7 Thanksgiving Website Updates You Should Make

The Thanksgiving Holiday is right around the corner.

People love to connect, gather, help others and buy gifts during Thanksgiving.  But to make the most of the holiday, you’ve got to communicate those opportunities!

That starts with your website.  Here are…

7 Thanksgiving Website Updates You Should Make

1) Decorate for Thanksgiving

Add some Thanksgiving color or graphics to your website. Use a Thanksgiving-inspired logo during the season. Or add a Thanksgiving image or quote to the body of your homepage.

2) Update your website content for Thanksgiving

Of course, you should update your calendar weekly.  Do you have some Thanksgiving-related events that need to be added?

Additionally, this is a good time to add other types of content like Thanksgiving-related devotionals, Thanksgiving bible verses, and Thanksgiving videos.

3) Post office hours

Most Businesses, churches, schools and non-profits adjust their office hours for the Thanksgiving holiday. Make sure yours are posted on your website the week before Thanksgiving. Also make sure you update your hours in your Google Business Profile.

4) Prepare for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and/or Giving Tuesday

The Friday after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. A lot of people, though, would rather shop from the convenience of their computer. If you lead a business, you definitely want to enable people to buy online during the holidays.

If you lead a church, school or non-profit, this is a great opportunity for your organization as well. A lot of people are tired of consumerism. Non-profits have the opportunity to provide alternative gifts, such as…

• A CD, DVD, or download of your music or teaching
• A calendar for next year customized for your organization
• Merch – shirts, hats, or other gear with your organization’s logo on it
• Sponsorships – the opportunity to sponsor a child or a project instead of buying more stuff

Whatever you do, prepare early so you can start communicating your Black Friday options a week or two before Thanksgiving.

Over the last decade, various groups have expanded on the Black Friday concept to create other shopping/giving days that follow Black Friday.  These days include

• Small Business Saturday (11/30) on which people are encourage to support local small businesses
• Cyber Monday (12/2) on which people are encouraged to shop online
• Giving Tuesday (12/3) on which people are encouraged to donate to charities.

Depending on what type of organization you’re a part of, you may want to promote one or more of these days and encourage people to shop or give on your website on those days.

5) Promote a giving campaign

When we are grateful for our blessings, we can’t help but be generous. This makes Thanksgiving the perfect time to do a food or clothing drive, support a charity that is helping those in need during the holidays, or rally volunteers to help others.

Whatever you do, you’ll want to make sure details are available on your website. If you’re asking for financial gifts, make sure you have an online giving option setup and clearly visible on your website.

6) Blog About Thanksgiving

This is a great time to blog about what your organization is thankful for. You can also lighten things up by having people within your organization guest blog about their favorite Thanksgiving recipes or memories.

7) Integrate with Social Media

Of course, if you’re going to do any of the items above, you’re going to want to share them, talk about them, and enable the people connected with your organization do the same. Make sure you have share buttons on your website to make that easy to do. And make sure you have a social media plan – not just a plan to promote your own agenda, but to listen, engage and help others.

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. –Henry Ward Beecher

If your church, ministry or business is in need of a new website, click to learn more about our web design services or complete the form below to schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation.

Comment and discuss…

• How are you preparing your website for Thanksgiving?

Continue reading more ways to express gratitude during the Thanksgiving season!