How can you drive website traffic with SEM during seasonal promotions?

1 Align your keywords with seasonal intent

One of the first steps to create effective SEM campaigns is to research and select the right keywords that match your target audience's seasonal intent. For example, if you are selling winter clothing, you might want to bid on keywords like "winter coats on sale", "best winter boots", or "warm sweaters for women". These keywords are more specific and relevant than generic terms like "clothing" or "fashion", and they can help you capture the attention of shoppers who are looking for seasonal products. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Moz to find and analyze seasonal keywords for your niche.

2 Create compelling ads and landing pages

Once you have your keywords, you need to craft compelling ads and landing pages that entice your visitors to click and take action. Your ads and landing pages should highlight your unique value proposition, your seasonal offer, and a clear call to action. For example, if you are offering a 20% discount on winter coats, your ad could say something like "Save 20% on Winter Coats Today. Limited Time Offer. Shop Now." and your landing page could show your best-selling coats, the discount code, and a button to add them to the cart. You should also use relevant images, colors, and copy that match the season and your brand identity.

3 Test and optimize your campaigns

To make sure your SEM campaigns are performing well and driving more traffic to your website, you need to test and optimize them regularly. You should track and measure key metrics like impressions, clicks, click-through rate, conversions, cost per click, and return on ad spend. You should also run A/B tests to compare different versions of your ads and landing pages and see which ones generate more results. You can use tools like Google Ads, Google Analytics, or Unbounce to monitor and improve your SEM campaigns.

4 Segment and target your audience

Another way to boost your SEM traffic during seasonal promotions is to segment and target your audience based on their behavior, location, device, and other criteria. For example, you can use remarketing to show your ads to people who have visited your website before, but have not converted yet. You can also use geo-targeting to show your ads to people who are in a specific area where your products or services are available. You can also use device targeting to show your ads to people who are using mobile devices or desktop computers. By segmenting and targeting your audience, you can deliver more personalized and relevant ads that increase your chances of getting more clicks and conversions.

5 Adjust your bids and budget

Finally, you need to adjust your bids and budget according to the seasonality and competition of your keywords. For example, if you are running a SEM campaign for Valentine's Day, you might want to increase your bids and budget a few weeks before the holiday, when the demand and competition are higher. You can also use bid modifiers to adjust your bids based on factors like time of day, day of week, location, or device. You can use tools like Google Ads or Bing Ads to set and manage your bids and budget for your SEM campaigns.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?