Free 2027 Digital Marketing Audit
Close out the year strong.
Start 2027 ahead of the game.
Eight items to make sure you're set up for growth in 2027, from site security and AODA to AI search and campaigns.
Toggle what you've already got covered.
Ready, set, 2027Digital MarketingReadiness Checklist
As your partner in all things digital, we put together this quick checklist to help you close out the year strong and start the new one ahead of the game.
Eight items to make sure you're set up for growth in 2027.
- Website
Site Security & Maintenance
Make sure your CMS, plugins, themes and integrations are up to date, and that your domain and SSL certificate are renewed. Ensure your site is monitored for downtime, malware and bot attacks, and sits behind a firewall. Check that backups run on a schedule, are stored off-site, and that a restore has been tested. Review admin access: remove former staff and vendors, turn on 2FA, and confirm your business (or a trusted agency like Skylar) owns its domain, hosting and key accounts.
- Website
Accessibility (AODA) & UX
Ensure your site meets WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with screen reader and keyboard access, alt text and strong colour contrast. If you're an Ontario organization with 20 or more employees, file your AODA compliance report by December 31, 2026. Check that clear calls to action and short forms move visitors smoothly from landing page to inquiry or purchase.
- Data
Analytics & Reporting
Make sure GA4 and Microsoft Clarity are set up correctly, conversions are tracking, your own team's visits are filtered out, and GA4 is set to keep 14 months of data. Set up a regular report that shows leads, sales and traffic by source in a format your team can read at a glance. When you can see exactly where last quarter's leads came from, every 2027 decision gets easier.
- Search
SEO
Check that your site loads fast, works well on mobile, and has no broken links, duplicate pages or missing meta descriptions. Make sure key pages target the terms customers actually search for, and that new content and improvements go out every month.
- New
AEO: AI Search Visibility
Ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews the way a customer would: “Who's the best [service] in [city]?” Check that your business comes up and the details are accurate. AI tools favour businesses with clear, well-structured content, schema markup and consistent listings.
- Search
Local Listings
Make sure your name, address, phone number, hours and services match across Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect and your industry directories. Set your holiday hours for December and January. Add fresh photos and reply to reviews promptly.
- Creative
2027 Campaigns
Define your creative direction, key messages and budget for each quarter, and get Q1 assets into production now. Starting the year with a plan in motion means you launch in January with momentum.
- Strategy
2027 Roadmap
Build a written plan for 2027 that covers goals, channels, budget, timing and how you'll measure success, and that ties everything above together. The ‘North Star’ (overarching goal) is the most important thing you can establish as you prepare. Your whole team should be able to point to it and know exactly where you're headed.
Any boxes left unchecked? That's where we'd start.
Download the Checklist (PDF)Let's schedule a meeting to discuss your 2027 plan.
Tell us a little about your business and we'll walk through the checklist together, then show you where to focus first.
- A free strategy call with a senior member of our team
- Clear priorities across website, search, data and creative
- Over 20 years as the outsourced marketing team for Canadian brands
- ISO 27001-certified, so your data stays secure