If someone discovers your print shop for the first time, there’s a good chance they’re not walking through your front door. They’re finding you online.
That’s why your website matters just as much as the beautiful job you just shipped. But for a lot of printers, the website is “that thing we’ll fix someday” while presses, people, and deadlines scream louder.
If your site feels a little tired, a little out of date, or you’re simply not sure it’s helping you sell more printing, don’t beat yourself up. Many shops are in the same place. The good news: a simple year-end website tune-up for printers can make a real difference. You don’t need to rebuild everything. You just need a focused list of quick wins you can knock out before the ball drops.
Why Year-End Is the Best Time to Fix Your Website
You already think in seasons: back to school, holidays, trade shows, slow spells. The end of the year is when you naturally take stock, clearing out the shop, wrapping up invoices, reviewing the numbers, and planning for next year.
Your website deserves a spot on that list.
A short tune-up now helps you look more current and credible to new prospects in January, support the Q1 promotions you’re already thinking about, and start the year feeling caught up instead of quietly guilty about “that old website.”
And no, this doesn’t require a whole week blocked off. Most of these changes can be done in under an hour each.
1. Give Your Homepage Hero or Slider a Fresh Face
Think of your homepage hero image or slider as the front window of your shop. If it still talks about something you offered last spring, it’s time for a change.
Swap in a visual that reflects what you want to sell right now, such as direct mail campaigns, wide-format signage, or “New Year, New Print” specials. Pair that with a short, clear headline and a line or two that say who you serve.
For example:
Start the New Year Strong with Better Print
Serving local businesses, schools, and non-profits with fast, high-quality printing.
If you’re using a Base Website for printers, updating your homepage slider is usually as simple as uploading a new image and editing a bit of text—no web developer required.
2. Clear Out the Digital Dust
Every website collects clutter: expired coupons, old announcements, services you don’t really want to offer anymore. Year-end is the perfect moment to sweep some of that away.
Take a quick tour of your own site like a stranger would. Start with the homepage, then your about page, services, and contact page. Look for anything that’s obviously dated or wrong (old specials, old staff, old messaging) and either update it or remove it.
If you’ve been sitting on a few nice photos or a recent success story, add a short caption or sentence about those as you go. You don’t need full case studies here; even small updates send a strong signal:
“We’re active. We’re paying attention. We’re not stuck in 2019.”
If you don’t have access to a content library such as the Ideas Collection, this is a great time to drop a fresh article or helpful tip into your blog or resources section and remind Google (and your customers) that your site is alive. (If you do have the Ideas Collection, we do this for you every month.)
3. Make the Next Step Obvious on Every Page
One of the simplest ways to improve your website is to answer the question, “If they’re interested right now, what should they do next?”
On each key page (home, services, about, even your blog), decide on one primary action you want visitors to take. Maybe that’s requesting a quote, sending a file, or booking a quick conversation. Then make that action easy to see and easy to click. The objective here is that a print buyer should never reach the end of a page and think, “Where do I go from here?”
You might add a “Request a Quote” button near the top of your services page and repeat it again at the bottom. On your about page, a simple “Ready to talk about your next project?” with a link to your contact or quote form can work wonders.
If your site includes tools like Secure File Transfer, make them easy to find on the homepage and in the navigation. Your customers love anything that lets them send files quickly and securely without extra steps.
4. Turn Product Lists into Helpful Descriptions
Many printer websites still rely on basic lists: “brochures, flyers, business cards.” It’s better than nothing, but it doesn’t help your buyer understand what those products actually do for them.
Pick a few of your most important products and rewrite them with the customer in mind. Instead of:
“Postcards – various sizes.”
Try something like:
“Postcards are an affordable, high-impact way to stay in front of your customers. We print on premium cardstock with bold color and quick turnaround, so your message doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.”
That kind of description explains the product, positions it as a solution, and naturally supports your SEO with the phrases people actually search for.
Did you know the Advanced SEO subscription option rewrites these product descriptions for you based on your keyword search volume and phrases?
5. Really Use Your Website on Your Phone
You’ve probably been told a hundred times that “mobile matters.” But when was the last time you actually tried to use your own website on your phone the way a customer would?
Open your site on your phone and pretend you’ve never seen it before. Try to find your hours, your phone number, and your main services. Try sending a file or requesting a quote.
If you find yourself pinching and zooming, hunting for buttons, or giving up on a form halfway through, your customers are likely doing the same.
Most modern platforms, including a Base Website for printers, are built to be mobile-friendly, but the content you add can accidentally cause problems (long headlines, tiny text links, or calls to action buried halfway down the page). Fixing even one or two of those friction points counts as a meaningful website tune-up.
6. Add a Simple Year-End Offer
You don’t have to run a massive sale, but a clear, time-bound offer can give people a reason to act now instead of “someday.” It also gives you something concrete to highlight on your homepage, social channels, and in your emails.
You might:
- Offer a small discount on January projects booked before December 31.
- Include a free paper upgrade on a featured product.
- Provide a complimentary file review or mailer suggestion for new clients.
Keep the offer simple and easy to understand. Put it in your homepage hero or slider, repeat it on your services or specials page, and make sure any order or quote forms echo the same language.
If you’re already using tools like Email Marketing for Printers or Social Media For Printers, carry the same message into those campaigns and send people back to a matching page on your site so everything feels connected.
7. Put Your Sidebar Ads to Work
Sidebar ads quietly show up on a lot of pages, but they often get set once and forgotten. Year-end is a good time to make them earn their space.
Look at any sidebar banners, blurbs, or “extra” items you’re currently showing. Ask yourself:
- Are these still relevant?
- Do they point to services I actually want to grow in 2025?
- Is there something more profitable or more seasonal I could feature instead?
You might replace a generic message with a small callout for direct mail campaigns, wide-format signage, or private label ordering. Keep each one focused: a short headline, one clear benefit, and a link that goes somewhere useful—a product page, a quote form, or a simple explainer.
Little adjustments like this help visitors naturally discover more of what you offer without feeling like they’re being “sold to.”
A Few Common Questions Printers Ask
Do I really have time for this?
Probably not for a giant website project, and that’s okay. This tune-up isn’t that. Start with one or two of these ideas, block a short window on your calendar, and treat it like any other important maintenance task in your shop.
Do I need a brand-new site to see results?
Not always. Many printers can get better results by improving the site they already have: clearer offers, better descriptions, more obvious paths to contact you, and a few technical cleanups. A full rebuild may make sense down the road, but you don’t have to wait for that day to make progress.
How often should I revisit my website?
Year-end is a great anchor point, something easy to remember. Beyond that, a light review once a quarter helps keep things from slipping back into “we’ll fix it someday” territory.
Start the New Year with a Website That Matches Your Print Quality
You put a lot of pride into the work that leaves your shop. Your website should reflect that same level of care.
A year-end website tune-up for printers isn’t about chasing every trend or obsessing over perfection. It’s about progress: updating your homepage, clearing out old content, making the next step obvious, tightening up key product pages, and putting neglected areas like your sidebar back to work.
If you’d like a second opinion, you don’t have to tackle it alone. You can talk with us about a simple website review tailored specifically to print shops.
Either way, you’ll head into January with a website that does a better job of what you wanted it to do in the first place: help you sell more printing while you focus on running your business.
