Aussies love a good holiday sale, and we’re not just talking about the silly season. There are holidays throughout the year that give business owners the chance to offer deals and discounts and increase their revenue.

A few decades ago, all you had to do to take advantage of the holidays was put up a new window display, hang out a colourful sign and take out an ad in the local paper.

But times have changed. Nowadays, with so many businesses operating online, you need to implement a seasonal SEO strategy to bring visitors to your virtual doorstep. One of the best ways to do this is through the power of keywords – and if that word feels like a lump of coal in your stocking, don’t worry.

We’re going to explain the basics of what keywords are and how to best use them during any holiday. We’ve also done the hard work of finding keywords you can use now to start boosting your visibility.

Keywords: What are they and why do they matter?

You’ve read articles and heard people talk about the importance of keywords, but what really are they?

To boil it down to the simplest terms, keywords are the words and phrases people use to search the web (usually on Google). Search engines like Google use these words to deliver the right search results to the searcher.

If you have a website, you want to make sure the text on your site matches the searches people are using when they’re looking for information regarding your business. This will increase the likelihood of your website showing up on Google.

Since so many people use Google to find information, showing up on the first page for the right results can make a big impact on the traffic (and the quality of traffic) on your website.

How to use keywords effectively.

Simply placing the keywords you want to target on your website at random won’t do you much good, and could in fact harm your business.

Fortunately, there are a few simple rules you can follow when using these keywords to make sure they do what you want them to do:

Stick to one focus keyword per page, and use similar/related keywords throughout the page.

• Don’t over-stuff your copy with keywords – aim for one keyword every 200 – 300 words
• Put keywords in page titles and sub headers for extra visibility
• Don’t force keywords that sound awkward – you don’t want to sacrifice quality just to get in one extra keyword.

For example, take a look at how we used the keywords ‘Christmas email templates’ in this article. We’ve included the keyword in the headline, as well as within the post.

Finally, remember that SEO is a long-term strategy. It takes time for content and keywords you create to begin ranking. This means that implementing these keywords today won’t mean you’ll be on the first page of Google tomorrow, but the sooner you work them into your copy, the better the chance you’ll have of rising up the search engine ranks.

RELATED: SEO vs SEM: What’s the difference and do you need both?

How keyword research can help businesses of all kinds.

You might think that keyword research only applies to big businesses with big budgets. In fact, keywords are essential for all businesses because they help you find out what your potential customers are searching for and the content you need to create to answer their queries.

When it comes to the holidays, keyword research can help with identifying the holiday themes and topics your target audience is searching for. From there, you can create a content plan that’s targeted towards those themes and topics.

Not only that, but incorporating holiday-related keywords in your content also increases your ability to rank in search engine results for relevant queries. This helps deliver more traffic to your website and boosts your business’ visibility online.

Keyword ideas to get started.

You can research keywords and topics for your business completely free with tools like Ubersuggest and AnswerThePublic. Here are some example holiday themes to consider for different industries:

• Trades: Emergency tradies, 2023 design trends, planning a renovation
• Finance/accounting: New Year financial planning, holiday spending, creating a gift budget
• Health and fitness: Healthy Christmas lunch ideas, New Year’s fitness resolutions, holiday fitness plans
• Hair and beauty: Beauty trends for 2023, summer haircare, holiday beauty travel essentials
• Food and beverage: Holiday cocktail ideas, Christmas platter tips, where to eat out over the holidays.

Top holiday-related search terms in Australia.

To help get you started, we took a look at some of the best holiday-related keywords in Australia. All of these keywords have significant monthly search volume (meaning plenty of people are searching for them at the relevant time of year).

Our recommendation is to work these keywords into your site, either on a landing page dedicated to your holiday promotions, through a blog post, or on social media posts you make throughout the next six months.

Looking for expert digital marketing advice? Get in touch with Yellow Pages today.

The post SEO keywords to boost your website over the holidays. appeared first on Yellow Pages.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are some of the top Christmas keywords and phrases to include in your content marketing.

Christmas keywords: Finance.

Christmas may be the season of giving, but this also makes it feel like the season of spending for many people. This time of year, people will be looking for insights on how to budget for the Christmas season, and they’re looking ahead to their financial goals for New Year’s.

If you’re planning your content and marketing strategy for the holiday season, here are the top finance keywords:

• Christmas budget
• Cheap Christmas presents
• New Year’s resolution ideas
• Party on a budget
• Financial advisor
• Financial planner
• How to save money
• 52 week money challenge
• How to save money fast
• Best ways to save money

RELATED: SEO keywords to boost your website over the holidays.

Christmas keywords: Home improvement.

With a long break from work, some people take the time to engage in home improvement over the holiday season. Others are looking for DIY projects to fill their days. 

Here are the top keywords around trades and home improvements this time of year:

• Home improvement
• Home improvement ideas
• Decorative lights
• DIY ideas
• Christmas DIY room decor
• Discount electrician
• Cheap electrician
• Xmas decorations
• Personalised Christmas decorations
• Christmas decoration ideas

Christmas keywords: Retail.

Did you know that each adult Australian planned to spend $893 on Christmas 2020? Most of that is on presents, and any brand that can feast on a piece of that Christmas pie will definitely be jolly this season.

Here are 10 of the top keywords to use in your retail Christmas marketing:

• Christmas decorations
• Online Christmas shopping
• Early Christmas shopping ideas
• Christmas shopping online sites
• Christmas gifts
• Christmas gift guide Australia
• What’s popular this Christmas
• Christmas decorations
• Christmas presents ideas
• Funny Christmas shirts Australia

Christmas keywords: Travel and leisure.

Did you know that almost half (44 per cent) of Australians are forced to use their annual leave over the Christmas holidays – and as much as one in 12 must take 3 weeks or more off? With so much spare time, this is a ripe opportunity for travel brands to reach out to Aussies.

Take a look at 10 of the top keywords to help with your silly season marketing strategies:

1. Christmas getaways
2. Christmas trip ideas
3. Christmas holiday ideas
4. Christmas holiday destinations for couples
5. Christmas activities
6. What to do on Christmas day
7. Christmas holiday destinations Australia
8. Christmas school holidays
9. Boxing day holidays
10. Christmas in Australia

Christmas keywords: Hospitality.

What would Christmas be without excessive meals and popped jeans buttons? Attract the crowds and share the foodie love with these 10 great keywords:

1. What’s open Christmas Day
2. Christmas food ideas
3. Cold Christmas lunch ideas
4. Christmas recipes
5. Pubs open Christmas day
6. Christmas desserts
7. Office Christmas party
8. Christmas party venues
9. Easy Christmas recipes
10. Christmas party foods

RELATED: SEO vs SEM: What’s the difference and do you need both?

Christmas keywords: Health and fitness.

With many of us thinking about getting fit for summer, or wondering how that pair of jeans somehow shrunk during the Christmas season, the health and fitness category is very popular this time of year. 

Need some keywords to inspire your promotional ideas in the health and fitness sector? Here are 10 to get you (foam) rolling:

1. Fitness gifts
2. Gifts for fitness lovers
3. Fitness gifts for men
4. 12 days of Christmas workout
5. Christmas workout
6. Healthy Christmas
7. Healthy holiday meals
8. Holiday diet
9. Christmas crossfit
10. Best fitness gifts for her

Don’t see your industry here?

Make a holiday keywords list of your own by using Google Ads, the Keywords Everywhere tool or a similar keyword finder.

How digital marketing from Yellow Pages helps your business grow online.

The team at Yellow Pages provides expert digital marketing advice and products that boost your business’ online presence. From an online listing to digital display or social media ads, we’ll tailor a digital marketing strategy designed for your business. Find out more.

The post Christmas keywords: Could these top ones work for your business? appeared first on Yellow Pages.