Key Takeaway:
Learn four ways to prep your website for holiday sales.
A holiday-ready website doesn’t mean totally reinventing your site. It’s about polishing what already works so shoppers get answers fast and confidently click “buy”. Here are our top four tips to prep your website for the holiday shopping season.
1. Design, Copy, and Messaging (With Purpose)
Freshen visuals where it matters most: home, collections, product detail pages (PDPs), and cart/checkout. Add subtle seasonal cues, not site-wide confetti. In your copy, pair festivity with utility: deadlines, low stock, shipping windows, pickup options, and any extended return policies that start before peak season. Don’t hide offers; feature them where shoppers naturally look (hero banners, alert bars, PDP highlights).
“When prepping your website for the holidays, lean into messaging components that relate to deadlines, low stock, and shipping timelines. And make sure your specials, promotions, and offers aren’t hidden on your site.”
– Jennifer Shaheen
President and Founder, Technology Therapy® Group
2. Build Urgency Without Feeling Pushy
The key to creating urgency during the holidays isn’t louder messaging— it’s clarity and timing. Shoppers don’t mind reminders when they’re helpful and transparent. If you know when a sale or shipping cutoff ends, make that information easy to find across your site.
There are two great ways to do it: updating your homepage or building a dedicated Holiday Hub. (Whichever path you choose is entirely up to your preference.)
Update Your Homepage
Your homepage is your most valuable real estate and often the first impression shoppers get. You don’t have to overhaul it; just make it work harder for the season.
- Add a slim alert bar at the top for time-sensitive messages like “Order by Dec. 18 for guaranteed delivery.”
- Reorder sections so giftable items and limited-edition collections sit higher on the page.
- Include a small section or box with key holiday details: shipping cutoffs, gift-wrap availability, and store hours.
- Use subtle festive imagery or copy to signal the season without cluttering your design.
Build a Holiday Hub
For stores running multiple promotions or juggling in-store and online updates, a Holiday Hub page can be a lifesaver. Think of it as your customer’s one-stop shop for everything seasonal:
promotions, order-by dates, events, extended return policies, and customer service details.
Link to your Hub everywhere: your site navigation, a home page banner, your Linktree, and social media posts. It simplifies communication for you and your shoppers alike. When the season ends, take the page down and redirect the URL to your home page. Next year, you can refresh and relaunch it in minutes. (Bonus: Check out this blog, if you need more convincing to set up a holiday hub for your site.).
“I love a holiday hub. If you have a physical store location and you want to sell more online, it’s really helpful if you create a central place where you can put everything that’s happening and reference that.”
– Jennifer Shaheen
President and Founder, Technology Therapy® Group
3. Kill Friction Before It Kills Conversions
Holiday shoppers can easily hop to a competitor’s site if your site’s UX isn’t on its A-game. So, put your consumer glasses on and take a closer look at your website to remove some common pain points:
- Speed
Test multiple pages (home, collection, PDP) on mobile and desktop; compress images and tame heavy scripts. - Mobile UX
Validate filters, search, forms, and checkout on a cellular connection. - Inventory Clarity
Show availability (“Only 3 left”), sync online/in-store stock frequently, and ensure the selected variant is the image shown in cart. - Shipping Transparency
Set clear order-by dates, dispatch windows, and costs; be upfront about any return-shipping or “hassle-free” fees. - Trust & Support
Prominent reviews, security badges, and clear support hours/response times.
4. Measure What Matters (And Answer the ROI Question)
Which channel delivers the best holiday ROI? Honest answer: the mix works together, and last-click often steals credit. A shopper may discover you on Pinterest, get remarketed on Instagram, then convert via email. To make smarter calls:
- Tag your links so you can see assisted conversions.
- Ensure GA4 eCommerce events track add-to-cart → checkout → purchase.
- Add Microsoft Clarity for heatmaps and replays to spot friction fast.
Then optimize what you can prove: keep the creative in channels that assist discovery, and shift budget toward the placements that consistently close. ROI improves when discovery and conversion both get the support they need.
A Holiday-Ready Site Is a Clear One
A successful holiday website doesn’t shout louder—it removes obstacles, answers questions, and keeps shoppers moving confidently toward checkout. Whether you enhance your home page or create a dedicated holiday hub, the goal is the same: simplify the shopping journey and make every step feel easy.
When you focus on clarity, transparency, and speed, you’re not just ready for the holidays. You’re ready for whatever comes next.
Don’t Let Hidden Issues Slow Your Holiday Sales
A holiday-ready website isn’t just festive—it’s fast, functional, and frustration-free. Our Website Audit Program helps you uncover technical hiccups and ensure your site is running at its best before the rush begins.
