The thing about SEO for construction is that it’s impacted by variables we sometimes can’t control. As an online marketing company, we primarily work with renovation companies, construction managers, and trades professionals, applying our SEO strategies to their websites (as well as off their websites).
But the sad truth about the construction and renovation industries is that their revenue fluctuates significantly according to what time of year it is. Read on to learn how.
Baby, it’s cold outside
We’ve all heard the ol’ adage, “There are only two seasons in Toronto—winter and construction.”
But you know who knows this more than any other Torontonian? A construction contractor.
Leading up to the summer until the early weeks of fall, business for renovation companies is generally booming. Going into late fall to early winter, business slows down and site traffic dwindles.
In the world of marketing, this type of predictable pattern that occurs every year is known as seasonality.
Understanding seasonality in SEO for construction
“What happened to my awesome summer leads?!”
… is what we usually get from clients during colder months. Yes, it’s frustrating. But we encounter the same dilemma when we do digital marketing for contractors around the same time every year. And for very good reason.
Think about it: homeowners are more likely to invest in a home renovation or upgrade when the weather outside is accommodating. And if you live in or around the Toronto area, you know for a fact that Toronto winters have no mercy. There’s not much renovation you can do in the winter, but on the off chance you do, it’s a big, big hassle—almost too big for homeowners to even remotely consider it.
What’s more, is that popular sites like HomeAdvisor and Angi often urge homeowners to refrain from remodelling their houses during the winter months. October through February is arguably the slowest time for renovation projects.
For this reason, we find that many of our construction clients are hesitant to invest in their online marketing in the winter months, but we don’t think that’s the smartest option. Here’s why.
Should you pause your SEO in slower months?
Seeing tangible results from your digital marketing efforts means you must be patient. It’s reported that an SEO campaign will really start to kick in 6 months after launching it, and that’s the general consensus from most SEO strategists. Yes, that’s quite a long time, but for someone in home renovations, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
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Say, you launch your marketing campaign in November. If things go your way and Google absolutely loves the updates you’ve made to your site, by the time March rolls around, you will be selling your renovation services like hot cakes on a Sunday morning.