How do you identify seasonal keywords and plan your timeline?

Identifying seasonal keywords is about recognizing when search demand starts to rise, not just choosing terms with high search volumes. Start with Google Trends to find peaks and troughs in your target region. Then use keyword tools to check monthly search volumes, search intent, and ranking difficulty, and compare your findings with your website’s historical traffic and conversions. To plan your timeline, work backward from when demand begins to rise. For holiday SEO, research and preparation can start four to six months in advance, but this is a planning recommendation—not a fixed deadline for every topic or a guarantee of rankings by that time.

First, check whether demand varies by season

Seasonal keywords are terms that attract more searches during particular seasons, holidays, or events, such as Christmas gifts or back-to-school sales. Assess changes over time rather than looking only at average monthly search volume. Trends over the past twelve months can help you see whether demand for a term is stable, steadily rising, declining, or fluctuating with the seasons.

Location also matters. In Semrush’s example, search interest in “Swimsuit” in Australia rises around December each year, making the term more suitable for seasonal campaigns. Interest in “Swimming” is relatively stable, so the term could be used for evergreen content. This example concerns a specific market; its timing should not be applied directly to Taiwan.

Cross-check trends, search volumes, and website performance

Google Trends can help identify when interest starts to rise and how it differs by region, but you need other data to choose keywords. Follow these steps to organize your candidate keywords:

• Examine timing and location: Set your target market and observation period, and record when demand begins to rise, peaks, and declines.
• Check demand and competition: Use tools such as Semrush and Ubersuggest to examine changes in search volume, search intent, and keyword difficulty. Do not choose terms solely for their peak search volumes.
• Compare with website data: Review search queries, traffic, and conversions during peak seasons over the past twelve months to identify demand relevant to your products or content.

Search interest does not necessarily translate into website results. Even when interest in a term rises, you still need to check whether it matches your audience’s needs. Do not assume it will generate orders.

Schedule research, publication, and pre-season updates separately

In a 2024 article on holiday SEO, Neil Patel recommends beginning research, planning, and publishing content four to six months before the peak season. SEO may take months to produce results, and consumers may search in advance. Use this timeframe to guide your overall preparation, not as a single publication deadline for every article.

Time publication for individual topics around when demand begins to rise. Using Mother’s Day in May as an example, Semrush notes that gift searches increase in April and therefore recommends publishing a gift guide one month in advance. These two recommendations address different contexts; neither should be treated as a universal rule.

In practice, schedule research, content publication, and updates to older articles separately in your content calendar. If relevant content already exists, first check whether its information needs updating. Procrustes also provides content topic planning, writing, and updates for the websites it works on. When scheduling seasonal content, the goal is to have it ready before demand rises, rather than waiting until the holiday itself to begin creating it.