As the winter season approaches, your website could require a refresh and some preparation to keep up with the demand of the season. Preparing your website for Black Friday and the winter season can attract and engage more visitors and result in an increased conversion and sales rate.
Black Friday especially is a massive event for business owners. Customer’s scour the internet for the biggest and best deals so that they can save money and get ready for Christmas. Last year (2022), UK shoppers spent a total of £4.81 billion over the Black Friday weekend.
In this blog post, we'll explore five essential steps to get your website Black Friday ready.
Step 1: Optimise for speed
The lead up to Christmas, and Black Friday especially, will drive a high-volume of traffic to your website, so optimising your site speed is super important. Slow-loading websites can be a major turn-off for users, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement. Ensure your website is optimised for speed by compressing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and leveraging browser caching. Check your website's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix and address any identified issues. A fast and responsive website will provide a seamless browsing experience, keeping visitors engaged and satisfied.
Step 2: Enhance mobile responsiveness
Mobile-commerce is increasingly becoming the primary means of accessing the internet. In 2022, 79% of online traffic on Black Friday was from mobile devices. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure your website is mobile-friendly and responsive. Test and review your website's layout and functionality on your mobile device to ensure a consistent and enjoyable user experience. Optimise font sizes, button placements, and image scaling to accommodate smaller screens. A mobile-responsive website will cater to a larger audience and improve user satisfaction when people are on the go and require a quick and easy user experience.
Step 3: Use dedicated landing pages to promote winter and Black Friday offers
Winter is a great time to run promotions or offer discounts to your website visitors and Black Friday is the best place to start. Create enticing banners, pop-ups on a dedicated Black Friday landing page to highlight your limited time offers. Consider providing incentives for customers signing up to your newsletter or social media engagement, such as exclusive discounts or giveaways. Promoting your seasonal offers will not only increase sales but also generate excitement and drive traffic to your website. A dedicated Black Friday landing page is a perfect way to direct customers straight from your email and social media campaigns to the Black Friday discounts! Whether you advertise your best offers and discounts, promote your new seasonal products, highlight your free shipping offer or incorporate eye-catching visual content, promoting your content through a dedicated landing page will help make your brand stand out from its competitors.
Step 4: Update your visuals
It is important that your website stands out from competitors and engages and catches the eye of your customers. You can use graphics and text on your visuals to highlight the deals and the promotions you have on Black Friday and across the winter season. Incorporate bright, colourful images that evoke the feeling of the season. Consider using high-quality lifestyle photographs of people enjoying your products. Adjust your colour palette to align with the season. Refreshing your visuals will create an immediate impact and entice visitors to explore your website further.
Step 5: Add winter-themed content
To make your website feel more seasonal, consider adding winter-themed content. Create blog posts, articles, or videos related to winter activities. Adapt the existing copy on your website to make it more appealing to your customers. Could you promote your seasonal deals or explain why your products would make the perfect gift. Incorporate engaging and relevant keywords in your content to attract search engine traffic. Additionally, consider integrating social media widgets to showcase real-time updates on winter events or promotions. Providing valuable and timely information will attract visitors seeking winter-related products and increase your website's visibility.
Getting your website Black Friday ready is essential to create a fresh and engaging online experience for your visitors. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can transform your website to reflect the happy spirit of the season. Embracing these steps will not only attract new visitors but also keep your existing audience coming back for more, ensuring a successful and enjoyable winter season for your website.
If you want help updating and adapting your website in preparation for the winter season, contact Thrive today to talk to one of our experts. We can help you set up discounts, create visual content for your website and social media as well as ensuring your site speed is optimised and ready for a higher-volume of customers.
