Changing the colors on your website is relatively easy because it doesn’t require any design knowledge. So feel free to change the colors of your background, header, text, or slideshow images to give your website some holiday flair. But if you’re not fond of red and green, don’t fret! Those aren’t the only holiday colors that you can use on your site. In recent years various shades of blue have become more popular, as have silver and gold hues. Don’t think that you have to just use solid colors either. You can make use of holiday patterns as well as long as they’re not visually overwhelming.
Using Seasonal Image Favorites
Quintessential holiday images of snowmen, the North Pole, sugary treats, snow covered trees, glittery ornaments, and stockings over a fireplace conjure up holiday memories. Using these types of images on your website is a great way to get visitors in the holiday spirit. You may need to purchase some high-resolution images to do this, but the minimal cost associated with doing so will pay off by allowing your site to look festive while still remaining professional. Seasonal favorites resonate positively with both new visitors and returning visitors and are sure to get them to pull out their credit cards or sign up for whatever you have to offer. (And as a bonus, you can reuse these images in your promotional emails, display ads, and blog posts.)
Showcasing Products Being Used Seasonally
Having good product photos is always essential, but around the holidays you should try to add some seasonal photos as well. This will help shoppers visualize giving and using your products during the holidays. Add images of joyous people unwrapping your products under the tree and then using them out in the snow. It may seem like a silly tactic, but there’s a reason why storefront displays and printed product catalogs feature products amidst holiday scenes – it works!
Putting a Holiday Spin on Existing Site Elements
Converting the existing elements of your site into seasonal images is a clever way to bring the holidays to your web design. For instance, add some holly berry to your company’s logo, turn your shopping cart icon into Santa’s sled, transform your header into a candy cane, etc. These types of touches delight visitors and encourage them to spend more time on the site to look for more holiday subtleties. This is a little more advanced so it may require some custom web design, but the right designer can really make these elements come alive on your website.
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Web Consulting for small businesses, Copywriting and Local Online Marketing. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and enjoys cooking, watching sports and spending time outdoors. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about marketing theory and SEM trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!