If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the digital world moves faster than our morning coffee order. Between AI tools multiplying like rabbits, Google updating its algorithm every other Tuesday, and design trends changing mid-project… we’ve learned a lot this year.
And before we all log off for a well-deserved break, here are six things every brand should do to wrap up the year feeling organised, clear, and ready for whatever 2026 throws at us.
1. Reflect on what worked (and what didn’t)
This is your marketing audit moment. But make it simple, not scary.
Pull up your analytics and take an honest look at the year. What actually drove traffic? Which campaigns converted? What content got engagement versus what just sat there taking up space on your feed?
Review the basics: website traffic, conversions, email performance, SEO rankings. Look at patterns across the year, not just individual posts. You’re looking for trends, not perfection.
Set benchmarks so you know what “good” looks like for your business specifically. Your metrics don’t need to match some guru’s viral post. They need to reflect your actual goals and capacity.
And here’s the practical bit: set up automatic monthly reports for 2026. Whether it’s Google Analytics, Search Console, or a Notion dashboard, having data arrive in your inbox regularly means you’ll actually look at it. Future you will thank present you.
If your best-performing post was something you wrote in a rush on a Sunday night while half-watching Netflix… maybe chaos is your strategy. Lean into it.
2. Refresh your website
Think of this as a digital spring clean before the holidays.
Walk through your website like a new visitor would. Click every link. Check every page. You’re looking for:
- Broken links
- Outdated team bios or services that have evolved
- Seasonal or expired information (old event pages, outdated opening hours, last year’s pricing)
- Any embarrassing typos you’ve been ignoring for months
Run your site through a speed test and SEO checker. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or SEMrush will tell you exactly what’s slowing things down or hurting your rankings. You don’t need to fix everything immediately, but knowing what needs attention sets you up for Q1.
And please, back up your site before the holidays. There’s nothing worse than returning in January to discover something broke while you were offline and you have no recent backup to restore from.
3. Review your brand consistency
The small stuff matters more than people think.
When was the last time you looked at your brand across all platforms? Really looked?
Check that your logo, colours, fonts, and tone of voice are consistent everywhere. Your website, social media, email signatures, proposals: does it all feel like the same business?
Update social media bios, headers, and profile images so they match your current positioning. If you’ve evolved this year (and most brands do), your digital presence should reflect that.
Pull out your brand guidelines if you have them. Do they still reflect how you actually talk and design today? Or have they become a dusty PDF you ignore?
If things feel misaligned, make notes for a refresh or rebrand in 2026. You don’t need to fix everything right now, but acknowledging the gap is the first step.
4. Revisit your SEO and AI optimisation
Time to show your older content some love.
Your top-performing blog posts and pages from earlier in the year? They probably need a refresh. Update them with current stats, recent examples, or new insights you’ve gained since writing them.
Add FAQ sections and structured data to help both search engines and AI understand your content better. This is how you show up in AI-generated responses and featured snippets.
Optimise for intent. Make sure your content actually answers the questions your audience is asking now, not the questions they were asking last January. Search behaviour evolves, and your content should too.
Check your meta descriptions and titles. Are they clear and compelling, or did you write them in 2023 and never look at them again? Small tweaks here can make a surprisingly big difference.
Remember when SEO used to be about cramming in keywords? Now it’s about clarity, context, and pretending we know what Google’s thinking. Welcome to 2026.
5. Plan (lightly) for Q1 2026
Keep it low-pressure but strategic.
You don’t need a detailed content calendar mapped out to June. You just need enough direction so January doesn’t blindside you.
Map out your first month or quarter of content themes. Broad strokes. What topics matter to your audience? What aligns with your business goals? What feels exciting to create?
Create one shared planning document or Notion board where your whole team (even if that’s just you) can add ideas throughout the year. Having a running list means you’re never starting from scratch when it’s time to post.
Pre-schedule any January social posts or newsletters now while you’re in the zone. Future you, returning from holiday break with zero creative energy, will be deeply grateful.
Make a note of your marketing “non-negotiables” (the things that consistently work and deserve priority next year). Maybe it’s email newsletters. Maybe it’s LinkedIn posts. Whatever it is, protect that time.
The goal here isn’t to plan your entire life. It’s to make sure January doesn’t catch you completely off guard.
6. Take an actual break
Rest isn’t a luxury or a productivity hack. It’s how creativity actually works. Your next great idea probably won’t show up in a spreadsheet. It’ll hit you halfway through a swim or a nap.
Log off properly. Set autoresponders, schedule your social content, and remove work apps from your phone for at least a week. Maybe two if you can manage it.
Do things that refill your energy: cook something elaborate, read fiction, travel somewhere new, go to the beach, sleep in, whatever makes you feel like yourself again.
And if you have an audience, encourage them to do the same. Rest and reflection are part of good business strategy, not barriers to it.
2025 was fast, fun, and full of lessons. We’ll be closing our laptops for a few weeks to rest and reset (and maybe finally clear our desktop folders). Here’s to slower mornings, smarter strategies, and creative ideas that actually make people feel something in 2026.
See you in the new year.
