Last week’s webcast covered how online retailers can prepare for the end-of-year holiday shopping season. What should you be doing six months out (i.e., now) to get your site – and your online business – ready for the holiday rush?

Eli Goodman of comScore shared data on consumer shopping behavior in this economy, including a breakdown of how different product categories are doing. Matt Miller of Performics walked us through a hypothetical retailer, Stanley’s Sweaters, to demonstrate how retailers can prepare for the busiest shopping season.

Included in the presentation was this timeline –

June – Plan: Gather Consumer and Industry Research and set company goals
July – Increase Visibility: On-site content optimization and SEO, Offsite Distribution (Blog, YouTube, Twitter)
August – Maximize Conversion Rates: Landing Page Optimization, User Experience
September– Organize PPC Campaign: Campaign Structure, Keyword Development, Click Attribution, Holiday Promotions
October – Create Relevant Offers: Competitive Analysis, Paid Search Copy Management
November – Last Minute Tips: Holiday Checklist, Last Minute tips, Setting up Bids & Budgets for the Holiday Rush
December – Holiday Rush: Prepare for Post-Holiday Sales
January – Measure: Analyze Results

Missed this SMN webcast? View it on-demand now.

Thanks to Performics for sponsoring this webcast.