Black Friday is one of the biggest online shopping events of the year and it’s coming fast.
Whether you’re planning to offer discounts, launch a new product, or simply handle the extra traffic, your website needs to be ready for the rush. A slow, glitchy, or confusing checkout experience can quickly turn eager shoppers away.
Here’s how to make sure your website is prepped, polished, and performing at its best before black friday hits!
Check Your Site Speed
Nothing turns shoppers away faster than a slow-loading site. With the surge of Black Friday visitors, even a few seconds of lag can cost you sales.
Run your site through tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to see how it performs.
Go through your website and remove any outdated or unused images (like old seasonal graphics or past promotions). While you’re there, review the remaining images to make sure they’re optimised and appropriately sized.
Optimise large image files, remove unnecessary apps or plugins, and make sure your hosting plan can handle extra traffic. A fast, reliable website keeps customers browsing and buying.
If you’re on a Pixel & Ink Care Plan, the optimisation, plugin maintenance and hosting performance are already taken care of. You’ll just need to handle any content clean-up yourself.
Test your checkout (and everything else)
Before the sales rush begins, walk through your entire website like a customer, on both desktop and mobile.
Make sure:
- All payment options work correctly
- Shipping rates and taxes display properly
- Discount codes apply as expected
- Confirmation emails send successfully
Then complete a full test purchase from start to finish.
Check that everything looks great on both mobile and desktop, especially since most shoppers will be on their phones. Small glitches that go unnoticed now can cost you big when the sales start rolling in.
Review Your Inventory
Avoid last-minute stress by double checking your stock levels. Update product quantities, remove any out-of-stock items, and ensure your bestsellers are fully stocked and ready to go.
If you sell physical products, clearly mark what’s available and what’s low in stock to create urgency (without misleading customers). This is also a great time to refresh product descriptions and ensure your photos look sharp and accurate.
Plan Your Promotions and Messaging
Decide what kind of promotion you’ll run whether it’s 30% off sitewide, 20% off one category, or a free gift with purchase. Whatever you choose, make sure your messaging is consistent across your website, social media, and emails.
Add your discounts or sale pricing to your website platform in advance and schedule any banners or popups to go live at the right time. Create a clear, compelling headline for your sale, and make sure it’s easy for customers to spot.
Consistency and clarity are key people shouldn’t have to guess what’s on sale or how to get the deal.
Test, Test, and Test Again
Before launch day, do a full test of your website as if you’re a customer seeing it for the first time. Browse your site, add items to cart, apply discount codes, and complete a test purchase.
Check that everything looks great on both mobile and desktop especially since most shoppers will be on their phones. Small glitches that go unnoticed now can cost you big when the sales start rolling in.
Don’t forget your post-sale plan
After the frenzy, make sure your site transitions smoothly back to normal. Update your banners, re-enable regular pricing, and follow up with your new customers. A “thank you for shopping” email or post-sale offer is a great way to build loyalty beyond Black Friday.
Final thoughts
Black Friday can be an incredible opportunity for your business but only if your website is ready to handle it. A fast, functional, and user-friendly site not only helps you capture sales but also builds trust with your audience long after the sales weekend ends.
Need some help? Contact the team