Get your website ready now for 2016‑before you head out of the office for the holidays. Here are 10 tech tips to get done this December: 

1. Check your domain name(s) renewal dates and set a calendar reminder in advance of the expiration date to ensure you retain those critical URLs.
2. Review your website hosting package and backup strategy. Have your business needs changed? Do you need to update your plan? How frequently is a full backup of your website being completed?
3. Run a website statistics report and examine the results to evaluate where improvements can be made. Do your users only visit certain web pages and not others? Are any of your web pages displaying errors?
4. Perform and review SEO [search engine optimization] reports. Are your organic or paid efforts giving you the results you desire?
5. Adjust your website to be mobile-friendly and responsive. View your website from your mobile device(s) and see what it looks like. Does it load properly?
6. Download all current website content and posted documents. Is all content up-to-date? Do you need to make revisions to freshen up images or enhance new services or offerings?
7. Take the time to act as a customer and complete each online form on your website to see the process through to completion. Are forms easy to fill out? Once completed, are you directed to the appropriate thank you page? And, did you receive an accurate and timely response once the form was sent? Make sure to check your business email accounts set-up to receive the form to ensure your “test” was received.  
8. Review all e-mail addresses associated with your business. Delete old accounts, ensure your forwards are working and test each of these on your mobile device(s) as well.
9. Change all of your passwords to help protect the security of your accounts for the coming year.   
10. Add a blog. A simple authoritative post about your expertise to share with customers is a great way to create new content on an ongoing basis and boost your search engine ranking.

Performing these top 10 steps before the end of the year is a great way to wrap up your digital presence to hit the ground running in 2016. Happy New Year!

Pedro Pérez is a founding partner of Nuevo Advertising Group, and an adjunct professor of Global Brand Strategies at Ringling College of Art and Design. For over 17 years, Perez has offered clients his knowledge and expertise. Perez has always demonstrated a keen analytical sense combined with a good dose of common sense in crafting digital and online marketing strategies as part of an integrated marketing plan.