Why a Firm Chose a Full Portal Audit Before Holiday Season Traffic Hit - 10-step Checklist

Updated: September 12, 2025

Introduction

People shop more online, and this increases by more than 40% between November and December, as the holiday season starts  . Not only do you lose clicks if your website isn't ready, but you also lose money.

Fantech Labs has developed portals, dashboards, and optimised websites for Calgary startups, construction companies, and merchants. We have personally witnessed how unnoticed problems, such as mobile bugs or checkout difficulty, cost businesses thousands of dollars.

To stop such leaks before Black Friday and the holiday season arrive, follow this blog's 10-point assessment.

1. Page Speed Audit

Faster speed = more sales

Nothing kills sales faster than slow load times. In 2025, 53% of Canadian shoppers leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds (Shopify Canada).

Audit: Test your site with Google PageSpeed Insights and ensure it loads under 3 seconds.

Tip: Compress images and switch to a CDN for faster load times.

2. Mobile Usability Check

According to Statista 2025, 76% of Canadians shop on their phones during the holidays.

Poor mobile design = lost sales.

Audit: Verify that forms are short, buttons are clickable, and navigating is easy. Test on several different devices. Look out for broken menus and cut-off text.

3. Checkout Flow  Broken Links & Redirects Audit

Statistics show that 70% of Canadian online carts are abandoned (Baymard Institute, 2025). One of the main causes is complicated or improperly integrated checkouts.

Audit: 

• Delete extra fields, include guest checkout, and display shipping prices clearly.
• Include various payment methods, such as PayPal, Interac, and Apple Pay.
• To find broken pages, do a crawl with tools like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog.

For example, we rebuilt a Calgary e-commerce client's checkout, which resulted in a 28% reduction in abandonment.

4. Stress-Test Hosting & Traffic Load

Weak servers crash during holiday traffic spikes. During Black Friday 2024, Shopify recorded a 40% increase in traffic in Canada.

👉 Test your hosting, perform a stress test in October, and adjust resources as necessary.

Fact: Canadians spent $6.6 billion online on Black Friday 2024 (StatCan).

Audit: Create traffic spike scenarios using stress-testing tools.

Tip: Don't upgrade your hosting plans in the middle of the sale; start updating that in October.

5. Security & SSL

Holiday shoppers demand safe transactions. Websites that lack obvious security trust badges become less credible.

• Make sure that HTTPS is used everywhere.
• Use SSL (https://) and add the most recent SSL certificates.
• Make sure to prominently display your return policy and trust badges.
• Update every plugin. 

6. Analytics, Inventory & Conversion Tracking 

If your booking or e-commerce platforms aren't in sync, you'll either undersell or oversell.

Audit:

• Make sure event tracking is set up using Google Analytics 4.
• For real-time updates, link your website to your inventory management, ERP, or point-of-sale system.

Fact: You can't see flaws if you don't have data to track or analyze.

7. Content, SEO & Indexing Health

Without optimised content, you won't be able to take advantage of the boost in holiday search traffic.

• Check Google Search Console.
• Repair any broken internal linkages.
• Update the meta tags with the 2025 holiday keywords.
• Every month, update sitemaps to reflect new content.
• Make changes to product pages
• Include landing pages for Black Friday.

Tip: Seasonal content, such as this holiday planning blog, boosts topical authority. 

 👉 Look for website flaws before your busiest sales weekend arrives. Make sure every click matters by scheduling a website audit with our experts right now.

8. Tracking and Integration Check (CRMs, Portals, Dashboards)

As we mentioned above, without data tracking, you're just making assumptions. How can you determine whether something is necessary or missing if there is no data to track?

For that: 

• Make sure the TikTok Ads, Meta Pixel, or Google Analytics 4 pixels are set up correctly for retargeting campaigns.
• Make sure your dashboards, payment gateway, and CRM all work together flawlessly.
  

Example: We assisted a construction company in Calgary in integrating a management portal, which resulted in a 35% decrease in admin errors.

9. Content, Messaging, and Customer Support Readiness

Customers expect fast support.

👉 Include automatic email responses, chatbots, and FAQs. Try to expand the live chat hours throughout the week of Black Friday.

• Banners should be updated for Christmas deals.
• Add urgency by mentioning shipping dates and limited availability.
• Make use of localised phrasing/GEO targeting, such as "before Christmas, Calgary delivery is guaranteed."

10. Accessibility & Usability

Verify compliance with WCAG and ADA.

According to the Government of Canada (2024), about 17% of Canadians have accessibility needs.

Audit: To increase reach, use free accessibility checkers.

Testimonials

"Our Black Friday sales increased by 22 percent after we optimised our website." - Calgary Retailer

"We cut our admin hours in half thanks to Fantech Labs; they built a portal for us." - Construction client

FAQs

How do I know if my site needs an audit?

You need one if traffic doesn't increase sales.

What’s the quickest solution before the holidays?

Boost site performance and checkout.

Do small Calgary businesses really need this?

Yes, local customers have the same expectations as those of large stores.

About the Author

Written by Faraz Aslam, Digital Expert at Fantech Labs

With over 5 years of experience dedicated to website audits, Faraz specializes in uncovering the critical technical issues that impact a company's sales, especially during the busy holiday season. He is passionate about helping Calgary's local businesses optimize their online portals for peak traffic, ensuring they are prepared to maximize revenue and provide a seamless customer experience.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer

This article is only intended for educational purposes. All figures are based on Canadian e-commerce data from 2024–2025. The size, industry, and execution of the business can all affect the results. You must always look at the latest updates for accurate results.

Instead of being your weakest link, your website should be your best sales tool. Make sure that every site, checkout, and portal is optimised for the upcoming holiday season. Protect your revenue by scheduling an audit right away.