Get Your Website Ready for Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday falls on November 28 this year, right after Thanksgiving. It is one of the biggest days of the year for people who want to shop local, and most of them start with a quick search on their phone. What they find in that moment decides whether they walk through your door or someone else's.

The good news is that getting ready does not take a big project. Here are the quick updates we recommend every small business owner make before the rush.

Start With Your Holiday Hours

Nothing turns a happy shopper into an unhappy one faster than driving over and finding the lights off. If your hours change at all over Thanksgiving week, say so everywhere people look.

Update the hours on your website

Check your footer, your contact page, and anywhere else your hours appear. If you open early, stay late, or close on Thanksgiving Day, write it out plainly, for example "Open 8am to 8pm on Saturday, November 28." Clear dates beat vague notes like "special holiday hours."

Think about the whole week

Shoppers plan around the full holiday weekend, not just Saturday. List your hours for Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after, Saturday, and Sunday, so nobody has to guess.

Keep every listing in step

Your website, your Google profile, and any social pages should all say the same thing. When they disagree, customers lose trust and Google gets mixed signals about when you are open.

Tune Up Your Google Business Profile

For many shoppers, your Google Business Profile is the first thing they see, often before your website. A few small tweaks go a long way.

1. Set special hours for the holiday dates Google lets you add special hours for specific days without changing your regular schedule. Add them for Thanksgiving week so your listing shows the right hours on each day, and does not show a "hours might differ" warning.
2. Share a Small Business Saturday post Use the Updates or Offers feature to tell people what you have planned, such as a sale, a free gift with purchase, or extended hours. Posts show right on your profile, so shoppers see them while they are deciding where to go.
3. Add fresh photos Upload a few recent photos of your shop, your team, your best sellers, or your holiday displays. Real, current photos help people picture the visit and make your profile feel active.
4. Check the basics Make sure your phone number, address or service area, and website link are all correct. Answer any open questions on your profile, and reply to recent reviews so new visitors can see you care.

Add a Homepage Banner

Once someone clicks through to your website, they should know within a second or two that you are ready for Small Business Saturday. A simple banner across the top of your homepage does that job.

Keep it short

One line is plenty. Something like "Shop small with us on Saturday, November 28. Open 8am to 8pm with 20% off storewide" tells people the date, your hours, and the reason to come in. Use your own real offer, of course.

Give it one clear next step

Add a single button or link, such as "Get directions," "See our holiday deals," or "Call to reserve." One clear action works better than several competing ones.

Make sure it looks good on a phone

Most holiday shoppers will see your site on their phone. Check that the banner is easy to read, does not cover your menu, and that the button is big enough to tap.

Plan when it comes down

An old promotion still sitting on your homepage in January makes a site look forgotten. Decide now when the banner comes off, or swap it straight over to your next holiday message.

A Quick Pre-Rush Checklist

• 1
  Holiday hours are on your website Footer, contact page, and anywhere else your hours appear.
• 2
  Special hours are set on Google For Thanksgiving Day through the end of the holiday weekend.
• 3
  A Google post and new photos are live So shoppers can see what you have planned.
• 4
  Your homepage banner is up With the date, your hours or offer, and one clear button.
• 5
  Everything matches Website, Google profile, and social pages all say the same thing.

Do It Early, Then Enjoy the Day

The best time to make these changes is a week or two before Thanksgiving, not the night before. That gives Google time to show your updated hours and gives you one less thing to think about when the shop gets busy.

If you are a WebEaze client, you do not have to do any of this yourself. Updates are included in your plan, so just send us your holiday hours and offer and we will take care of your website and Google Business Profile for you.