Christmas is coming, and it can be make-or-break for many businesses. Are you ready for it?

For many businesses with an online presence, the difference between success and failure can be as simple as the click of a button. In this blog, we will give you some tips to help you audit your website to prepare for a successful Christmas season and explore how Reach Solutions can work with you to create a tailor-made marketing campaign to drive sales and elevate your business.

Preparing your business for Christmas

Get your website ready – a 5 point online audit

1 | User experience is paramount.

Have a go at navigating your website and consider asking friends and family to do the same. Try browsing, searching for a specific product or service, try returning back to the product you recently viewed or back to the home page. Does it work on mobile? iPad? How long does it take each page to load? Consider how you feel using the site – frustrated? satisfied? room for improvement? If you have any concerns about the customer experience whilst using your site then now is the time to address them. Invest in a user-friendly website with intuitive navigation. Make sure your site works across all devices.

One way to check how your website is performing is to take advantage of our free digital health check which reviews your online presence and provides you with an overall score, helping you to improve your site. It only takes a minute and it’s free. Check it out here.

2 | Understand your data. 

Take advantage of analytics tools to understand where visitors to your website are coming from, how long they stay on each page and which page they leave on. Are there any trends? For example, you may discover an unnecessary page within the purchase or booking journey that is causing people to give up and leave. You may discover you are getting referrals from a particular forum or website, you might want to consider how to increase engagement with these types of customers.

3 | Optimise your content.

Make sure the content on your website is as good as it can be. Focus on your product pages first, making sure each product is clearly described and explained. You’ll want to ensure that your key product descriptions are accurate and include the right keywords to attract web searches. Also confirm that your product imagery is high quality (but at the same time optimised so that it doesn’t affect page load speed). If you have reviews then display a selection of them alongside the product.

Content on your site should be relevant to your business so you don’t want content on there for the sake of it. But (there’s always a but), if people come to your site looking for specific information and you fail to provide it then they’ll back out and go elsewhere. They may also assume that your site is unfinished, damaging your business’s confidence.

The only thing worse than not having enough content is having too much. Publishing page after page of content nobody will ever read could mean visitors to the site miss your key messages. It’s also a lot of work to keep it updated and current. As above, you should decide on the essentials your website needs, focusing on driving traffic and increasing sales/orders/bookings. Then review and question the purpose of every page; if it doesn’t serve a purpose, get rid of it.

Once a visitor lands on your site and decides your business could be just what they need, you need to make it easy for them to make a sale, booking, or get in touch. Don’t hide your enquiry form or contact details on some page that takes several clicks to get to. Even the keenest customer will give up if they can’t quickly move things forward. Make sure enquires are being picked up and not sitting in some random mailbox somewhere, and of course ensure that your contact details are correct and up-to-date.

4 | What does the internet say about your business? 

With your website looking great, you’ll want to make sure everything pointing to it is looking tip-top too. Check your social media and business listings site to make sure the information they hold is consistent.

It is imperative to regularly check business listing sites across the internet to ensure the accuracy of information about your website, as discrepancies can adversely impact your online visibility and reputation

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience. Evaluate your social media presence across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Are you engaging with your audience? Is your content relevant and consistent? Social media is not just about posting; it’s about building relationships and fostering a community around your business.

5 | Add some Christmas sparkle

Once your website is ready, you’ll need to give it a Christmas makeover. Incorporate Christmas-themed graphics, banners, and colours to create a visually engaging and seasonally relevant atmosphere. Tailor your product pages to align with the festive spirit. Update product descriptions to highlight their suitability as Christmas gifts. Include high-quality, festive images that evoke a sense of celebration.

Think about which products you want to push this Christmas and make sure they feature on your homepage. Create packages that showcase your best products or services, bundled together at a special price. Think of complementary items that can be combined to make a perfect gift, service or experience.

Consider creating a dedicated Christmas landing page that showcases special promotions, featured products, and exclusive deals, providing a centralised hub for Christmas shoppers.

Create a sense of urgency using things such as countdown timers for special offers or limited-time promotions. These can add an extra layer of excitement, encouraging visitors to make timely purchases.

Simplify the checkout process to reduce friction and increase sales. Consider implementing a guest checkout option to cater to first-time shoppers who might be in a hurry. Clearly communicate shipping deadlines and expected delivery times to manage customer expectations during the busy Christmas season. Offering expedited delivery options or free delivery thresholds can incentivise customers to complete their purchases and choose your shop over competitors.

Get the word out

Now you’re ready for Christmas, you need to get people to your website, ready to buy. This is where we can help.

At Reach Solutions, we understand the intricacies of Christmas marketing campaigns, having worked with businesses of all size, across a range of industries. Our team of experts specialise in creating bespoke marketing campaigns that align with your business goals. We have a network of websites and an engaged audience ready to interact with your business. Our family of market-leading news brands engage more than 35 million users online every month*, and are the heart of thriving communities, across the nation. We have a diverse network of trusted brands powered by more than three thousand journalists. This makes us quite unique.

Strategic planning 

We conduct in-depth market analysis to identify opportunities and challenges specific to your industry.

Creative content

Our team excels in crafting compelling content that resonates with your target audience.

Multi-channel campaigns

We deploy strategies across various channels, including social media, our news sites, newspapers and search engines, ensuring maximum reach.

Data-driven approach

Utilising advanced analytics, we optimise campaigns, ensuring you get the best return on investment.

Plus right now we have loads of offers available to help with costs – at a time when every penny matters. After all, it wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts now would it!

Complete the short form below to find out how we can help.

* Source: IPSOS July 2023