Preparing Your Business Website for the Christmas Rush

The Christmas shopping season is almost here, and for many Australian businesses, it is the busiest and most profitable time of the year. Whether you sell products online, offer services, or run a local shop, your website plays a critical role during this period.

Customers will be searching for gifts, checking your trading hours, looking for specials, and making purchases. If your website is not ready, you are leaving money on the table. Here is your complete checklist for getting your website Christmas-ready.

Start With the Basics

Update Your Trading Hours

One of the most common frustrations for customers during the holiday season is not knowing when businesses are open. Update your trading hours everywhere:

• Your website (contact page, footer, and homepage if applicable)
• Google Business Profile (use the special hours feature for Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, and any other changes)
• Social media profiles
• Any directory listings

Include your last trading day before Christmas, any extended hours, closed dates, and when you reopen in January.

Check Your Contact Information

Make sure your phone number, email, and address are correct and prominently displayed. During the busy season, you want to make it as easy as possible for customers to reach you.

Test Your Website Speed

A slow website costs you sales. With increased traffic during the holiday period, speed becomes even more critical.

• Test your speed at pagespeed.web.dev
• Compress any large images
• Check that your hosting can handle increased traffic
• Consider enabling a CDN (Content Delivery Network) if you expect significant traffic increases

Ensure Mobile Works Perfectly

More Christmas shopping happens on mobile devices every year. Test every page and every function on a phone. Pay particular attention to:

• Product pages and galleries
• Shopping cart and checkout process
• Contact forms
• Phone number clickability
• Navigation ease

For E-commerce Businesses

Review Your Checkout Process

Go through your own checkout process from start to finish. Look for any friction points:

• Is the checkout process as short as possible?
• Can customers check out as guests (without creating an account)?
• Are all payment methods working correctly?
• Is shipping information clear, including Christmas delivery cut-off dates?
• Do error messages make sense and help customers fix issues?

Display Shipping Information Clearly

Shipping is one of the biggest concerns for online Christmas shoppers. Make sure your website clearly communicates:

• Delivery timeframes for different shipping options
• Christmas delivery cut-off dates (display these prominently)
• Any changes to standard delivery times during the busy period
• International shipping availability and timeframes
• Click-and-collect options if available

Update Product Pages

Review your most popular product pages:

• Are photos high quality and up to date?
• Are descriptions accurate and compelling?
• Is pricing correct?
• Is stock availability showing correctly?
• Have you added any Christmas-specific messaging (e.g., “Makes a great gift”)?

Create Gift Guides

Help customers find the right products by creating gift guides:

• Gifts by price range (under $50, under $100, etc.)
• Gifts by recipient (for him, for her, for kids, for the person who has everything)
• Your top picks or best sellers

Link these guides prominently from your homepage.

Set Up Abandoned Cart Recovery

If your e-commerce platform supports it, set up abandoned cart email reminders. During the Christmas rush, many shoppers add items to their cart and get distracted. A gentle reminder email can recover a significant percentage of these sales.

For Service Businesses

Create a Christmas-Specific Page or Banner

Even if you do not sell products, your website should acknowledge the season. Consider:

• A Christmas banner on your homepage with relevant messaging
• A gift voucher or gift card page (if you offer them)
• A holiday-themed promotion or special
• Information about booking deadlines for Christmas

Promote Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers are one of the easiest ways for service businesses to capitalise on Christmas spending. If you offer them:

• Create a dedicated page on your website
• Make the purchase process simple
• Offer both physical and digital options if possible
• Promote them prominently across your site

If you do not currently offer gift vouchers, now is the time to set them up. They are relevant for nearly every type of business, from restaurants and salons to trades and professional services.

Highlight Pre-Christmas Services

Think about what services customers might need before Christmas:

• House cleaning before guests arrive
• Garden maintenance before outdoor entertaining
• Car servicing before road trips
• Beauty treatments before parties and events

Create content and promotions around these pre-Christmas needs.

Content and SEO Preparation

Create Christmas-Themed Content

Fresh, seasonal content can attract search traffic from people looking for Christmas-related solutions:

• Gift guide blog posts
• Christmas preparation tips related to your industry
• Holiday recipes, decorating ideas, or activity suggestions (if relevant to your business)
• End-of-year round-ups or best-of lists

Update Your Homepage

Your homepage should reflect the season. This does not mean an over-the-top Christmas theme, but seasonal touches show your business is active and current:

• A seasonal banner or hero image
• Christmas promotion callouts
• Updated featured products or services relevant to the season
• Christmas delivery or booking information

Set Up Christmas-Specific Landing Pages

If you are running Christmas promotions, create dedicated landing pages for them. These pages can target Christmas-specific search terms and provide a focused experience for customers looking for holiday deals.

Promotions and Offers

Plan Your Promotion Schedule

Map out your promotions for the entire Christmas period:

• Pre-Christmas sales (early December)
• Last-minute specials (week before Christmas)
• Boxing Day and post-Christmas sales
• New Year promotions

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

If you have not already, prepare for Black Friday (24 November this year) and Cyber Monday (27 November). These shopping events continue to grow in Australia. Have your deals, landing pages, and promotional materials ready in advance.

Create Urgency

Use time-limited offers and clear deadlines to encourage action:

• “Order by December 15 for guaranteed Christmas delivery”
• “Christmas special: 20% off until December 20”
• “Limited stock available”

Display countdown timers if your website platform supports them.

Email Marketing for Christmas

Plan Your Email Campaign Calendar

Schedule your Christmas email campaigns now:

• Early bird offers (late November)
• Gift guide emails (early December)
• Last-chance delivery reminders (mid-December)
• Christmas greetings (24 or 25 December)
• Boxing Day sale announcements
• New Year messages and January promotions

Segment Your List

If possible, segment your email list to send more targeted messages:

• Past purchasers: “Based on what you bought last year, you might like…”
• Recent customers: “Thank you for your recent purchase. Here’s a Christmas special.”
• Lapsed customers: “We miss you! Here’s a special offer for the holidays.”

Social Media Preparation

• Plan your social media content for the Christmas period
• Schedule posts in advance so you are not scrambling during the busy season
• Prepare Christmas-themed graphics and photos
• Plan any paid social media campaigns

Your Christmas Website Checklist

Run through this checklist to make sure you are ready:

• Trading hours updated on website, Google Business Profile, and social media
• Website speed tested and optimised
• Mobile experience checked and working perfectly
• Contact information up to date
• Gift guides or seasonal content created
• Shipping information and deadlines displayed clearly
• Checkout process tested end to end
• Promotions planned and scheduled
• Email campaigns prepared
• Social media content scheduled
• Gift voucher page set up (if applicable)
• Landing pages created for key promotions

Do Not Wait

The Christmas rush waits for no one. The earlier you prepare, the less stress you will experience and the more sales you will capture. Start working through this checklist today, and by the time the rush hits, you will be ready.

Need Help Getting Your Website Christmas-Ready?

At Cosmo Web Tech, we help Western Sydney businesses prepare their websites for the busiest time of the year. Whether you need speed optimisation, a seasonal refresh, or a complete website update, we can help. Contact us now to make sure your website is ready for Christmas.

Pair your website with a companion mobile app. Awesome Apps creates cross-platform apps that share your branding and connect to the same backend.

This article is brought to you by Ganda Tech Services — Sydney’s complete digital solutions provider covering cloud, web, and mobile.