The biggest shopping month of the year can easily pass you and your online store by if you’re not using all the holiday keywords available to you this season. Your holiday keywords are like boughs of holly on your website, letting internet passersby know that you have high-quality seasonal content.

Without updating your SEO for the holidays, you could miss out on the revenue that carries you from red to black for the year. Finding the right keywords is no simple task. While you don’t want to use terms so obscure that you’re not generating substantial click-throughs, you also don’t want to use phrases so common that you’re buried on the results page.

Best SEO Holiday Keywords to Use

The key to optimized content is balancing popular keywords and search terms that are unusual enough to land you on page one of search results. Some common phrases may already appear in your site content and alt-text, such as:

• Christmas gifts
• Holiday gift ideas
• Christmas gifts for mom/dad
• Christmas gifts for boyfriend/girlfriend

These are likely the search terms you use when you’re doing your holiday shopping searches. Note that the most popular search term is “gifts” instead of “presents.” When people think about giving at this time of year, it’s different from birthday presents.

If you’re using “present” in your holiday keywords, consider changing some of them to snag some of the most popular keyword action.

5 holiday keywords you might not think of.

The secondary approach to nailing SEO highlights keywords that perform well in searches while still allowing you to place in front-page results. We’ve rounded up five holiday keywords that you may not be using, and it could cost you potential web traffic.

When you’re developing your holiday SEO strategy, think about how people shop online. They’re not just looking at products as presents. Especially this year, people want to give from the heart, and their search terms reflect that.

• Unique: adding this phrase to your holiday SEO will garner click-throughs from people looking for something memorable to give to their loved ones. Some examples of this keyword in action:
• Unique Christmas gifts
• Unique gifts for him/her
• Personalized: holiday shoppers are looking for alternative ways to give, and personalization is big this year. Incorporate personalized into your SEO:
• Personalized gifts for mom
• Personalized gifts for the office
• Handmade: whether people are looking for a handcrafted aesthetic, artisanal craftsmanship, or ideas for hand making:
• Handmade gift ideas
• Handmade Christmas gifts
• Cool: the vernacular may feel stale, but “cool” is still king for shopping for certain people, like nieces/nephews, grandkids, or step-children:
• Cool gift ideas for kids
• Cool Christmas gifts
• Cheap: a lot of people have taken financial hits this year, but strapped budgets doesn’t mean people want to abstain from giving:
• Cheap Christmas gifts
• Cheap gifts for the holidays

It’s not always clear how to balance popular and unique keywords in your web content. When you work with an experienced analytics company, they can provide invaluable insight. Watermelon Analytics works cooperatively with clients to improve marketing performance and lead generation.

Call Watermelon Analytics for holiday SEO insights and see how a boutique approach will go to work for you.

Data is just numbers until someone analyzes and interprets it for you. When you’re ready to tackle digital marketing, it just doesn’t make sense to go it alone. At Watermelon Analytics, we work with companies to provide actionable strategies based on hard data.

Our digital analytics services will take your online performance data and provide boutique guidance based on your industry and goals. Call us or fill out our online form if you’re ready to grow your online presence.