This post was sponsored by Wix Studio. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
Black Friday 2024 is rapidly approaching and with ecommerce websites vying for the attention of a global audience, you’ll need to stand out. Now is the time to put the finishing touches on your SEO implementation, verify your tests and ensure you’ve taken steps to prepare for multi funnel campaigns and traffic.
Your final audit and updates can make the difference between a campaign that goes up and to the right, or falls flat. On Tuesday, October 29, Loren Baker, Crystal Carter and Mordy Oberstein will carry out live ecommerce website audits and share top tips on how to improve your online store.
Image from Wix Studio, October 2024
Want to get a head start?
Here are 7 essential areas to audit now to ensure your site stands out during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2024.
1. M-Commerce Readiness
It will come as no surprise that your customers will be accessing your site via mobile during Black Friday but in 2024 they should be high priority users in terms of traffic and conversion.
Research shows that retail m-commerce sales in the United States exceeded 491 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and are expected to drive around 53% of online sales in 2024, up from 51% in 2023.
Optimizing for capturing and converting traffic from mobile users can include a few tried and tested methods.
Prioritize your site for mobile users by emphasizing above the fold CTAs and trackable events for multi-funnel campaigns.
Optimize your site for rich results with targeted structured data which can help you capture mobile users more consistently from the mobile SERP.
Test responsive designs to ensure they are working seamlessly.
Review mobile navigation from top BFCM landing pages to ensure a smooth customer journey.
2. Server Preparedness
If you are running high traffic campaigns via email, social and paid traffic, it is important to ensure that your website infrastructure is ready for traffic surges. Without proper server preparation, even the most impressive campaign can fail if your site crashes, leaving engaged users unable to convert.
Cloud hosting can offer incredible benefits for infrastructure reliability. For instance, Wix Studio users are able to serve their content across a network with 99.98% uptime with servers that include the AWS, Google Cloud, Fastly and Wix Studio servers on over 200 nodes across the globe.
Screenshot from Wix Studio, October 2024
If you are planning for a huge surge in traffic compared to your typical numbers, review your server configuration to ensure that you can manage the swell.
3. Tested Results
BFCM season is not the time to work on assumptions. Use data and test your content and campaigns. Whether you are split testing landing pages, A/B Testing meta tags, or testing site wide SEO updates, small changes can make a big difference to your year on year growth. Conduct SEO tests with tools like Microsoft Clarity now and review any key findings from previous campaigns to make sure you’re putting the best site forward for peak season.
Screenshot from Wix Studio, October 2024
4. Global Accessibility
Expanding your serviceable market is one of the most effective ways to grow your website and overall business.
Review landing pages, payment offerings, and the on-page positioning of your distribution to connect with a more global audience.