By Brett Thomas, Owner of Rhino Web Studios, New Orleans, LA
September is like Monday morning for the entire business world. Vacations are over, the kids are back in school, and everyone starts looking at their calendars like, “Wait… Q4 is next month?” Suddenly the tempo shifts. Phones start ringing again. Coffee consumption skyrockets. Meetings that should’ve been emails start filling up schedules. And just like that, it’s back-to-business season.
Now here’s the part a lot of people forget: while everyone’s been busy adjusting to the new pace, websites haven’t had a break. They’ve been working overtime—day and night—all summer. Still showing up for traffic, still processing forms, still loading images of outdated summer promos. Some are holding it together, others are barely functioning like a hungover intern on their first day back.
This is the moment to stop and ask: Is the website ready for prime time? Or is it sitting there in digital pajama pants pretending to be productive?
Fall Is the Website Performance Wake-Up Call
Every September, businesses start pushing harder toward year-end goals. That means more traffic, more campaigns, more everything. And guess where it all points back to? The website. Whether it’s ads, email blasts, QR codes, social posts, or carrier pigeons—it all ends with someone landing on a website and asking, “Does this place know what it’s doing?”
Now is the time to tighten things up. Because let’s be honest, websites get weird when nobody’s looking. Broken links multiply like rabbits. Pages start loading like they’re on dial-up. That blog post from 2019 starts looking suspiciously like the last blog post. And don’t even get started on mobile.
Page Load Speed: The Digital Patience Test
The internet has made everyone impatient. If a site doesn’t load in two seconds or less, users start thinking something’s wrong. Three seconds in, they’ve already checked Instagram. Five seconds in, they’ve left the site and emotionally moved on with their lives. Slow load speed kills momentum—and conversions.
That one bloated image buried on the homepage? It’s probably the culprit. Or maybe it’s five outdated plugins clashing like drunk uncles at Thanksgiving. Either way, nobody’s sticking around to wait.
Mobile Experience: The Thumb Test
Here’s a simple rule: if someone can’t navigate a site with their thumb, it’s not mobile-friendly. Tiny buttons, overlapping menus, popups that can’t be closed—these are the little annoyances that cause big problems.
Most users are checking websites while standing in line, stuck in traffic (not recommended), or pretending to pay attention in meetings. If the site doesn’t play nice with a smartphone, it’s game over before anything loads.
Broken Links: The Silent Embarrassment
Broken links are like typos in a resume. They quietly ruin credibility. Clicking on a link and getting a 404 page is the internet equivalent of walking into a store, asking for help, and being pointed toward a brick wall. It doesn’t matter how good the product or service is—one broken link and users start questioning everything.
And yes, even that one link that nobody’s clicked in years—Google noticed. So did the bots. They’re quietly judging.
SEO: The Ever-Moving Goalpost
Search engines don’t care how hard someone worked on a website five years ago. They want fresh content, clean code, and metadata that actually makes sense. What ranked last fall might be on page seven now.
Keywords change. User behavior shifts. Competitors adjust their strategy. That blog about “top 10 business tools for 2021” might as well be carved into stone. SEO isn’t about guessing what people used to search—it’s about aligning with what they’re searching for now.
The Fall Digital Checklist (Without the Pumpkin Spice)
Here’s a simple list to knock out before things get really hectic:
- Test page speed (on both desktop and mobile)
- Run a mobile usability check on real devices
- Scan for broken links and 404 errors
- Update all core plugins, themes, and platform versions
- Refresh outdated content and headlines
- Check SEO rankings and adjust keywords accordingly
- Make sure forms, buttons, and CTAs actually work
Bonus points for checking things like SSL certificates, tracking pixels, and ADA accessibility. Even if they’re not top of mind, they’re still part of the user experience—just like elevator music is part of a hotel lobby whether anyone likes it or not.
Treat the Website Like a Team Member
At the end of the day, a website is the only employee who works 24/7 without benefits, coffee breaks, or office gossip. But it still needs a performance review. And fall is the perfect time to give it one.
September isn’t just the season of school buses and sweater weather—it’s when business gets serious again. First impressions matter, and the website is often the first (and sometimes only) chance to make one.
So do the website a favor. Give it the tune-up it deserves. Maybe even throw in a fresh homepage image while at it. After all, nothing says “We’re ready for Q4” like a website that loads fast, looks sharp, and doesn’t crash when someone taps the contact button on an iPhone.
Let the others coast through fall. The ones who win this season are the ones whose websites came dressed and ready. No pajama pants allowed.
