Seasonality in SEO and paid media: A global marketing guide

If you want your business to succeed globally, you can’t ignore seasonality. Local holidays, cultural events, climate shifts, and economic trends drive consumer behaviour in every region. To make your SEO and paid media campaigns hit the mark, you need to understand these factors and plan smartly. Curious? Read on to learn how understanding seasonality can boost your international marketing.

Recognising regional differences in seasonality

Seasonality can look very different depending on where you live – local customs, holidays, and weather all play a big role. For example:

Holidays and cultural festivals:

• Western markets: In countries like the UK, the US, and Canada, major holidays such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter, and Thanksgiving drive significant consumer spending on gifts, decorations, and travel.

• Asia-Pacific: Festivals like Lunar New Year in China and Diwali in India lead to increased purchasing of clothes, food, and gifts. Lunar New Year, in particular, involves mass travel as millions return to their hometowns, affecting both retail and travel sectors. (The travel rush is known as ‘Chunyun’.)

• Middle East: Ramadan and Eid in countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE are periods of heightened spending on food, gifts, and charitable donations. These events also influence daily routines, which can impact online shopping patterns.

Climatic seasons:

• Northern hemisphere: Traditional seasons shape buying behaviour, with summer typically driving sales of travel gear and outdoor products, while winter sees increased demand for indoor activities and warmer clothing.

• Southern hemisphere: With seasons opposite to those in the north, marketing strategies must adjust accordingly. For example, summer products are promoted in December and January in Australia, Brazil, and South Africa.

Economic cycles:

• Japan: The fiscal year-end in March triggers a surge in spending as companies clear out inventory, offering significant sales and discounts.

• United States: Tax season in April often results in increased discretionary spending due to tax refunds.

• Argentina: In Argentina, economic fluctuations, such as periods of inflation, can influence consumer behaviour, leading to increased spending on durable goods as people seek to secure purchases before potential price increases.

One way you can keep on top of key dates and seasonal events is by using Oban’s Global Marketing Calendar. The calendar includes over 150 marketing opportunities from more than 60 countries, compiled with the help of our Local In-Market Experts (LIMEs). This free resource allows you to filter by month, location, and event type, ensuring your campaigns are timely and relevant.

Understanding seasonality in SEO for global success

As the seasons change, so does what your audience wants – some products are always in demand, while others peak at certain times of the year. To reach people when they’re searching for your products, you need to nail seasonal SEO. By planning smartly around the seasons, you can keep your SEO sharp and your brand visible when it counts. Here’s how to do it:

1. Conduct market-specific keyword research
Start by understanding search behaviour in each market using tools like Google Trends and localised keyword research platforms. Google Trends can help you spot seasonal keywords and plan your content calendar around peak times in different regions. Additionally, use keyword research tools like Dragon Metrics, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz to find relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition during these peak seasons. Analyse historical data from your website to pinpoint successful seasonal keywords and refine your strategy.

2. Create a localised, seasonal content calendar
Develop a content strategy that accounts for key dates, local holidays, and events in each market (using a resource like Oban’s Global Marketing Calendar). For example, a travel company targeting both the US and Australia should stagger content rollouts to cater to both Northern and Southern hemisphere summers. Incorporating events like Diwali in India or Golden Week in Japan can significantly boost traffic. Ensure your content is live well before the season starts to capture early searches and maximise engagement.

3. Update and repurpose existing content
Repurpose successful seasonal content for other markets. A Christmas gift guide that performs well in the UK could be adapted for the US market, taking into account differences in customs and popular gifts. This leverages existing SEO value and is an example of how seasonality in SEO can be effectively managed.

4. Monitor and adapt in real-time
Seasonality can be unpredictable, influenced by trends, news, or unexpected events like global pandemics, extreme weather, or geopolitical shifts causing trade disruptions. Keep a close eye on your content’s performance using analytics and be ready to adjust your strategy when needed.

Also: Keeping seasonal landing pages live year-round is essential. They continue to attract traffic, and links built during peak seasons benefit your site long-term. Removing these pages can result in 404 errors, lost keyword rankings, and broken backlinks, which can hurt SEO. Instead, use non-date-specific URLs and update the content annually. You can also direct traffic to other pages with CTAs like: “Can’t wait for Valentine’s Day? Check out our [product category] in the meantime.”

Start your seasonal SEO early

SEO can take 3-6 months to show results, so it’s crucial to kick off your seasonal strategy ahead of time. Here’s a typical timeline:

• 5-6 months out: Research relevant keywords and topics.

• 4 months out: Create and upload content, then request indexing to give Google or other search engines time to crawl and understand the pages.

• 2-3 months out: Monitor indexing and ensure your pages are categorised and prioritised in search results.

• 1-2 months out: Promote your pages with ads and add CTAs and internal links to drive traffic and enhance visibility.

Strategies for managing seasonality in paid media

Paid media offers great flexibility for adapting to seasonal changes, making it crucial for managing your advertising strategy throughout the year. As with SEO, the key is to start planning early. To ensure that your paid campaigns are both effective and cost-efficient during peak and off-peak seasons, consider the following:

1. Segment campaigns by market and season: Design separate campaigns for each market based on their unique seasonal trends. This way, your ads, images, and targeting will match local shopping habits and seasonal needs. For example, while promoting winter clothes in Canada, also focus on summer apparel in Brazil to meet their seasonal demands.

2. Seasonal budget allocation: Base your budget on historical performance and seasonality in paid media. Increase spend during high-impact periods like Black Friday and reduce it during slower times, using past data to guide these adjustments.

3. Dynamic bidding adjustments: Use dynamic bidding strategies to adjust your bids based on real-time data and seasonal fluctuations. Implement automated bidding features available on platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads to optimise bids dynamically according to competition levels and conversion probabilities during high and low seasons. This helps to maximise ROI by ensuring you spend efficiently when demand is high and scale back when it’s lower.

4. Leverage local ad platforms: Focus on region-specific platforms where they are most effective. For example, use WeChat and Baidu in China, and Naver and KakaoTalk in South Korea to boost engagement and conversions. Local In-Market Experts can guide you.

5. Time-sensitive promotions: Create urgency through time-sensitive promotions to drive conversions. Use features like countdown timers or limited-time offers to incentivise action. For example, running a “24-hour Diwali discount” or a “one-day-only Singles’ Day deal” can create a sense of urgency that encourages immediate purchases.

6. Real-time campaign optimisation: Monitor and adjust your campaigns in real-time to respond to unexpected changes in consumer behaviour or market conditions. Use real-time analytics and reporting tools to track key performance indicators such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and cost per acquisition (CPA). This allows you to make swift adjustments to your ad spend, targeting, and messaging to capitalise on emerging trends or mitigate unforeseen issues.

7. Retargeting strategies: Implement retargeting campaigns to reconnect with users who interacted with your ads but did not convert. By targeting these users with tailored messaging and offers during off-peak seasons, you can re-engage potential customers and boost conversion rates.

8. Testing and experimentation: Continuously test different ad elements, such as headlines, images, and calls-to-action (CTAs), to determine which combinations perform best. Multi-variant testing helps you tweak your ads and messages to make sure they’re as effective as possible during busy times and keep performing well throughout the year.

9. Post-season analysis and optimisation: After each seasonal period, conduct a thorough analysis of your campaign performance. Assess what worked and identify areas for improvement. Use these insights to refine your approach for future seasons.

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Embrace every season’s potential

Seasonality can make or break your SEO and paid media campaigns, especially in international markets. By understanding regional trends, you can tailor your marketing to meet consumer demands and keep your brand relevant year-round. Success hinges on early planning – so start your campaigns early to make sure you have enough time to create good content, plan your budget, and fine-tune your strategy. Need guidance? Contact Oban International – we’re here to help you succeed in every season.

Further reading:

Why local reviews are key to your business’s global growth

Is Facebook marketing still relevant in 2024?

3 ways AI is reshaping the world around us

Oban International is the digital marketing agency specialising in international expansion.
Our LIME (Local In-Market Expert) Network provides up to date cultural input and insights from over 80 markets around the world, helping clients realise the best marketing opportunities and avoid the costliest mistakes.