Even though you’ve been planning for the holiday season for quite some time, you probably still feel somewhat unprepared. A lot is crammed into a couple of short months, so you can’t slack from Halloween till the end of the year. If you do, you could miss out on potential leads and sales while your competitors scoop them up.
According to statistics from CMO.com, U.S. retail e-commerce is expected to grow 16.6 percent, and total holiday sales are expected to hit $863 billion. Fifty percent of sales will be influenced digitally, which is why you need to get your website in check.
Below are the best ways to optimize your website for the holidays. Don’t delay!
Review Analytics from Last Year
A quick look at last year’s analytics will remind you of the marketing methods and content that worked–and which didn’t. While this isn’t that much different from what you’re already doing on Google Analytics, it’s nice to be reminded of what campaigns engaged your audience last year.
Get Listings and Content in Place
Everything should be in order for the holiday season. If your business has a physical location, make sure that your listings are updated with your address, phone number, and store hours. You can add holiday-related content to your website to engage visitors, and don’t forget to check your meta description tags. It’s a good idea to have your content schedule planned out with topics and post dates.
Create a Holiday Landing Page
A landing page generates leads and collects information. Create a landing page that gets people to act quickly, such as one for free shipping or a last minute promotion. Include a clear CTA. As always, follow the best practices for landing pages, such as by displaying all promotions, optimizing them for mobile, and allowing users to checkout in two clicks or less.
Start a Countdown
One of the best ways to get people to act is by creating a sense of urgency. No one wants to have their gifts arrive late, pay more for shipping, or miss out on a discount. Creating a sense of urgency or scarcity motivates people to act, driving up conversions and sales in the short term.
Be Optimized for Mobile
Your site should be optimized for mobile. More shopping is being done on smartphones and tablets, so if you don’t have an optimized site, you’re going to lose out on customers. The best way to have a fully optimized site that loads quickly is with a responsive design. Your checkout process should also be optimized; you don’t want to lose customers at this point. To sweeten the deal, offer discount codes, coupons, giveaways or free shipping.
