Making a List and Checking it Twice: An Online Holiday Checklist for Small Businesses

Nov. 26, 2013

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW), a leading provider of Internet services and online marketing solutions, offers help to small businesses with a holiday website checklist. According to Shop.org¹, online sales this November and December are expected to reach up to $82 billion, a growth of up to 15 percent compared to last year's holiday season. And now is the time for small businesses to take action; a recent Web.com national survey² revealed that 83 percent of consumers said it's important for small businesses to have an online and social media presence.

"We know that small business owners are strapped from both a time and resource standpoint, but they want to get the most out of this busy holiday season online," said Debbi Lechner, Web.com vice president of marketing. "We are here to provide some quick pointers to small businesses so they can improve their website right away to maximize sales during this peak selling season."

The Web.com holiday website checklist offers the following tips:

Tip #1 — Merchandise your special offers and discounts on your website. Make sure that you feature your holiday special offers prominently on your website. Update your website's images and keywords to help shoppers find you in search results. Also, make sure your search engine optimization efforts are working for you.

Tip #2 — Share your holiday offers on Social Media. You should frequently post your special offers to your top social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others. Linking your posts back to your website will drive calls and orders and drive more traffic to your website. You will see an increased awareness and fans of your social channels — when customers share your offers with their friends.

Tip #3 — Consider Pay-per-click advertising. Pay-per-click advertising is the fastest way to drive prospective customers to your website to learn about your special deals and offers. You can advertise on Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter and more, and target your advertising on these sites to better reach your local customers. To do this, edit your existing messaging into short advertising phrases and test your responses. Make sure you measure your results — to maximize your budget. If you need help digging through the analytics to determine what's working and what is not, don't be shy to ask.

Tip #4 — Make sure your website is mobile optimized. Today, more and more consumers use their mobile device FIRST when considering a purchase. Be sure to provide your prospects and customers with a good online experience regardless of whether they are browsing via a smartphone, tablet or PC.

Tip #5 — Be ready with your customer support. Sixty percent of holiday shoppers will pay more for a positive customer experience. Make your contact details easy to find on all pages of your website. You may consider adding temporary help to answer the additional calls, if you think you will need it. A simple answering service can ensure you don't miss a call and lets customers know you plan to get back to them quickly.

Please click here to view Lechner discussing the Web.com holiday website checklist more in-depth.

About Web.com

Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW) provides a full range of Internet services to small businesses to help them compete and succeed online. Web.com is owner of several global domain registrars and further meets the needs of small businesses anywhere along their lifecycle with affordable, subscription-based solutions including website design and management, search engine optimization, online marketing campaigns, local sales leads, social media, mobile products, eCommerce solutions and call center services. For more information, please visit www.web.com; follow Web.com on Twitter @webdotcom or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/web.com. For additional online marketing resources and small business networking, please visit Web.com's Small Business Forum.

Note to Editors: Web.com is a registered trademark of Web.com Group, Inc.

¹http://blog.shop.org/2013/10/03/online-holiday-expectations-setting-the-bar-high-again-in-2013/

²http://ir.web.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=789735

CONTACT: Drew Crowell

         GolinHarris for Web.com

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