How to get your website ready for holiday traffic
Quick answerTo get your website ready for the holidays, check that it loads quickly on a phone, update your holiday hours and contact details everywhere, make your main call to action obvious, test every form and booking button, and add a clear holiday message. Do this a few weeks before the rush so you have time to fix what you find.
The holidays bring people to your website at the worst possible moment to have a slow or confusing one. Visitors are shopping, comparing, and checking hours, often on a phone, often with ten other tabs open. They are ready to act and they will not wait around.
A little preparation now means that when the rush starts, your site is helping you instead of getting in the way. Here is a short checklist, in the order most local businesses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa will find useful.
Test it on your phone first
Open your own site on your phone, on regular cell signal rather than wifi. Pay attention to how it feels.
How long before the page is usable? Can you read the text without pinching and zooming? Can you tap your phone number and have it call? Is the main button easy to hit with a thumb?
Most holiday visitors are on mobile, so this single check tells you more than any other. If the site feels slow, large photos are the usual cause, and compressing them is often a quick fix. We wrote more about this in why website mobile speed matters.
Update your hours and contact details everywhere
Holiday hours are the number one thing visitors look for, and the number one thing businesses forget to change.
Check your website, your Google Business Profile, your social pages, and any other listing where your hours appear. They should all say the same thing. If you will be closed on a particular day, or open late, say so clearly and early on the homepage, not buried in a footer.
Wrong hours cost you twice: a customer shows up to a closed door, and they remember it. Take ten minutes now and spare yourself the frustration later.
Make the next step impossible to miss
When someone lands on your site during a busy season, they want to know what to do next. Call? Book? Order? Request a quote?
Pick the one action that matters most for the season and make it obvious: a clear button near the top of the page, a phone number in the header, a short form that asks only for what you need. Cut anything that does not help a visitor take that step.
If you are offering a holiday special, gift cards, or early booking, give it a spot near the top with plain wording and a simple way to act on it.
Test every form, button, and booking link
It is easy to assume everything works because it worked last year. Do not assume.
Fill out your own contact form and confirm the message reaches you. Click your booking link and walk through the steps. If you sell anything online, place a test order from start to finish. Check that confirmation emails arrive and do not land in spam.
Do this on both a phone and a computer. A form that breaks during the holidays can cost you real customers without ever telling you it failed.
Add a clear holiday message
A short note at the top of your site can answer questions before they are asked. It might cover your holiday hours, the last day for orders or bookings, shipping or scheduling cutoffs, or a warm seasonal greeting.
Keep it brief and friendly, and remove it when the season ends so it does not sit there out of date in February. Small details like that show customers the business is paying attention.
Look at your photos and reviews
Holiday visitors are often deciding between a few options, and they look for quick signs they can trust you. Swap in a few current, real photos of your work or your space. Make sure your best reviews are easy to find, and thank the people who left them.
Real photos beat stock images every time, and they do not have to be fancy. A clear shot taken on a good phone, in decent light, is plenty.
The honest part
A checklist like this will not double your holiday business. Demand is what it is. What it does is make sure the customers who find you can actually reach you, trust you, and take the next step, instead of leaving for a competitor whose site was easier to use.
It also adds up. The business that tidies up before every busy season ends up with a site that is fast, accurate, and ready year after year.
If you would like a second set of eyes on your site before the rush, we are glad to help. Tell us what you need and we will walk through it with you, and quote only what is worth doing.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start preparing my website for the holidays?
A few weeks before your busy period begins. That leaves time to fix problems, update hours, and test forms without rushing, and early shoppers are already browsing by then.
What is the most important thing to check before holiday traffic arrives?
How your site works on a phone. Most holiday visitors are on mobile, so speed, a clickable phone number, and a simple way to book or buy matter more than anything else.
Do I need to redesign my site for the holidays?
No. A short checklist of updates is usually enough: current hours, a clear message, a fast mobile experience, and forms that work. A redesign is a bigger project better done in the quiet season.
