Black Friday Website Checklist: 5 Ways to Prep Your Website for Black Friday

Black Friday lands on Friday, November 27 this year, with Cyber Monday right behind it on November 30. For small businesses, that weekend kicks off the busiest stretch of the holiday shopping season, and your website is about to do a LOT of heavy lifting.

The good news? Getting your website ready for Black Friday doesn't have to be a whole thing. At Dope Magic Co, we work on plenty of eCommerce Shopify websites, and these are the five website updates we always recommend before the holiday rush.

Work through this Black Friday website checklist now (plus our bonus marketing tip) and you'll walk into your biggest sales weekend calm, collected, and ready to sell. 🤑

Create Holiday Gift Guides and Shopping Categories

Holiday shoppers are browsing for gift ideas, not just items. Themed product collections (think of them as mini gift guides) do the thinking for your customers and make it easy to find the perfect gift, or a little treat for themselves.

A few holiday collection ideas to get you started:

• Stocking Stuffers
• Cleansers from $14 (or any "Gifts Under $X" price point)
• At-Home Masks
• Gifts for Him

More browsing = more sales. Once your holiday collections are live, feature them right on your homepage so they're the first thing shoppers see.

Bonus SEO win: give each collection page its own short description using phrases people actually search, like "skincare gifts under $25," so those pages can show up in Google during the holiday shopping season.

Check Your Website for Broken Links

Nothing kills a sale faster than a broken link. Someone is ready to buy, they click your button... and land on a 404 page. Oof. Broken links hurt your conversion rate and your user experience, and they don't do your SEO any favors either.

Set aside 20 minutes and click through everything:

• Homepage: every button, banner, and featured collection
• Online store: product pages, collection pages, and the add-to-cart and checkout flow
• Navigation menus: header, footer, and mobile menu

Pro tip: test your website on your phone too. Most holiday shoppers will be scrolling from their couch, so a mobile friendly website matters more than ever on Black Friday!!

Update Your Product Pages and Inventory

Your online store should match what's actually on your shelves. Before the Black Friday rush, give your product pages a quick sweep:

• Archive old products you no longer carry
• Update pricing so nothing is out of date
• Double check inventory counts against what you have in stock
• Refresh product descriptions and photos so every page is clear, current, and easy to shop
  

Set Up Your Black Friday Discount Codes

Prep your Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts in advance so you're not scrambling to build them at midnight on Thanksgiving.

Whether you're on Shopify, Squarespace, or WooCommerce, run through this when you set them up:

• Decide if they combine with free shipping. If you want discounts to stack, make sure that setting is turned on.
• Set clear start and end dates. Schedule your promo codes so they turn on and off automatically.
• Test them before launch. Run a test checkout to make sure each code works and the math comes out right.



A discount code that doesn't work at checkout is a fast way to lose a customer, so that last step is non-negotiable!

Update Your Website Announcement Bar

That little announcement bar at the top of your homepage is prime real estate. It's the first thing website visitors see, and it's the easiest way to promote your holiday sales.

Use your announcement banner to highlight:

• Your Black Friday discount ("25% off everything this weekend!")
• Your promo code
• Any gift with purchase

Keep it short, clear, and clickable. Link it straight to your collection so shoppers can jump right in.

Bonus Black Friday Marketing Tip: Start Teasing Your Sale Now!

Don't wait until Black Friday morning to talk about it! Start promoting your holiday sale now on social media and in your email marketing. Send out emails, post stories, and make posts about:

• Which products are going on sale
• What your Black Friday discounts will be
• Any special gift boxes or holiday promos

Remember, on average people need to hear something 11 times before they take action. Every post and email between now and the big day builds buzz and drives more traffic to your website!

If your website needs more than a holiday refresh, Dope Magic Co, apply to work with us.