Make Sure There's a Safety Net

Before you switch off for the season, it's worth making sure your website has a backup — which is a copy of itself kept safely away, just in case.

If you don't know whether you have a backup plugin or if you do have one, how to use it, book a WordPress Tweaks and Fixes session with me and I'll set one up with you, and show you how to use it properly.  

Please, pretty please, always run a backup before you do any technical updates. If something goes wrong, it's easy to restore your website and get it back up and running.

Give Your Website a Quick Pre-Holiday Check-In

Much like you might tidy your living room before guests arrive, it's worth giving your WordPress dashboard a quick glance before the holidays. Updates keep your site healthy — but they can occasionally cause hiccups.

If you're comfortable doing plugin and theme updates, great. Remember to back up your website first. I wouldn't do any MAJOR updates before Christmas, even though WordPress is about to launch one in early December.

If your WordPress website is working well, let's keep it that way and leave any major updates until the New Year, when life has settled down.

If You Have a Shop, Try a "Mystery Shopper" Moment

Without being logged in, go to your online shop as if you were a customer and try placing an order. Add something to your basket, head to checkout, and see if the confirmation email arrives.

If anything feels off, it's better to notice it now and contact someone to help you.

Have a Little Peek at Your Website's Speed

This is a simple check that doesn't require tools or tests. Simply visit your site on your phone, as your customers would.

Does it load quickly?
Does anything look strangely slow or oversized?

If it feels sluggish, contact your tech support for help. Let them know what's happening, and they'll take it from there.

Decide What You Want Visitors to See Over the Holidays

If you have an online shop or your services are unavailable over the holidays, you may want to add a message on your website or change your delivery terms to allow for delays over the season.    

Make Sure People Can Actually Contact You

A quick test of your contact form can save your sanity. Ensure that you are NOT logged into the back end of your website. 

Just send yourself a message from the contact form on your website.

It will usually arrive quickly. If you don't find a message, remember to check your spam/junk folder.   

If you don't receive your email, contact your tech support person to let them know.

Double-Check Your Website Bills

Hosting, domain renewals, SSL certificates — these are the important-but-boring bits that keep your website online. They also have a habit of renewing at the most inconvenient time of year.

Check your hosting account and make sure nothing is flashing red or shouting "renew now."

Run a quick check through your email to ensure you haven't missed any invoices that need to be paid over the holidays.

Conclusion

The goal here isn't to turn you into a WordPress Fairy Godmother — you have a business to run, a holiday to enjoy, and better things to do than work out your WordPress website.

This blog offers a gentle way to check in with your website, understand what's worth your attention, and know precisely when to call in help. A little bit of preparation now means fewer surprises over the holidays, leaving you calmer and more focused on the important part of the holidays.

Want a bit of help with this?

If all of this sounds useful but you're not quite sure where to begin, you're very welcome to book a free 15-minute call with me. It's a relaxed, friendly chat where you can tell me what's going on with your website, and I'll help you work out the simplest next step — no jargon, no overwhelm, just clarity.