The main shopping rush with Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now in the past behind us, but the holiday season is alive and well as the calendar turns to December.

This can be a busy month for eCommerce, with so many people making purchases for their loved ones and trying to get it done as quickly and easily as possible. It’s why more and more people each year are turning to online shopping to make their purchases.

At Genius eCommerce, we are here to tell you ways that you can prepare for this hectic time of year and the holiday shopping season. We are always here to offer you tips, tricks, updates, trends and more in eCommerce. It’s who we are and what we do.

Let me tell you a few ways you can make sure you are prepared for the holidays as a business owner.

Be Optimized for Mobile – We’ve mentioned previously that things are going mobile-first now more than ever and will in the future. During the holiday season, time can get away from the best of us, so many people want to do their holiday shopping on their time and on the go. Having your website optimized for mobile is an important step. More people are doing online searches through mobile devices and completing purchases through mobile as well.

Update Your SEO – As the holiday season nears, it’s a great time to evaluate any SEO campaigns you have and make sure you are targeting the right audience with your keywords and getting the return you want on your investment. Analyze the keywords that gave you the most success and push those even more during the holiday season. Consider voice-related searches. Add holiday specific keywords to your content to draw in customers who are specifically there for the holiday season with the intention of purchasing a gift.

Step Up Your Campaigns and Promotions – Black Friday and Cyber Monday are known for deals and discounts, which is why shoppers flock to the stores and various websites on those days looking for the best prices. But discounts and deals don’t have to be a two-day thing around the holidays. Create a calendar of promotions. Consider your strategies in email or PPC and update them accordingly to enhance performance over the busiest time of year.

Tune Up Search Results – In addition to making sure your search results look good on Google, make sure the search feature on your own website works properly and is prepared for anything. People often step up their searches around the holidays, especially for specific items they know they want to purchase for their family and friends. Factor in misspellings that are common for items on your website. Create a dedicated landing page for any holiday gift ideas or stocking stuffers. Make sure there is nothing left that will give a customer the “no results found” message, thus chasing them away.

Take Care of Your Customers Post-Checkout – This is supposed to be your busiest time of year, so prepare for it as such. Stock up on inventory so you can get items out to your customers quickly and easily. Offer shipping options that will work for your customers and give some variety based on when your customers may need their order. Stay up to date on everything else like processing orders, shipping orders and more.

This may sound like a lot to look at or keep track of but it is all to ensure that you will have an effective and successful holiday shopping season as a business. At Genius eCommerce, we are here to help you with tips year-round. Be sure to check out the Genius eCommerce blog for more.