As the holiday season approaches, businesses gear up for a surge in online traffic and sales. In the fast-paced world of SEO, where trends evolve swiftly, the strategies that worked last year might not guarantee success this time around.
Offering invaluable insights and time-tested techniques to ensure your brand not only survives but thrives during the festive frenzy. From deciphering the nuances of buyer intent to harnessing the power of evergreen content, our panelists, explore the strategies that will set your brand apart.
Join us as we unravel the secrets behind creating content that not only resonates with your audience’s needs but also stands the test of time. Let’s navigate the complexities of Seasonal SEO together, ensuring your business emerges victorious in this digital holiday battleground.
Topic 1: Optimizing for Seasonal Keywords #SEOChat
— Kara Thurkettle ? (@5minutesnippets) October 5, 2023
Q1: How do you identify and target seasonal keywords for your SEO campaigns?
Q2: Share tips on conducting keyword research for different seasons and holidays.
A1: It depends on the niche, but most eCommerce brands should have a strategy for Gifting as well as BFCM.
A2: 1) Ensure you filter in competitive tools like
Kara Thurkettle
@semrush
for the peak month as some competitors 302 their pages and they drop out. 2) See the pages being created.
A1: Keyword research
A2: Utilize keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz Keyword Explorer to discover seasonal keywords. Enter your seasonal topics as seed keywords and explore related suggestions.
Pavel Stepanov
A1: What are the major holidays for your business?
Start with “Holiday + Buyer Intent” keywords
Sweepsify
Topic 2: Content Planning and Creation of Seasonal SEO #SEOChat
— Kara Thurkettle ? (@5minutesnippets) October 5, 2023
Q3: What's your approach to creating seasonal content that resonates with your audience?
Q4: How do you ensure your content stays relevant year after year?
A3: Ask yourself what needs your users are having this time of year – the who and what behind their purchases. The cost of living crisis this year will impact people wanting to find the best deals
Kara Thurkettle
A4: You should try and create evergreen content with the same URL structure and just refresh the content each year – looking at trends on TikTok and rise in searches to modify the content.
Kara Thurkettle
A3: We usually start with understanding our target audience’s interests, preferences, and behaviors during the specific season or holiday. Consider their pain points, needs, and expectations.
A4: Make it evergreen. Re-edit, repurpose or add the latest keywords or topics to make it as good as new.
Pavel Stepanov
Topic 3: Link-Building Strategies for Seasonal SEO #SEOChat
— Kara Thurkettle ? (@5minutesnippets) October 5, 2023
Q5: Discuss effective link-building techniques specific to seasonal campaigns.
Q6: Share success stories of acquiring high-quality backlinks during seasonal peaks.
A5: You should review what publications wrote about your clients and their competitors last year and what themes / trends they wrote about / care about. & Then layer trends on this. This will help you create relevant content they will link to.
Kara Thurkettle
A5: Create seasonal resources, such as comprehensive guides, infographics, or toolkits. These can serve as valuable assets that other websites may link to as references or sources of information.
VirtuDesk
Topic 4: Technical SEO Prep for Seasonal Peaks #SEOChat
— Kara Thurkettle ? (@5minutesnippets) October 5, 2023
Q7: What technical SEO considerations are essential for handling increased seasonal traffic?
Q8: How do you optimize site speed and mobile responsiveness for seasonal events?
Q7/8: 1) Review your hosting infrastructure and be sure this can handle the increase in traffic. 2) Implement server-side caching and use a CDN to distribute content efficiently. This can reduce server load and improve page load times.
Kara Thurkettle
A8: Optimize images by compressing them to reduce file sizes without compromising quality. Use image compression tools or plugins
VirtuDesk
Topic 5: Analyzing Seasonal SEO Performance
— Kara Thurkettle ? (@5minutesnippets) October 5, 2023
Q9: Share your favorite SEO tools for tracking and analyzing seasonal SEO performance.
Q10: What metrics do you focus on when evaluating the success of your seasonal campaigns? #SEOchat pic.twitter.com/Kmg84gLJgX
A9: @seomonitor @semrush @ahrefs
Kara Thurkettle
- wish I could say
@googleanalytics
but some new clients never had GA4 last year so makes it redundant a little and too much manual work.
All of our Seasonal SEO questions are now out to be answered for the #SEOChat. But here's the real question everyone wants to answer today.
— Kara Thurkettle ? (@5minutesnippets) October 5, 2023
Q11: Why do you think Google is launching a Core Update and what do you think it will / is covering / fixing? #CoreUpdate @googlesearchc
A11: I think that when the niche sites dropped in performance so did their performance for paid – Google benefits from paid – as a lot of these sites run on-site ads – bc it’s all linked IMO.
Kara Thurkettle
A11: I think the core update is to address AI content and to get the results ready for Gemini…
Sweepsify
Mastering seasonal SEO requires a combination of strategic planning, in-depth keyword research, understanding user needs, and optimizing technical aspects of your website. As discussed by our experts in this #SEOChat, here are some key takeaways to keep in mind:
Strategic Keyword Research: Utilize powerful tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz Keyword Explorer. Tailor your content according to the “Holiday + Buyer Intent” keywords specific to your business niche, ensuring alignment with your audience’s search queries.
Understanding User Needs: Dive deep into your target audience’s interests, preferences, and behaviors during the particular season or holiday. Identify their pain points and expectations, shaping your content to provide valuable solutions and engaging experiences.
Evergreen Content Strategy: Create content with a timeless appeal. Craft evergreen pieces that can be updated annually, reflecting current trends and incorporating the latest keywords. This approach ensures your content remains relevant and continues to attract organic traffic over time.
Strategic Content Creation: Develop comprehensive resources such as guides, infographics, and toolkits tailored to the seasonal theme. These resources not only enhance your website’s value but also serve as link-worthy assets, attracting backlinks from other authoritative sources.
Technical Optimization: Prepare your website for increased traffic by reviewing your hosting infrastructure. Implement server-side caching and utilize Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) for efficient content distribution. Optimize images to enhance page load times, ensuring a seamless user experience.
Monitoring and Analytics: Utilize reliable SEO tools like SEOMonitor, SEMrush, and Ahrefs to track your website’s performance. While Google Analytics is valuable, adapts to the tools that suit your specific requirements, providing actionable insights into your SEO strategies.
Paid Advertising Consideration: Be mindful of the interplay between organic and paid strategies. Understand how changes in organic performance can impact paid advertising efforts, considering the evolving landscape of AI content and platforms like Gemini.
By integrating these strategies and insights into your Seasonal SEO approach, you can navigate the complexities of search engine optimization effectively. Remember, staying adaptable and continuously refining your strategies in response to industry trends is key to sustained success in the ever-changing digital landscape.
Thank you for joining our discussion on Seasonal SEO. Stay tuned for more valuable insights and expert perspectives in future #SEOChat sessions.
