The arrival of the new year provides the perfect opportunity to review your digital marketing performance strategy. You’ll want to ask yourself:
- How did this year compare to past years?
- Did we reach all our digital marketing goals?
- What worked and what didn’t?
- How can we adapt our strategy for a successful 2024?
In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, it’s essential to be proactive and stay one step ahead of your competitors. Therefore, make a New Year’s resolution to take an
in-depth look at where you stand with your digital marketing — and most importantly, where you can improve. Start right now by following this digital marketing checklist:
1. Make the Most of Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
GA4 offers smarter insights to drastically improve your marketing decisions. This free resource is simply one of the most powerful digital data tools in your arsenal. Benefits of Google Analytics 4 for your business include:
- Get Better Value from Your Data
- Measure Engagement and Conversions within New Privacy Standards
- Understand Your Customers Across Their Entire Lifecycle
2. Protect Your Business from Google Business Profile Theft
The number of fraudulent requests to claim and take ownership of GBP listings just like yours has skyrocketed over the past year. Don’t let GBP fraudsters destroy the reputation of your business and steal your valuable traffic.
Make sure you claim your GBP listing if you haven’t already. According to Google, over 56% of businesses still need to claim their Google Business Profile. Make sure all notifications regarding activity in your Profile come to you. Then constantly keep your GBP page updated and limit access to it so it is less likely to be compromised. Never give access to your GBP to anyone you do not know and trust.
For more information about how you can protect your Google Business Profile from getting hijacked, read our blog article, Why Are So Many People Trying to Steal Your Google Business Profile Listing?
3. Know When Your Domain Expires
If you accidentally let your domain expire, Google will automatically de-index your website. Then you can say goodbye to your domain name and all your hard-earned rankings.
That’s why you need to double-check when your domain expires, where it’s hosted and if you need to update your credit card on file. Make sure to renew your domain immediately if it is set to expire. Keep all your up-to-date domain information in a safe and accessible location.
If you’ve lost track of your domain information, you can simply do a WhoIs search to find out where it’s registered. This will let you know both who you registered your domain with and when it expires, as well as where your website is hosted.
4. Check your Rankings
The past year featured constant and rapid change in regard to organic search. For example, Google implemented several algorithm updates and also officially launched the Search Generative Experience (SGE), adding “AI” results (powered by Google Bard) to the top of some searches.
With these major search developments, it’s more critical than ever to understand where you are in regard to organic ranking.
Remember, you can’t judge where you rank based on what you see on your computer or phone. Instead, use a quality keyword rank checker tool such as Sitechecker (which offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card needed).
The ability to adapt your digital strategy to change is crucial. Don’t be afraid to experiment to find out what works and what doesn’t.
5. Create a Branded YouTube Channel
Have you implemented a video marketing plan? If not, you’re missing out on an essential component of your digital strategy.
YouTube boasts more than 2.7 billion monthly active users. Approximately 62% of Internet users in the United States access YouTube daily. It’s the world’s second most-visited search engine.
That’s why your business needs a strong and consistent presence on YouTube. A branded YouTube channel significantly expands your social outreach by exposing your brand to a huge audience.