Top Searches For Summer: Seasonal SEO & Trends

Labor Day is over, we can all wear white, and we are now officially embarking upon fall! The results are in and the data is compiled for summer. So what were people looking for online during those warm summer days? If your business is seasonal, pay particular attention to optimizing your site well before your peak season arrives. This means making sure your site is ready for this season’s SEO trends well in advance. Just like that hot summer body is made months in advance, get your summer SEO in shape during the winter before. Check out a few top searches for this past summer here:

15 Searches for Summer 2016

1. Bikinis
2. Ice Cream
3. Air Conditioning Repair
4. Portable AC
5. Country Concerts
6. BBQ Recipes
7. Flip Flops
8. Beaches Near Me
9. Vacations
10. Kid’s Summer Camps
11. Sunscreen
12. Water Parks
13. Rio Olympics
14. Best Fake Tan
15. Rosé

Compared with searches for these terms in winter months, their summer search volume is much higher. While these search volumes are still high in the winter, their peak months are definitely a time to make sure SEO and paid search are on point. Make sure to prepare your SEO strategy at least six months in advance so you can stay ahead of the game and gain the full benefit of your campaign.

As Temperatures Rise, So Do Certain Search Volumes

In the chart below, we can see the comparison between the number of searches in January 2016 vs. June 2016 for “portable ac.” We can also see the new updated keyword planner results for August, which reveals the large volume although provides slightly less insight.

The chart above shows search volume trends, which combine all variations of the keyword shown (portable ac). The exact phrase “portable ac” returns 368,000 searches on average per month. For the month of June, variations of the keyword hit almost five million. As you can see above, there is an incredible spike in the amount of searches this keyword receives as summer months get hotter.

Seasonal Preferences & Trends

Apparently people only care about being tan in the summer, and not the winter. Just kidding! A large amount of people still care about hiding their winter pallor, but these concerns take a rapid leap as soon as summer approaches.

However, the inverse is true if we compare phrases like “bikini body workout.” Searches actually decrease substantially in comparison between January and June, which could reflect New Year’s Resolutioners suffering a decrease in stamina. From January to February there was also a substantial 18% drop off as the Resolutioners start to lose steam.

Rosé all day? Rosé experiences an incredibly drastic search volume spike as well, with almost a 50% increase from winter to summer months.

Whether your customers are looking for a swim suit, finding summer activities to do on the weekends, or finding a new vacation spot, chances are they’ve turned to Google for help.

What are people asking Google?

1. Where to go on holiday?
2. Where to go on vacation?
3. When can I take my baby swimming?
4. What to take on holiday?
5. How many calories does swimming burn?
6. How do I play table tennis?

Constantly ask questions like this from a user’s perspective. What are your users interested in? What events are coming up that may interest them? What other similar preferences or hobbies might they have? Utilize your customers’ FAQs for seasonal and holiday planning.

Q4 Is Upon Us!

Summer searches aside, it’s never too early to start preparing for the holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are rapidly approaching, and now is the time to be planning. Start compiling a list of questions and services you know your customers will be asking about during the holidays, and prepare your website and brand strategy for the upcoming season.