Holiday SEO - When to Start and What to do

Getting Ready for Black Friday and the Holiday Season in 2023: 7 Essential SEO Tips

The summer has just drawn to a close, but is it too early to start preparing for Black Friday and the holiday season?

Absolutely not!

These are some of the most significant sales events of the year, and achieving high rankings on Google doesn't happen overnight.

The sooner you start preparing, the better.

So, if you operate an online store, it's time to kickstart your holiday season SEO strategy!

Remember, Black Friday (November 24) and Cyber Monday (November 27) mark the beginning of this year's holiday shopping extravaganza.

You have ample opportunities to create valuable content for these occasions.

In this article, we'll explore the crucial steps to get you ready.

The Landscape of Holiday Shopping in 2023

In today's digital age, online shopping has become the norm. It's convenient, and you don't have to deal with the disappointment of traveling only to discover that the product you want is out of stock.

Additionally, online stores often offer flexible payment options.

Last year, online sales hit a record-breaking $9.12 billion, and this trend is expected to continue growing. Therefore, it's safe to assume that a substantial portion, if not the majority, of holiday gift purchases will occur online this year.

To prepare for this holiday season, it's essential to stay informed about the latest trends. eMarketer Insider Intelligence has recently shared valuable insights in the form of actionable tips for the holiday season:

1. Incorporate discount deals and alternative payment options like "Buy now, pay later" into your strategy.
2. Ensure a consistent shopping experience across digital and physical stores for your brand.
3. Create comprehensive product pages to minimize returns.
4. Tailor your holiday marketing campaigns to each platform for maximum effectiveness.
5. Forecast a 4.5% growth in holiday retail sales, reaching $1.317 trillion this year, and be prepared for the return season.

Embrace the Online Shopping Trend

While in-store or curbside pickup remains popular, the majority of consumers conduct their research and make purchases online, sometimes weeks in advance.

Therefore, it's advisable to start your online deals well before Black Friday itself.

This approach not only spreads out the shopping season but also helps prevent overcrowding at physical stores on a single day. Such overcrowding is detrimental to the shopping experience for everyone involved.

Holiday SEO: Do it Now

Begin by analyzing the data you've gathered from previous Black Friday events and identify areas for improvement.

Keep in mind that it takes time for content to gain traction and rank.

To stay competitive, aim to finalize your content at least 45 days ahead, which is often recommended.

However, if starting earlier aligns better with your schedule, feel free to do so.

Here's a possible schedule to guide your preparations:

• 45 Days in Advance: Post your promotion details on your website's calendar and share a save-the-date post on social media and in your email newsletter.
• 7 Days in Advance: Publish upcoming events and promotions on social media and through email, encouraging other small businesses to share them with their followers.
• 1 Day in Advance: Post a reminder on social media about the upcoming event.

Adhering to these steps and time frames is a good guideline. However, you can take further action by setting up new pages and refreshing existing ones. Let's delve into some practical tips:

1. Create Holiday Season Gift Pages

Begin by considering which categories or specific landing pages are suitable for the upcoming holidays.

1. Ultimate Gift Guides for Every Occasion

   • Explore gift ideas for parents, millennials, and teens.
   • Discover the newest deals for kids aged 6, 10, and 12.
   • Find discounts tailored for best friends, grandparents, and coworkers.
   • Check out the top 10 gifts for outdoor enthusiasts, skiers, and parasailing enthusiasts.
   • Uncover the top 3 deals for stay-at-home parents.

2. Gift Suggestions for Every Generation

   • Curate a selection of gifts suitable for parents, millennials, and teens.
   • Showcase the latest deals designed for 6, 10, and 12-year-olds.
   • Offer special discounts for best friends, grandparents, and coworkers.
   • Highlight the top 10 gift ideas for outdoor enthusiasts, skiing enthusiasts, and parasailing enthusiasts.
   • Feature the top 3 deals for stay-at-home parents.

3. Gift Ideas Galore: From Parents to Enthusiasts

   • Present a diverse range of gift options for parents, millennials, and teens.
   • Share the most current deals for kids aged 6, 10, and 12.
   • Provide exclusive discounts for best friends, grandparents, and coworkers.
   • Showcase the top 10 gift picks for outdoor enthusiasts, skiers, and parasailing enthusiasts.
   • Spotlight the top 3 deals tailored for stay-at-home parents.

4. Gifts for All Ages and Interests

   • Explore gift recommendations suitable for parents, millennials, and teens.
   • Discover the latest deals targeted at kids aged 6, 10, and 12.
   • Unlock exclusive discounts for best friends, grandparents, and coworkers.
   • Delve into the top 10 gift ideas for outdoor enthusiasts, skiing enthusiasts, and parasailing enthusiasts.
   • Pinpoint the top 3 deals designed for stay-at-home parents.

5. Comprehensive Gift Guides: From Parents to Adventurers

   • Compile comprehensive gift guides encompassing parents, millennials, and teens.
   • Stay updated with the newest deals for kids aged 6, 10, and 12.
   • Access exclusive discounts for best friends, grandparents, and coworkers.
   • Explore the top 10 gift recommendations for outdoor enthusiasts, skiers, and parasailing enthusiasts.
   • Identify the top 3 deals catered to stay-at-home parents.

Page Titles and Metas for Gift Landing Pages

Ensure that the page titles and meta descriptions for these gift landing pages align with the forthcoming holiday season.

You can repurpose these gift pages for future events like Hanukkah or summer sales.

Identify relevant existing content that fits the holiday theme, adjust titles and meta descriptions accordingly, and you'll save time updating them.

Additionally, invest effort in crafting comprehensive product descriptions and improving product images.

To enhance the visibility of your gift pages in search results, strengthen their internal linking structure.

You can also link to previous holiday season pages, such as specific Christmas landing pages ('Top 7/10/25 Gifts for Under the Christmas Tree'), to boost their visibility closer to the holiday season—ideally around the 45 to 60-day mark.

This gives search engines sufficient time to follow your links and discover your holiday season landing pages.

2. Promote on Social Media and Through Email Marketing

Utilize social media platforms like Twitter, Pinterest (a visual search engine), Facebook, and Instagram to maximize the success of your online holiday sale.

Platforms like Pinterest are particularly powerful for creating wish lists, which can positively influence your sales.

Share your holiday gift pages on various social media platforms and consider leveraging top 10 lists, which still perform well on these platforms. Yoast SEO can assist in optimizing your social media posts before sharing them.

Don't overlook the importance of email marketing. Newsletters often contribute significantly to a company's revenue.

Plan an effective campaign for your newsletters, such as holiday gift guides, and share them with your subscribers.

You can compile comprehensive lists of gifts that cater to a wide audience, akin to ELLE and Target's approaches.

3. Introduce New Products

The holiday season provides an ideal opportunity to introduce new products.

If you anticipate potential bestsellers for the upcoming holiday season, begin crafting content about these products in advance.

This could involve exploring concepts, features, and other aspects, similar to how tech websites discuss potential iPhone features and innovations.

The more content you generate about new products in advance, the higher the likelihood that your sales pages for these products will rank well when it matters most.

Ensure that all pages created in advance are linked to a primary page, which you'll establish when the products become available for purchase. Treat this main page as cornerstone content.

4. Implement Structured Data on Product Pages

While updating or adding product pages to align with the season, don't forget to optimize them. Check if structured data has been incorporated into your product pages.

Rich results, which display ratings and prices, can give you a competitive edge over rivals.

Plugins like WooCommerce SEO, Local SEO, or Yoast SEO for Shopify can assist in implementing structured data.

5. Reuse Existing Content

Repurposing existing content can be a valuable strategy. If you already have a Black Friday guide from 2022, consider revisiting and reusing it for 2023.

Update the year and refresh details like popular brands and products for the new year.

When updating the URL slug, change it from, for example, '/black-friday-guide-2022/' to '/black-friday-guide-2023/' around August next year, and redirect the old URL to the new one.

Avoid creating entirely new pages, as this would waste valuable inbound links. This process is even more straightforward if you exclude the year from the URL, resulting in a slug like '/black-friday-guide/'.

In the months leading up to the holiday season, consider reposting popular posts from the previous year on social media.

Minor adjustments may be needed, such as adding 'this Ramadan' to meta descriptions or titles.

6. Optimize for Speed and Mobile

Prioritize the optimization of your website for mobile devices and speed. These aspects are critical and should be checked regularly.

As mobile usage and user experience become increasingly important, address issues related to Core Web Vitals, which

Google uses to evaluate site performance. Improve your site based on these criteria.

7. Develop a Measurement Plan

Finally, create a measurement plan to evaluate your success. Document all your plans and devise ways to track your actions.

This step is essential for understanding what to focus on in the following year.

Ensure you have the necessary analytics in place for effective measurement.

Managing Product Pages After the Holiday Season

As the holiday season draws to a close, consider how to handle product pages for holiday gift sets.

Even if a gift set or product performed exceptionally well and you intend to offer it again next year, it will take time for the page to regain relevance.

Therefore, it's advisable to keep the pages live without making them visible to regular site visitors.

Once the holiday season approaches again, you can link to these pages, rather than creating entirely new ones. This approach is more efficient than deleting and recreating pages.

Holiday Season SEO

The time to start preparing for Black Friday and the holiday season in 2023 is now.

Begin creating holiday gift pages, promoting them on social media and through email marketing, introducing new products, implementing structured data, repurposing existing content, optimizing for speed and mobile, and developing a measurement plan.

Remember to keep product pages for holiday gift sets active but hidden from regular site visitors, as this approach is more efficient for future use.

Be well-prepared, and start now!

Need at team to help you with holiday SEO? Hire a Writer is here - connect with us ASAP!