Getting your website ready before the Holidays

Updated 1 October 2024

As the year draws to a close and your business winds down, you're likely ready for a well-deserved break. After all, you've pushed through the holiday rush and handled those last-minute orders. Now it's time to unwind and enjoy some downtime—whether that’s sipping cocktails on the beach or lounging on the couch. But before you completely switch off, there’s one crucial thing to remember: your website doesn’t take a holiday.

Ensure your website is running smoothly before you go on holiday

While you're away, your website continues to run and serve your customers, which is why preparing it before the holiday season is essential. Follow these steps to ensure your site is in top shape while you're out of office, and avoid any post-holiday surprises.

Clean Up Your Website

A well-maintained website performs better, so it’s important to declutter before your holiday break. Clear out any unnecessary files, including:

• Revisions: Delete old page or post revisions to free up server space.
• Spam comments: Remove any spam or unapproved comments that can pile up and slow down your site.
• Unused plugins: Deactivate and delete any unused or outdated plugins that could present a security risk.

Taking the time to clean your website now will help ensure it operates smoothly while you’re away.

Prioritize Website Security

Security should always be a top concern, but during the holidays, it becomes even more critical. Cyberattacks tend to increase over the festive period, as hackers know business owners are less vigilant. The last thing you want is to come back from your break to find your site compromised. Here are some key security measures to put in place:

• Install security plugins: If you haven’t already, use security plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri to monitor for suspicious activity.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of protection, ensuring only authorized users can log in.
• Update all software: Make sure your CMS, plugins, and themes are up to date to prevent vulnerabilities.
• Use strong passwords: Ensure all admin users have strong, unique passwords.

Most importantly, keep an eye on your website even during the holidays with automated alerts from your security tools, so you can act quickly if anything goes wrong.

Back Up Your Website

Never take a holiday without first backing up your website! Having regular backups in place ensures that, if anything goes wrong, you can restore your site to its most recent version. Use backup services like UpdraftPlus or Jetpack to automate this process and ensure you have a copy of your site stored offsite.

For added safety, increase your backup frequency during the holidays. This way, even if there’s an issue, you’ll have a fresh version to fall back on.

Schedule Your Content

If you maintain a blog or run content-heavy marketing campaigns, it’s essential to keep your site active while you’re on holiday. Fresh content keeps users engaged and helps maintain your SEO rankings.

• WordPress has a built-in scheduling feature that allows you to publish blog posts at future dates. Set up posts to go live while you’re away by selecting the desired time and date under the "Publish" options.
• Social Media: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram also offer scheduling tools, allowing you to pre-plan posts so your marketing efforts don’t stall while you're offline.

By keeping your content pipeline full, you ensure continuous engagement without having to lift a finger during your time off.

Inform Your Website Visitors

Clear communication with your customers is essential, especially if your business will pause shipping or service requests over the holidays. Use tools like pop-ups, banners, or sticky notifications to let visitors know that your business is on break. For eCommerce websites, this is particularly important to manage customer expectations around order processing and delivery times.

Options for informing your customers include:

• Pop-up notifications: These can provide a brief message about your holiday schedule and when you'll be back.
• Sticky notification bars: These sit at the top of your site and remain visible to visitors, ensuring they’re aware of any delays.
• Auto-replies on contact forms: Set up automatic responses to any inquiries, informing users when they can expect to hear back from you.

Test Everything Before You Go

Before you step away, run a final check on your website’s key functionalities. Make sure:

• All forms (e.g., contact or order forms) are working.
• Payment processing is functional, especially if you run an eCommerce store.
• The site is displaying properly across all devices (desktop, mobile, tablet).
• Scheduled posts and updates are queued correctly.

Testing everything will give you peace of mind knowing your site will keep running smoothly while you're off the clock.

Summary: Pre-Holiday Website Preparation Checklist

To avoid stress and potential issues while you're away, here’s a quick checklist to follow before closing for the holidays:

• Clean up your website by removing revisions, spam, and unused plugins.
• Secure your site with updated software, strong passwords, and security monitoring.
• Back up your website regularly to prevent data loss.
• Schedule posts for your blog and social media to maintain engagement.
• Inform visitors of your holiday schedule with notifications or banners.
• Test your site to ensure everything is functioning correctly.

With these steps in place, you can enjoy your holiday break knowing your website is ready to handle business in your absence. If you need assistance, contact us for a hassle-free holiday prep solution, so you can focus on relaxing while we take care of the details!