience and search rankings. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you're losing potential customers — especially on mobile devices where patience is even shorter.

Performance Checklist:

• Test your speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights (free) to check your score
• Optimize images: Compress large images that slow down page loads
• Review plugins/scripts: Remove any you're not actively using
• Check hosting: Is your hosting plan still adequate for your traffic?
• Enable caching: Browser caching significantly improves repeat visitor experience
• Minimize redirects: Too many redirects slow down your site

During Saskatoon's cold winters, people browse on their phones while waiting in warm vehicles or cozy coffee shops. If your site loads slowly on mobile, you're losing business to competitors with faster websites.

Step 4: Security Audit - Protect Your Business

A hacked website doesn't just hurt your reputation — it can cost you customers and even get your site blacklisted by Google. Year-end is an excellent time to review your security measures.

Security Checklist:

• SSL certificate: Your site should show "https://" and a padlock icon
• Software updates: Update WordPress, plugins, themes, and CMS to latest versions
• Password review: Change admin passwords, especially if shared with former staff
• Backup verification: Confirm your backups are running and test a restore
• Remove unused accounts: Delete user accounts that are no longer needed
• Security scan: Run a malware scan using a tool like Sucuri SiteCheck (free)
• Form security: Ensure contact forms have spam protection (reCAPTCHA)

If you haven't updated your website's software in over a year, you may be vulnerable to known security exploits. Our software support team can help if you're unsure how to safely update your site.

Step 5: Mobile-Friendliness Check

Over 60% of web searches now happen on mobile devices. If your website doesn't work well on phones and tablets, you're turning away more than half of your potential customers.

Mobile Checklist:

• Google Mobile-Friendly Test: Use Google's free tool to check your site
• Test on real devices: Check your site on your own phone and tablet
• Tap targets: Are buttons and links easy to tap with a finger?
• Text readability: Is text readable without zooming?
• Navigation: Does your menu work smoothly on mobile?
• Forms: Are contact forms easy to fill out on a phone?
• Phone number: Is your phone number clickable for easy calling?

If your website was built more than 3-4 years ago and wasn't designed with mobile in mind, it might be time for a refresh. Check out our guide on why mobile-friendly websites matter for Saskatoon businesses.

Step 6: Review Your Analytics Data

Before setting goals for 2026, you need to understand how your website performed in 2025. If you have Google Analytics set up, now is the time to review your data.

Analytics Questions to Answer:

• Traffic trends: Did your website traffic increase or decrease this year?
• Top pages: Which pages get the most visitors? Which are underperforming?
• Traffic sources: Where do your visitors come from — search, social, direct?
• Bounce rate: Are visitors leaving immediately or exploring your site?
• Conversion tracking: How many contact form submissions or calls did you receive?
• Mobile vs desktop: What percentage of traffic comes from mobile devices?

No analytics installed? That should be priority #1 for 2026. You can't improve what you don't measure. Google Analytics is free and essential for understanding your online presence.

Get Professional Website Help in Saskatoon

Running through this audit and feeling overwhelmed? Or maybe you've discovered issues you're not sure how to fix? TechYXE is here to help Saskatoon businesses start 2026 with a website that actually works for them.

Our website development service can help with everything from quick fixes to complete website overhauls:

• Website audits and optimization — we'll identify issues and fix them for you
• SEO optimization — get found by Saskatoon customers searching for your services
• New website design starting at just $199 — modern, mobile-friendly sites
• Content updates — keep your information current and engaging
• Security updates — protect your business and customer data
• Local Saskatoon team — we understand the local market and your needs

Don't let website problems hold your business back in 2026. Contact us today for a free consultation and start the new year with confidence!

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• Prepare Your Website for the New Year 2026 — Essential updates to make before January
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• Website Maintenance Guide for Saskatoon Businesses — Keep your site running smoothly year-round