Halloween spending this year is driving internet growth and eCommerce revenue. Heck, it is even behind Google Wallet and its slow but steady growth in the interstice between the online and offline worlds.
If you have a Halloween orientated website you know only too well the pressure which comes upon you this time of year to be visible on search and drive as much traffic as possible as you can. The immediate reaction is to reach for cash and pay for some Google Ads. While this strategy is OK, the chances are that given the times we are in, it will eat into the profit margins making the traffic it brings and the extra sales this generates, expensive.
Before you decide that you have no choice and possibly little chance, I must hasten to say that even with the massive amount of online competition in terms of content there are still things you can do to help your website stand out.
The five guidelines below are aimed at eCommerce websites which normally struggle to create content and also have a lot more pressures brought upon their time than say, a blogging website or a normal advertising website. They can, however, work in almost any context with a little modification.
01. Present your Unique Scary Angle. What is it that makes your website special and your stock different from everyone else’s. It could be the price in which case an article along the lines of ‘The Scariest Halloween Prices on the Web’ will make perfect fodder to showcase that and attract attention. It might be the variety in which case you get the headline: ‘Massive Variety Scares Halloween Traditionalists’. The subject lends itself to almost anything, it could even work for a plumber: ‘Halloween Plumbing Horror Stories’ – so I hope you begin to get the picture. So look at the uniqueness of your site and create some content which is seasonal and highlights it and do not forget the all-important, eye-catching headline.
02. Create some visuals. I know this is not an SEO tip per se, But actually it is. Good quality visuals stop the eye of your site visitors long enough for them to read the content and take action. This helps drive up conversions, which is great for sales., It also helps increase visitor time on your site which is great for its SEO status as it helps drive down bounce rates (i.e. the number of visitors which come to your site and leave within 30 seconds or less). Lower bounce rates is measured by Google in its Click Through Rate (CTR) scores which then affects the way it ranks your website on its search page.
03. Have a promotion. Halloween is a seasonal holiday with the build-up to it lasting a month or more. Help fuel the excitement by running a competition, having a promotion, offering a giveaway. This is not just good for business it is good for social media marketing and SEO. It generates attention to your website and helps create the kind of traffic and attention which helps boost its rankings.
04. Use social media. By now you should have, at least a Twitter account, a Facebook Page and a Google Plus profile. Great content, great visuals and a promotion cry out for some people love and nothing is going to give you that more than a social media campaign. Create messages which are not calls for sale or blatant advertising. Social media is all about interaction and engagement and a Halloween theme is perfect for that. Use the content and visuals you have on your site as the springboard which will lead readers to your sales page.
05. Make it fun. You may be desperate for cash, increasing sales may be the only chance you have of keeping your house. Let any of this leak through and your message will be tainted. Every business faces pressures at one time or another. It’s important to keep things light, fun and engaging. Allow yourself to feel a genuine excitement at Halloween and the rest will actually follow.
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