How to Get Your Website Ready for Holiday Sales

When getting your website ready for the holiday shopping season, it’s important to start planning early. A rule of thumb in marketing says that someone has to see your brand or product seven times before they decide to make a purchase. Have a plan in place so you can get in front of potential customers before peak shopping times.

To get your store ready and boost online sales, test the customer experience for issues, brainstorm unique products to add, and make a plan for SEO and order fulfillment.

For more tips on holiday ecommerce sales, check out our complete Holiday Selling Guide.

1. Optimize your website

No matter what stage your business is in, taking a closer look at your online shop before the holidays can help things run smoothly when things get extra busy. 

1. Plan out any seasonal products and promotions so you can start making a marketing plan. 

2. Clean up your website copy, to ensure it’s clear and descriptive of your products.

3. Double check your product images to ensure all photos are up-to-date and correct.

4. Test the buying experience yourself to ensure customers will have a positive experience all the way through checkout.

If you already have a store on a different platform, you can connect your existing products to your website. Squarespace websites have an option to import all your products from certain marketplaces so users can find you no matter where they’re online shopping.

2. Get yourself SEO-ready

Whether you're planning to get your store online for the first time, revamping your site, or adding new products, there’s one big reason you should get your work done well ahead of BFCM weekend, or even before Halloween: ranking in search results.

It takes search engines time—potentially up to six months—to discover your pages and rank them in search. The sooner you start your online store, the more time there is for your site to climb up in search results, and the more time customers will have time to browse and buy. 

Here are a few things on your site to check for SEO:

1. Page titles and descriptions: This copy appears in search results, helping people decide whether to click through to your site. Include keywords that describe what you’re selling and highlight benefits to convince people to click in.

2. Other website copy: Everything from your product descriptions to your homepage copy can help you appear in search results for customers. Consider what someone might search to find your store or products, and try to weave similar phrases into your site.

3. Shopping results: You can sync a Squarespace store to Google Shopping and social media platforms to help your products appear in shopping-specific search results.

4. Local SEO: If you have a physical location, make sure your store appears in map search results for your area.

See more SEO tips to attract site visitors

3. Think beyond standard merchandise

You have an opportunity to excite shoppers and stand out from your competition by offering seasonal or new products at the holidays. Consider simple additions, like subscriptions and gift cards, or use the moment to launch a new product line.

Consider including these items during the holidays:

• Gift cards: According to an Insider Intelligence survey, almost one third of shoppers used a gift card to make a purchase last year. Add them so you don’t miss out, and so your current customers can pay forward their love for your store or services.

• Subscriptions: Create a subscription option for popular items, service offerings, or themed boxes. These are simple gifts, easy to add, and create recurring sales for you.

• Add-ons: Promote related products as add-ons to upsell or cross-sell things in your store and increase your earnings. For example, you could suggest a moisturizer to pair with a soap or offer gift wrapping services.

• Non-physical products: Consider launching digital products, like downloadable guides, paywalled content, or videos.

Finally, consider adding the option to include a gift message at checkout, so customers can make their gifts even more personal.

4. Make a payment and order fulfillment plan

Offering multiple payment options makes it more likely someone will finish checking out, since they can choose the payment method they’re most comfortable with. For example, some people may want a buy now, pay later option like Afterpay or Klarna, or to pay with a tool like PayPal, instead of a card. Squarespace users in certain countries can offer these methods with Squarespace Payments, while tracking all of their payments in the same place.

If you’ll be selling in person, make sure you have a payment tool that can handle cash payments or mobile payments and sync in-person sales to your inventory.

Then, make a plan to get orders into customers’ hands. A good system will save you time and confusion later. If you haven’t already, set up your shipping options and policy and add fulfillment choices like local pickup or delivery.

Expecting an uptick in orders this season? Read tips for optimizing selling, shipping, and fulfillment on your online store.

This post was updated on September 17, 2024.