Holiday branding and seo

The shift in search behavior and SERP results during the holidays

Ch-ch-changes Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday 2013 �  Amazon won online with new time-sensitive promos every

10 minutes. �  Online Cyber Monday sales topped online Black Friday sales

by 31% and increased from 2012 by 20%. Mobile sales increased by 55%.

�  30% of consumers will begin their holiday shopping before Halloween.

Black Friday now starts the week of Thanksgiving. As early as MONDAY.

How would you search for…

�  A good deal on a pair of winter boots. �  A hotel in Manhattan for Christmas

with the best view of Central Park. �  A new laptop for your son. He needs

something for college, but he loves gaming too.

�  A video game you know comes out this year but you can’t remember the name. You remember something about The Lord of the Rings.

How do people search during the holidays?

�  Long-tail “categories” – they know what they want to buy, but they don’t know where. � 55 inch plasma tv under $1000 � ladies knee length red wool coat � assassin’s creed unity collector’s

edition video game

Get it? Long tail? Ha.

� Categories, not brands � Categories: tablets, movies, sweaters… anything non-

branded � Remember, long-tail searches mean they want to buy.

One-word searches mean they want to learn.

� Undecided and uncertain searches: these include phrases like “popular” or “best” and have a high conversion rate. � Popular books for teen girls � Best mouse for gaming � Newest hobbit movie on blu ray

And nostalgia! (It sells)

How do the SERPs change? �  Google changes what displays in the SERPs based on trends,

including holidays �  They want to answer searchers’ questions, spoken or unspoken:

� What type � What brand � Where to get it

�  Google responds with: � More/fewer ads �  In-depth articles, news, images, sponsored ads in the Knowledge

Graph area AND…

Google tells them the answer

What to do?

�  Start early �  Stay top-of-mind (Amazon) �  Optimize every image: holidays are very visual �  Create video, infographics, and in-depth articles �  Offer deals like free shipping or coupons, free nights or

breakfast, BOGO �  Encourage social sharing (Buzzfeed) �  Spruce up your mobile site �  Remember the post-holiday bargain shoppers �  Determine your users’ holiday needs—hotels, jobs, weight

loss, coffee—and meet those needs!

EnVeritas Group 864-241-0779

enveritasgroup.com info@enveritasgroup.com