Revive Your Website: A Checklist for an Outdated WordPress Site

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ByKimberly Reading Time: 5 minutes

It’s easy to let your website fall by the wayside, especially when most of your business happens in person or on-site. When new projects or initiatives take priority, routine website updates can be overlooked. A website that doesn’t require frequent updates for sales or customer interaction might be neglected for long stretches and become outdated.

If your website was mainly created for visibility and informational purposes, it still needs to be checked from time to time. Customers may still search for information online, making it important to keep your website current and up to date.

If you haven’t given your website a good once-over, this checklist is a solid starting point for basic WordPress websites.

Security

  • Check Your SSL Certificate
    • Does the site URL show up as http:// or https://?
    • If you’re not sure where your SSL certificate was issued it’s a good idea to track that information down. These do have expiration dates so keeping track of that is important if yours does not auto-renew. If you need a simple security certificate you can use a service like Let’s Encrypt or Cloudflare.
  • Plugin, Theme, and Core Software Updates
    • If you do nothing else, do this.
    • It’s best to create a staging site for this. Especially if you’re way behind. Many hosts provide an environment, if yours does not you can try a tool like BlogVault.
    • Update a few things at a time, and check around between updates for conflicts or breakage.
    • Check the plugin or theme source to ensure it’s still being actively developed. Make a note of anything you need to swap out. If you are using free plugins and not paid premium tools, you will likely find them in the WordPress Repository.
  • Backups and Recovery
    • Make sure there is a regular backup system in place and that the backups are accessible.
    • If your only backups are on the website host’s site, consider a third-party storage solution in the event you cannot access those for recovery. This is another feature that BlogVault offers.
  • Evaluate User Access
    • Check the user list in the website admin and remove any that are no longer needed.
    • The role of ‘Administrator’ has access to everything within the website admin panel, so grant those permissions sparingly
    • View WordPress default roles and permissions.
  • Malware and Vulnerability Protection
    • Ensure the site is being regularly scanned for malware. BlogVault can help here also.
    • Consider virtual patching for proactive protection. Patchstack is a great option.

Performance

  • Optimize Images
    • Check images in the media library to ensure you are using modern formats and appropriate sizes
    • Implement Image Compression using a tool like Imagify.
  • Check for Broken Links
  • Test Site Speed
    • Use a diagnostic tool to evaluate the site’s speed and find opportunities for improvement.
    • Popular options are Google Page Speed Insights and GTMetrix.

User Experience (UX)

  • Mobile Friendliness
    • View the website on different devices and note whether it is viewable and navigable on mobile devices
    • Don’t forget to try buttons, forms, menus, and other interactive elements
    • You can do this directly in your browser, like Chome dev tools, or try a paid tool.
  • Review Navigation
    • All menus should be organized and intuitive.
    • Don’t forget to check menu locations other than the header such as footer or sidebar, if you have them.
  • Forms and Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
    • Complete forms and verify that the information is being sent to the appropriate places.
    • Form confirmations should be displayed after every submission, and be clear.
    • Test CTA’s and confirm that subsequent actions (such as adding to email list or notification sent to admin) are working properly.
  • Consistent Branding

Content

  • Content Review
    • Navigate through the website pages and check for outdated information and broken images.
    • Refresh key pages like “About Us” or “Contact.”
    • Ensure your content is using the proper semantic structure in the proper order (H1 for headings, H2 for subheadings, etc).

Accessibility

  • Meta and Descriptions
  • Color Contrast
    • Check that colors on the website are clearly contrasting and easy to read. Consider color blindness when reviewing accent colors.
    • You can use a free contrast checker and enter the hex values.
  • Text Links
    • Links should be clear text versions of what will happen when the user clicks the link.
    • Avoid ambiguous ‘Click Here.’
  • Accessibility Audit
    • Run an accessibility scan to identify compliance level with WCAG and identify changes to be made for conformance.
    • These can be done with plugins on your own for standard websites.
    • Consider a specialized service for eCommerce websites.

Legal

  • Policies and Terms
    • Check your existing Privacy Policies and Terms of Service. Laws change quickly so you may need to update these to ensure you are in compliance with current legal regulations.
    • Termageddon is a tool I recommend often for this.
  • Cookie Consent
    • Evaluate Cookie Notices and policies, implement if you do not already have this in place

Integrations

  • Analytics and Tracking
    • Check your analytics tools and tracking ID’s to make sure everything is configured correctly and data is flowing through the proper channels
  • Third-Party Connections
    • If any integrations with third-party tools are installed, identify the desired behavior and test that the connection is active and working. For example, if a form subscription adds a user to a mailing list in an external CRM.

Once you’ve worked your way through this checklist you’ll have a pretty good idea of where you stand and what you need to tackle first. It may seem overwhelming but just take it one step at a time. All of the items on this checklist are part of foundational website management practices. So taking your time and understanding them will serve you well in the long run.

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