Taking a Break? How to Keep Your Website Running Smoothly While You’re Away

Here’s what you need to do on your website before you go on holiday!

This is my pre-break checklist to ensure your website keeps your business running smoothly while you're away, so you can actually relax and enjoy yourself:

1. Inform Your Audience

First things first: transparency is key! Seems obvious, but let your audience know you'll be away but assure them that their needs are still being met.

Ways to Inform your clients, customers, subscribers and followers
- Email Announcement: Write an email and send it to your customers and subscribers. Tell them about your holiday plans and what they can expect during this period. I use flodesk for my email marketing and to send specific emails to my clients and more general ones to my subscribers - get 50% off year first year with Flodesk.

- Social Media Updates: Pin a post on your social media platform of choice with similar information.

- A simple out-of-office email can make a world of difference. Let clients know when you'll be back and what they can do in the meantime.

Why this matters
It sets expectations and shows that you care about keeping them in the loop.

2. Automate Customer Service

Customer inquiries won't stop just because you're away, so setting up automated responses can save you from coming back to an overwhelming inbox. Or worse, sat on the beach with your laptop!

Quick and easy content automations
- Email Auto-Responder: Set up an auto-response informing clients of your absence and providing alternative contacts if urgent, links to your email sign up and more.

- Chatbots: Tools like Tidio, Drift or Intercom can handle basic customer queries and even capture leads while you're away.

- Booking Form: Tools like Calendly, Accuity Scheduling or Moxie can enable clients, potential customers to book in calls or services while you're away.

If you use a CRM (Customer relationship management) like Dubsado, Honeybooks or Moxie (I use and love Moxie - get 30 days free trial) you can set up whole workflows to onboard and invoice clients automatically - amazing 🤩.

Why automating your customer service matters
You maintain professionalism and ensure that potential clients don’t feel ignored. It really enables you to take a break and does alot of behind the scenes admin for you.

3. Schedule Content in Advance

Content is king (actually queen). You don't want your audience to think you've vanished into thin air just because you're taking a break. Use tools like WordPress's built-in scheduler or third-party apps like Buffer, flodesk or Planoly to schedule blog posts, social media updates, and newsletters.

Why Scheduling content in advance Matters
Consistency builds trust with your audience. When they see regular updates, they know you're reliable—even when you're not physically present. Plus, they want to hear from you!

Pro Tip
Create a mix of evergreen content and timely pieces. Evergreen content remains relevant over time, while timely pieces can include pre-scheduled posts about upcoming events or holidays.

4. Update Your Website Security

Imagine coming back from a relaxing holiday only to find out your website was hacked. Nightmare, right?

Take these steps to ensure your website is secure:
- Update Plugins and Themes: Outdated plugins are gateways for hackers.
- Backup Your Site: Use services like UpdraftPlus or SolidWP for regular backups.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication: Adds an extra layer of security.

Why website security matters
Your peace of mind is worth the effort. Plus, it ensures that all your hard work isn't undone by malicious attacks. I offer monthly Peace of Mind Plans for on-going website support which includes keeping. your site secure.

5. Test Everything!

Before you head off, do a final check of everything you've set up is working. Other vital checks to do before you go:

Test your contact form: Fill out your own contact form and check it is working and you are getting notifications into your inbox and not spam.

Double-Check any payment systems: the last thing you want are payment hiccups while you're away. Run through your payment processes from start to finish. Ensure there are no glitches that could deter potential clients.

Pre-Holiday Website Checklist