5 Things To Do Now That Set Your Website Up for Success in 2027

Dropping temperatures, the changing colors of the leaves, and the smell of pumpkin spice in the air all point to one thing: we are headed into the final sprint, and it is time to tackle those tasks that have been pushed down the to-do list for most of the year. Let’s admit, oftentimes that includes your website, which sits like a quiet engine in the background of your marketing strategy. 

DCI’s latest research confirms that Internet search is the number one most influential source for both site selection and talent audiences. A well-kept website is crucial to ensuring that your community is seen by your target market. 

Here are 5 things you can do now to improve your website and ensure a successful foundation for your 2027 marketing strategy:

Do an end-of-year cleanup.

Set aside some time to review the pages of your website for any broken links and outdated information. You will want to update any facts and rankings on the website, refresh data points and ensure they align across the website. Review blog posts and news articles older than two years. Update the ones still getting traffic, redirect or consolidate overlapping ones, and remove only outdated pages with no traffic or links.

Use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool to check your site speed. This will tell you if your pages are loading at an acceptable speed and, if not, give you recommendations for how to bring your site speed “into the green.” Typically, this means compressing large images and media files, and removing any excess script from outdated plugins and tracking pixels. 

Run an accessibility audit.

In 2024, the Department of Justice updated its regulations around the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including specific regulations around web content and web applications. In short, your website must meet WCAG 2.1 AA-level standards to be compliant. State and local government organizations with a population of at least 50,000 are required to comply by April 26, 2027; public entities with a population under 50,000 have one more year. 

Even if your organization doesn’t fall within the descriptions above, keep in mind that international markets and many local states are implementing similar accessibility requirements to better support the diverse needs of Internet users. AA-level standards are becoming increasingly commonplace. To stay competitive, we recommend running an accessibility audit to see where your website stands today and what improvements you can make to reach a broader audience. 

Check your privacy policy and consent management. 

Similar to accessibility, there’s been an increase in attention to and concern around how website users’ information and behavior is monitored and managed. If you work with European markets, you must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), while Californian users are protected by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). Failure to comply can result in lawsuits and hefty fines, even for smaller communities with low website traffic.

Your first step is to make sure you have a clear link to a Privacy Policy on your website, and that it is up-to-date. We recommend running your Privacy Policy by a legal representative to ensure that it is accurate. 

If you do any type of tracking or information capturing on your website, – this includes Google Analytics, contact forms and newsletter signups –  you should also consider implementing consent management. At minimum, this means adding a cookie consent banner to your site that tells users you are capturing some information about them and lets them accept or opt out. 

Nurture your SEO.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, helps your website appear in search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines. Today, it also extends to generative search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, AI overviews, and even social media. At DCI, we like to say SEO is a garden. You plant it when you build your site, and it needs regular care to keep producing.

We recommend an SEO audit at least once a year. A good audit confirms your keywords still match how your audiences search, flags technical issues like broken links and missing metadata, and identifies content to refresh, including web copy and page layouts. It should also check that search engines and AI tools can crawl and understand your site, so your community is represented accurately in AI-generated answers.

Improve Engagement with Interactivity.

Finally, if you’ve got some end-of-year budget to spare, consider where you might add interactive elements and features that keep visitors engaged once they land on your site and encourage repeat visits. Depending on your target audiences and goals, some of the more successful interactive features include:

• A regional map that shows your key communities, major sites or points of interest, transportation infrastructure and proximity to major markets. 
• A cost-of-living calculator that lets users compare costs in your region with their current home community
• Data visualizations that tell the story behind the numbers and allow users to quickly identify key information 
• A jobs board that displays job openings in your top industries

DCI offers a plethora of interactive features and web applications. For more information, visit our Website Services page. 

Ready to build a better website? Reach out to Cilia Kohn, VP of Client Strategy, Technology Innovation, at cilia.kohn@aboutdci.com to learn how we can help with audits, compliance, SEO, and more.