Search engine optimisation is constantly evolving, but some changes that you can account for in your marketing strategies are those that occur during seasonal peaks throughout the year. You know, the key yearly occurrences that can have a direct effect on your business’ success.
But what exactly is seasonal SEO? And how do you implement it?
What is seasonal SEO?
Seasonal SEO, much like the name implies, is when SEO strategies are implemented on a seasonal basis, to account for the different trends in consumer behaviour linked with certain times of the year.
During specific celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, or similar, your target audience might have certain tendencies and preferences that affect how they search for products and services. Your SEO needs to adapt to place your site at the forefront of their search results.
With seasonal SEO, you are still utilising the same types of strategies and techniques, only they’re time-sensitive and aim to drive results within a shorter more immediate period.
It’s also worth mentioning that seasonal SEO can be split into two main categories:
- Time-based:
This is seasonal SEO that focuses on certain periods of time throughout the year, usually encompassing entire seasons. For example, summer or winter. However, it can also sometimes refer to shorter periods of time, such as a specific month.
- Event-based:
This is seasonal SEO that focuses on single specific events, which can lead to a short burst in consumer behaviour changes. (Usually, it’s events that are likely to trigger a bigger likelihood of consumers spending money!) For example, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and similar.
Why is seasonal SEO important?
Before we go on to give you some tips on how to implement seasonal SEO, you might be asking yourself why exactly it matters. Why should you worry about these seasonal changes? And why bother adapting your SEO to them?
Well, it comes down to whether or not you want to make the most of these spikes in potentially heightened business opportunities. Utilising seasonal SEO can hugely boost your engagement, as well as your sales, by marketing your products and services in the way they’re needed at exactly the right time.
Often, successful seasonal SEO can also lead to momentum in the business, which allows you to more easily achieve growth throughout the rest of the year. For some businesses, the entire focus is placed on seasonal peaks, meaning seasonal SEO is the most vital part of their marketing strategies. But one way or the other, there’s no denying that it’s worth using, as it is an extremely efficient way to create buzz around your brand.
How to implement seasonal SEO:
There are many ways in which to implement seasonal SEO, as it is all about taking into account the specific quirks of consumer behaviour within different periods throughout the year.
Here are our three top tips:
- Your content should reflect the season:
Content is always an invaluable tool through which to implement SEO strategies, and it should be the first one you use when it comes to adapting your approach for a seasonal peak. It should provide something that consumers are looking for, and during certain seasons, that means creating content that relates to the time of year, and any events taking place.
For example, during summer, a clothing store provides information on their summer clothing stock. During winter, they provide the same but for their winter clothing. Your content should replicate this, but for the things relevant to your target audience during each seasonal peak. It’s all about meeting their needs, and catering to what will benefit them at every given moment.
- Match the seasonal aesthetic:
Consumers are more likely to engage with something that relates to the things around them, and the life they lead at that given time. But matching the content to the season isn’t enough. You also need visuals!
It can be incredibly helpful to utilise the seasonal aesthetic to your advantage, pairing the themes and imagery to your products and services, to make them more appealing (and time-sensitive). This can also help entice your audience, drawing their attention to the right content for the season at hand.
- Break up your approach into phases:
One of the best ways to ensure you efficiently implement seasonal SEO is by breaking your overall marketing strategies into different phases. This will allow you to organise your content, SEO priorities, and much more, according to the needs of each time period or time-senstive event throughout the year.
In summary:
Seasonal SEO is the implementation of the usual SEO techniques with a focus on the different seasons and events relevant to your brand and business.
Implementing seasonal SEO can hugely boost your brand’s performance in different key periods of time throughout the year, enticing your target audience with a personalised marketing approach to relevant time-sensitive events.
Our three top tips for implementing seasonal SEO are reflecting the season within the content, matching the seasonal aesthetic, and breaking up your approach into manageable phases.
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