When demand concentrates in part of the year.
THE PATTERN
Traffic and rankings fluctuate with the season. A drop in the off-season is normal, not a problem to diagnose.
Compare year on year rather than month on month.
PREPARING FOR THE SEASON
Content published months ahead has time to rank. Publishing in the week demand peaks is too late.
Work backwards: if demand peaks in December, the content should exist by September.
OFF-SEASON PAGES
Keep seasonal pages published year-round rather than deleting and recreating them. They accumulate authority across seasons.
Update them each year rather than starting again.
OFF-SEASON CONTENT
Use the quiet period to write, improve existing pages, gather reviews and fix technical issues.
MEASURING
Compare the same period last year. Judging a seasonal business on month-on-month figures produces alarm in the off-season and complacency in the peak.
PLANNING CAPACITY
If traffic spikes seasonally, confirm your hosting handles it before the peak rather than during it.
