Over the Christmas break, our house turned into a sea of packing boxes.
We’re in the middle of a large renovation, and at some point you hit the moment where you can’t keep shifting the same “maybe useful” things from one corner to another. You have to decide: keep it, fix it up, repurpose it… or let it go.
So we did a proper reset. Cupboards, drawers, and even the storage shed. It was equal parts satisfying and ruthless — but the outcome was immediate: space, clarity, and less mental load.
And honestly, that’s the exact energy many of us need as we ease back into work in January.
Not “new year, new you”. Not a bigger to-do list. Just a clean, practical reset that helps you move forward without dragging yesterday’s clutter behind you.
If you’re back at your desk this week — easing into it, side-eyeing the inbox, and not in the mood for fluffy New Year’s resolutions — you’re not alone.
That’s why I’m running a Digital Detox: a simple, practical clean-up for professional service firms and consultants who want to start 2026 with clarity and momentum.
The goal isn’t to do more marketing. It’s to remove what’s outdated, distracting, or no longer doing its job — so the right things can finally work.
Why a Digital Detox matters (especially for professional services)
Most professional service firms don’t have a marketing problem. They have a clutter problem.
Old services still listed. Outdated lead magnets still live. Blog posts that no longer represent what you do. Social profiles that drifted. A website that’s become a museum of past priorities.
The result? Confusion for your future clients — and more effort for you.
So here’s the simple framework I’m using (and yes, we’re doing this inside Adventure Digital too — starting with our own website. Builder’s house and all that.)
The Digital Detox framework
We’ll reset four parts of your digital ecosystem:
- Web (your home base)
- Social (where your people hang out)
- Content (your expertise on display)
- Search (how you’re found)
The rule is simple: keep what works, refresh what’s close, retire what’s outdated, repurpose what’s valuable.
And if you want to do this properly (without guessing), let data help you.
Step 1: Web — the 30-minute website walk-through
Your website is your digital shopfront.
Do a quick walk-through as a brand-new visitor:
- Home
- Services
- About
- Contact
Look for:
- services you no longer want to sell
- vague messaging
- broken links / outdated PDFs
- weak or unclear calls to action
Make it evidence-led (10 minutes):
- In Google Analytics: what pages get the most visits, where people drop off, and what paths lead to enquiry/booking (if tracked).
- In Google Search Console: which pages are getting impressions but not clicks, and what queries you’re showing up for.
This helps you focus on the pages with the biggest upside — not the ones you feel guilty about.
Step 2: Social — clear the noise
Social media clutter is sneaky. It’s often not “bad” — just misaligned.
Pick one platform (LinkedIn is the obvious start for most B2B/professional services) and check:
- headline/bio: do you clearly say who you help + outcome?
- featured/pinned content: still relevant?
- link in bio: working and useful?
- old promos: archive them
Then ask: am I showing up here with intention… or obligation?
Step 3: Content — keep / refresh / retire your library
Audit your top 10 pieces of content (posts, articles, guides, resources).
Sort into:
- Keep: still accurate + aligned
- Refresh: update examples, stats, CTAs
- Retire: no longer relevant / attracts the wrong enquiries
Use the numbers here too: In Analytics and Search Console, identify:
- pieces already getting attention (fastest refresh wins)
- pages with impressions but low clicks (often title/meta fixes)
This is where you’ll usually find your easiest “quick wins” for 2026.
Step 4: Search — SEO foundations + “AI visibility” basics
Search isn’t just Google anymore. More people are researching suppliers using AI tools (ChatGPT/Copilot/Gemini-style) as well as search engines.
You might hear new acronyms like GEO or AIO.
Don’t let that muddy the waters.
In practice, visibility still comes back to fundamentals:
- redirects for old pages (stop sending people in circles)
- clear structure (service pages + FAQs)
- internal links and a logical hierarchy
- strong trust signals (proof, credentials, case studies)
- avoiding thin/duplicated content
If humans (and machines) can’t easily understand what you do and who it’s for, you’ll always work harder than you need to.
Want to use AI tools to help?
AI (ChatGPT/Copilot/Gemini) can help you draft faster — but here’s the rule:
Tell it not to invent details.
Use AI for:
- summarising and triage (keep/refresh/retire)
- drafting rewrite options
- meta titles/descriptions
But you’re still responsible for accuracy, proof, and claims.
The point of this isn’t “more marketing”
It’s less noise. Better clarity. Cleaner foundations.
So you can focus on fewer, higher-impact things — and let your business flourish in 2026.
If you’d like, we can share the tracker we’re using for this Digital Detox — it’s a simple Google Sheet that helps you keep/refresh/retire/repurpose without losing your mind. Just email [email protected] to secure your copy.
And if you’d prefer a second set of eyes (because you’re busy, or you don’t want to guess), we are also offering:
- a 15-minute touch base to help you prioritise the highest-impact fixes, or
- a Digital Ecosystem Review where we review your Web, Social, Content and Search and give you a clear, prioritised action plan (including the technical fixes that support visibility in search and AI-assisted discovery).
Either way — the goal is the same: less clutter, more clarity, and a marketing foundation you can actually build on.
