On the Web: 12 Ways to Spruce Up Your Website 
for the Holidays

It's Christmas in July! Or it better be if you plan to have your e-commerce website optimized for the first holiday season since the great recession theoretically ended. Here are 12 tactics to implement now if you want to maximize your products' slice of Santa's workshop budget.

1. Add More Email Sign-Ups

During the holidays, the number of distractions increases dramatically. Typical users will spend less time per visit on your site. One of the best things you can do is capture their email addresses aggressively so you can email to nudge them to come back. People respond differently to different requests for their email addresses — some folks happily sign up for newsletters and e-coupons, others will sign up for advanced sales or free downloads. The more ways you ask for email addresses, the more you'll get. Once you get their addresses, take away all but a couple of the sign-ups.

2. Implement a Trigger Email Program

Trigger emails — also known as "good dog" emails — are sent to individuals based on their actions. The triggering action could be good, thanking them for signing up for your free e-newsletter; bad, reminding them about abandoning a cart; or indifferent, confirming a poll vote. But it's always a happening, event or instance. Triggers are successful because they have higher response rates than regular emails, better deliverability and improved lifetime profit. Find the whole concept of triggers overwhelming? Start with the easy ones: Thank customers for their orders and send shipping confirmations.

3. Fix Your 'Ordering From a 
Catalog?' Section

If you're sending an abundance of traffic from offline marketing — catalogs, space ads, etc. — you likely have some sort of quick-order form. It's important this form has a picture of the catalog or ad, and space to enter at least the first item number and quantity. Weak quick-order forms are one of the biggest mistakes traditional marketers make. They need to be simple, easy to fill out and very aggressive. In the right-hand column, you also need to include full contact information, especially your phone number.

4. Add a Carousel

A carousel is a rotational banner typically found in the center column of the first view of a site. Its sole purpose is to get users to drill deeper into the site. That means the frames need to be provocative and full of action directives, telling users what they're supposed to do — "click here now," "buy now," etc. Carousels rely heavily on creative. They work best when there are four rotations to six rotations and each frame is a mini-advertisement for a product, category or benefit on your site. Solid graphics and visuals are key.

5. Add More Plugs

Plugs are nonanimated banners, and they're often found in the left-hand and right-hand columns of your site. People see things in pictures, so like carousels, plugs are also dependent on good creative.

6. Add Another Perpetual Cart … or Two or Three

These days, companies often have persistent carts in the upper right-hand corners of their sites. Try adding one to the bottom and then to the right-hand side. The more carts, the better.

7. Implement or Enhance User Reviews

Web 2.0 gets credited with inventing user reviews, but they've been around since the beginning. The good news is they're easier than ever to implement. If you want to show reviews but can't do them right away, use testimonials and/or add pictures of customers throughout your site.

8. Add a 'Recently 
Viewed' Box

This sounds too simple to work, but it's one of the best things you can do on a shoestring budget. It gives users an easy, at-a-glance way to remember products they've seen in case they want to go back to them. It takes the pressure off your navigation, but more important, it triggers to returning users that they've been there and were interested in your products.

9. Add Some Video

Video is hot not only because YouTube is one of the largest "search engines," but because it works. The visual cortex plugs directly into the brain that buys. Your video shouldn't autostart on entrance, but it should be prominent to encourage user engagement. Start with video on your product pages and/or entry pages if your site can handle it.

10. Add Availability 
Messaging

Users like to know when they're going to get your product if they order it, especially at Christmas. It should be listed near the pricing.

11. Add More 'Buy Now,' 'Add to Cart' Buttons

There should be at least one in every view. Yes, that means some of your pages may have six, seven, even 10 buttons.

12. Check Your Speed

Speed — or lack thereof — is a deciding factor for the majority of users. It's one of the top three reasons why visitors stay on your site. Make sure your load times are quick and easy. There are still far too many sites where you have to wait for pages to load. ROI

Amy Africa is president and chief imagin-8-tor of Eight by Eight, a Williston, Vt.-based internet marketing solutions firm. Reach Amy at amy@eightbyeight.com.