A Guide to Tackling Seasonal SEO


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As the weather changes and holidays come and go, so do the needs of consumers and online shoppers. If your business sells seasonal products or depends on holiday shopping spikes to meet sales goals, it’s important that you invest in seasonal SEO for your web pages. While many of the basic SEO principles remains the same no matter the time of year, there are a few unique strategies your business should be implementing during each shopping season.

Why Seasonal SEO Matters

Seasonal SEO refers to the practice of optimizing your site for different keywords depending on the time of year. For example, as warmer weather approaches, people are beginning to search for swimsuits, airfare, and other spring break-related terms. On the other hand, when the winter holidays are just around the corner, search terms like “Christmas gifts for dad” or “holiday cocktail dresses” abound.

Whatever product or service you sell, there will inevitably be some fluctuation depending on the time of the year, and it’s your job to capitalize on the highs as much as possible – and to optimize for the lows as well. One real-world example is Park West Gallery, a Southfield, Michigan art gallery that currently has an ongoing winter sale. Each industry has different peak seasons – and you’ve probably already noticed some of yours.

Seasonal SEO Tips for Business Owners

  • Plan well in advance. When beginning your seasonal SEO campaign, timing is everything. Begin planning at least three or four months ahead of time to ensure your keywords are properly targeted for the season. Don’t forget to consider factors like which promotions you plan to offer and which keywords related to those promotions are trending. Consider placing seasonal content on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. Also, don’t forget to take advantage of major shopping holidays like Black Friday and Memorial Day. By taking note of past sales that have been successful (or that could have used improvement), you’ll set yourself up for future success.

  • Conduct relevant keyword research. To hone in on keywords, find out which ones are already performing well, which ones might benefit from the season, and expand on them. Try using useful tools like Google Trends and Google Keyword Planner to track the ebb and flow of various keywords. Long-tail keywords are also a great asset when creating a seasonal SEO marketing plan. Try a formula like seasonal word + product name + city you’re targeting – and don’t forget to switch it up.

  • Focus on one or two landing pages. More content isn’t always the answer, especially when it comes to SEO. Creating extra pages every time you have an event won’t help your search rankings and will just clutter your site. Focus on a landing page for your target keyword and stick to it by making sure all other pages related to the keyword link to it. This will help search engines get a better sense of which pages are important and will keep landing pages from competing with each other on your site.

One Last Seasonal SEO Tip

Spending time to update SEO as seasons change gives your business visibility in seasonal search results, which can lead to more traffic, sales, and social sharing. But, not every company’s seasonal marketing efforts will be the same. Investing resources in capturing holiday web traffic might make sense for an e-commerce site, but may not be as beneficial for a home remodeling company. Create a calendar to document which seasons have the most potential to positively impact business goals, and invest SEO resources accordingly.

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