Here Comes the Sun—And Changes To Your Web Traffic
Summer is a time many people throw their cares out the window and make the most of life. Depending on who you are, the ideal summer might look like a beachside vacation complete with cold martinis and tan lines. Or, it might look more like a few months of hard, fulfilling labor completing a service mission in a far-off place.
While most people can’t wait for summertime, though, many business owners dread the sound of the last school bell of the year. That’s because web traffic usually takes a sharp, painful decline soon after school gets out. After all, most people prefer to spend their time soaking up the sun’s rays rather than hiding indoors checking out business websites. For most businesses, positive traffic changes don’t occur until the holidays approach.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If you own a pool cleaning business, for example, you may experience your highest traffic during the hottest months of the year. But what if your business isn’t particularly summer-friendly? What can you do to profit off of summer web traffic changes? Here are a few tips to help you make the most of those notoriously difficult summer months.
Focus on Your Social Media Presence
You already know that most website traffic decreases when school’s out. However, did you know that social media traffic actually increases in the summer? In 2015, Facebook sharing increased 26% in the summer compared to the rest of the year. So, if your sales are taking a dive, try focusing on your social media presence.
If possible, use travel-related hashtags in your posts (as long as they’re relevant to your products or services). For example, if you’ve got a health and beauty website, you might write a quick post about the best #summerskintips for travelers. Take advantage of beach bums and adventurers who spend a lot of time browsing social media platforms. Here are some other hot topics that you can use as inspiration for your social media posts:
- Parties
- Running
- Beaches
- Movies
- Parks and forests
If you can tie these themes into your business posts, you’re ready to increase your summer web traffic.
Strengthen Your SEO Tactics
If you’re not actively harnessing the power of SEO to drive sales year-long, you’re making a costly mistake. Search engine optimization is the process of using specific tactics to earn a highly visible ranking in search engine results. The end goal of a good SEO campaign is to help people find you organically when they type relevant search queries into any major search engine.
Organic search accounts for 51% of all web traffic, so its importance in any marketing plan is apparent. You can put your SEO tactics into overdrive during the summer to minimize dips in traffic. Here are a few suggestions for using SEO the right way:
- Write for humans first and for search engines second
- Choose keywords you know people use when searching for products you offer
- Create quality content (or have someone else create it for you)
- Use reputable links
With a bit of research, most businesses can figure out the basics of SEO. However, using the right techniques and avoiding “black hat” methods can be confusing for the average person. So if you’re looking for ways to get maximum results and avoid getting flagged by a major search engine, it may be worth it to hire a professional. That way you can focus on what you’re good at while leaving the complicated SEO stuff to someone who’s qualified.
Ramp Up Your Paid Search Game
Paid search is the process of increasing visibility and web traffic through paid advertising. While SEO can help you do both organically, it can take a while to yield the results you want. If you’re looking for a quick way to increase traffic — especially during the summer — paid search is a great option. Plus, an effective pay-per-click campaign is more affordable than you may think.
Beat the Summer Traffic Blues
There’s no reason to sit back and watch your summer traffic take a nosedive when you can be proactive instead. Even when seasonality hits, it’s essential for businesses to keep pushing forward with their SEO strategies to see long-term growth and improvements to website traffic, conversions, and much more.
If you have any questions or are in need of some help, Boostability is a leading provider of white label SEO services world-wide. We will deliver quality and results-driven SEO campaigns to your clients to help them increase their brand presence and revenue, while scaling your business and expanding your clientele.
Learn more about white label SEO marketing and have a better understanding of what to expect. In the meantime, take a look at our free website submission tool to see what areas can be improved now for your client websites.