Phase 9~1 hourEasy
9.5 Ongoing Optimisation
Step-by-Step
Monthly maintenance checklist (30 minutes)
On the 1st of each month, run through this checklist:
- Review monthly reporting dashboard (section 9.2) and create 3 action items
- Check Google Search Console for errors, new manual actions, or indexing issues
- Check all contact forms by submitting a test entry -- forms break silently
- Check your booking system by making a test booking
- Review and respond to all new Google reviews
- Update any seasonal content, pricing, or availability
- Check all website pages for broken links (use Dead Link Checker, free)
- Update CMS, plugins, and themes
Quarterly deep review (2 hours)
Every 3 months, go deeper:
- Content audit: Which pages get the most/least traffic? Can low-traffic pages be improved or consolidated?
- Keyword review: Are new keywords appearing in GSC that you're not targeting? Update your keyword map.
- Competitor check: Search your top 5 keywords. Who's ranking above you? What are they doing that you're not?
- Speed test: Run PageSpeed Insights on your top 5 pages. Fix anything that's degraded.
- Ad review: Are your campaigns still profitable? Refresh ad creative, update negative keywords, test new audiences.
- Email list health: Remove bounced and unengaged subscribers (haven't opened in 6 months). Clean lists improve deliverability.
- GBP update: Add new photos, update business description, respond to any Q&A.
Annual strategy review (half day)
Once a year, step back and assess the big picture:
- Review full-year data: total leads, total revenue from digital, total spend, blended CPA, year-over-year growth
- Assess each channel: which generated the best ROI? Which underperformed?
- Review your competitive landscape: has anything shifted? New competitors? New platforms?
- Update your keyword strategy for the next year based on what's working
- Review all legal pages (Privacy Policy, Terms) and update for any new tools or regulations
- Set 3--5 digital marketing goals for the next year (specific, measurable, time-bound)
- Decide whether to expand to new channels (YouTube, TikTok, podcast) or double down on what works
Conversion rate optimisation (CRO)
Small improvements in conversion rate have outsized impact on revenue:
- Review your top landing pages in GA4. What's the conversion rate? Even a 1% improvement on a high-traffic page can double leads.
- Test one change at a time: headline, CTA button text, form fields, page layout, hero image
- Run changes for 2--4 weeks before judging results (need statistical significance)
- Common quick wins: reducing form fields, making the CTA button larger/more visible, adding testimonials near the form, improving mobile experience
Stay current
Digital marketing changes constantly. Stay informed without drowning:
- Google updates: Follow Google Search Status for algorithm updates
- AI search evolution: Monitor how AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity affect your traffic (GEO, section 5.3)
- Platform changes: Meta and Google Ads update their interfaces and features quarterly.
- Don't chase every trend. Most new platforms and tactics are noise. Focus on the fundamentals in this guide -- they compound over years.
The Compound Effect
A 5% improvement each month compounds to an 80% improvement over a year. The businesses that dominate their local market aren't doing anything revolutionary -- they're doing the basics consistently, month after month, year after year. This maintenance schedule IS the competitive advantage.
You're Done When
- Monthly maintenance checklist saved and recurring calendar event set
- Quarterly deep review scheduled (every 3 months)
- Annual strategy review scheduled
- First monthly checklist completed
- At least one CRO test identified for this quarter
You've read more than most agencies know.
107 hours of knowledge — or let us execute it all.