Spring Cleaning Your Chorus Website

We get it—website maintenance probably isn’t high on your list of thrilling choir admin tasks. Between rehearsals, board meetings, fundraising, and juggling 900 other things, your website might be gathering a little digital dust. But a quick seasonal tune-up can go a long way toward keeping things running smoothly—for your singers, your audience, and you. This simple maintenance guide will give your choir’s website the TLC it deserves!

Think of this as a simple “spring cleaning” checklist—no major redesigns, no fancy tech knowledge required. Just a few small tasks you can tackle at your own pace that’ll help your site stay fresh, functional, and welcoming. Whether you’re promoting concerts, recruiting new members, or accepting donations online, your website should reflect the best of what your choir has to offer.
 
So, brew yourself a cup of tea (or something stronger—no judgment here), and let’s get tidying!

Quick Fixes with Big Impact

These are the digital equivalent of wiping down your kitchen counters—easy, satisfying, and they make a big difference fast. If you’re short on time (and who isn’t?), start here.

1. Check and Update Your Contact Info It’s a small thing, but it’s often overlooked. Double-check that your choir’s email address, phone number, rehearsal location, and key contact person are still current. Bonus points if you add a contact form that works reliably and sends messages to the right person.

2. Refresh Your Home Page If your homepage still says “Happy Holidays” in April, it’s time for a refresh. Update your welcome message, replace outdated banners, and make sure the most important current info—like your next concert—is front and center.

3. Test All Your Links Take a few minutes to click through your site like a visitor. Do your donation buttons still work? Can people find your concert calendar? Are you linking to the right YouTube channel or ticketing platform? Broken links are a quick way to lose trust—and traffic.

4. Test Contact & Signup Forms Make sure your contact and signup forms are working properly. Fill out the form yourself and check that it submits successfully, and that you’re receiving the responses in your inbox. You don’t want potential choir members or donors hitting a roadblock when they try to get in touch.

5. Test Donation & Dues Pages If your choir accepts online donations or dues, it’s crucial to ensure these pages are functional. Try submitting a small payment or testing links to PayPal, Stripe, or any other payment platform you use. A quick test ensures there won’t be any surprises when your audience is ready to support your choir.

Tidy Up the Content

Now that the surface-level stuff is clean, it’s time to dig a little deeper. These tasks will help declutter your site and make sure the information you’re sharing is still accurate, relevant, and helpful.

1. Archive or Remove Outdated Info Old news posts, concert pages, audition announcements, and season schedules can still be valuable for SEO—but only if they’re clearly marked. Otherwise, they might quietly confuse visitors. You can delete outdated content, but a better option might be to move it to a clearly labeled archive section, or simply add a note at the top of the page that says something like, “This was a past event. View our upcoming performances [here].” That way, you keep the content (and its search engine value) while still guiding visitors to what’s current.

2. Update Your Key Pages Give your “About,” “Join Us,” and “Support/Donate” pages a quick read. Is the language still accurate? Do they reflect your current leadership, goals, or rehearsal schedule? A few tweaks can go a long way in keeping your site trustworthy and up to date.

3. Refresh Photos and Videos Swap in recent choir photos or concert clips if you have them. Make sure images aren’t blurry or stretched, and that any embedded media still loads correctly. People love seeing what your group really looks and sounds like—so make sure your visuals tell the right story.

4. Clean Up Your Media Library Over time, your website’s media library can become cluttered with old PDFs, unused images, and confusingly named files. Take a few minutes to organize or delete anything that’s no longer relevant. A clean, organized library makes it easier to find what you need and improves site performance by reducing unnecessary file bloat.

Make It Easy to Navigate

Think of your website like a choir concert: when things flow well, no one notices. But, when something is off, everyone feels it. A few small tweaks to your site’s layout and navigation can dramatically improve your visitors’ experience. Help visitors (and potential singers or donors) find what they need quickly.

1. Review Your Menu Structure Pretend you’ve never seen your site before. Can you easily find upcoming events, join info, and donation details? If your menu is cluttered, unclear, or buried in dropdowns, simplify it. Stick to 5–7 main items and use clear, intuitive labels like “Events,” “Join Us,” or “Support.”

2. Declutter the Homepage Your homepage doesn’t need to include everything, just the essentials. Think: a warm welcome, a striking photo, and a few quick paths to what people most often need (like concert tickets or rehearsal info). Use headings and buttons to guide the eye and avoid big blocks of text.

3. Add or Update Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons Whether it’s “Buy Tickets,” “Join Our Mailing List,” or “Donate Today,” make sure your calls to action are visible, easy to click, and working properly. A clear CTA not only helps your audience, it supports your goals as a choir.

Do a Tech & Accessibility Check

You don’t need to be a developer to give your site a quick technical once-over. A few simple checks can make your website faster, more accessible, and more enjoyable for everyone, including people with slower internet connections, visual impairments, or older devices.

1. Test Your Site on Mobile More than half of web traffic happens on phones. Pull up your site on your smartphone and see how it looks. Is the text readable? Do buttons work? Is anything cut off or oddly formatted? If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s worth looking into further.

2. Check Site Speed Slow-loading pages can turn visitors away before they even see your beautifully curated homepage. Try a free tool like PageSpeed Insights from Google to see how your site is performing. Common culprits include oversized images and too many plugins.

3. Add Alt Text to Images Alt text helps people using screen readers understand your images, and it’s great for SEO too. If your website platform allows it, check that your images have descriptive text that explains what they show (e.g., “The choir singing on stage during our spring concert”).

4. Use Clear, High-Contrast Text Avoid pale gray text on white backgrounds or busy images behind text blocks. Stick to fonts that are easy to read. Aim for strong contrast between text and background to help all your visitors (including older adults and those with visual impairments).

Organize and Plan Ahead

Now that your website is looking sharp, it's time to set up a system that keeps it in tip-top shape year-round. By creating a regular maintenance plan, you’ll save time and avoid feeling overwhelmed every time your site needs attention.

1. Create a Maintenance Calendar Think of website upkeep like choir rehearsals. It’s easier to stick to a schedule when it’s planned out. Set reminders for yourself or your team to check in on the site every 3–6 months. This could include reviewing content, testing links, and running a performance check.

2. Keep Software and Plugins Up-to-Date Website builders and plugins often release updates that fix bugs and improve performance. Make sure to check for updates periodically, as outdated software can leave your site vulnerable to security risks.

3. Monitor Your Website’s Performance Use free tools like Google Analytics to track visitor behavior. Are people clicking on your donation page? How long are they staying on your concert event pages? This info can help you fine-tune your site’s content and layout for maximum impact.

4. Ask for Feedback Sometimes, you need fresh eyes to spot what’s working (or not). Ask a board member, choir member, or trusted friend to explore your site and give you feedback. They can point out confusing sections, outdated info, or things that may be difficult to find. This simple step helps make your site more user-friendly and ensures it’s meeting your audience’s needs.

Final Steps for a Fresh and Functional Website

A little website spring cleaning can go a long way in improving your choir’s online presence. By investing a bit of time and following this checklist, you’re giving your choir’s website the attention it deserves, helping it stay fresh, functional, and welcoming for all who visit. These small, strategic updates will improve user experience, boost your SEO, and ensure that your online presence reflects the vibrant, active choir you are. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry! Start small and tackle one task at a time. For a handy reference, download the full Choir Website Spring Cleaning Checklist PDF to guide you through each step.

We want to hear from you! If you visited your choir's website today as a first-time visitor, what's one thing you think might need improvement? And what's the first spring cleaning task you plan to tackle on your choir's website? Share in the comments below!