Why July Is the Best Time to Start Your Christmas Promotion (Yes, Really)
Talking Christmas in July? Yep — If You Want An Increase of Sales in December
It might still be cold outside and your homepage still says “New Season Collection,” but if you’re planning a Christmas promotion, July is exactly when you need to get started.
We know — it sounds early. But when it comes to search engine optimisation (aka how people actually find you online), you need to be thinking at least 3–6 months ahead. And if you want to show up in Google searches come November or December, the work starts now.
Because trust us — the brands that clean up in December?
They didn’t start scrambling in November. They laid the foundation months earlier.
SEO Takes Time — So Your Christmas Prep Should Start Now
Google isn’t instant. It needs time to crawl your content, assess its relevance, test it in search results, and build your page authority over time. So if you’re hoping to rank for festive search terms like:
- Christmas gifts for kids
- Christmas skincare sets
- Best small business Christmas promotion
- Teacher gift ideas under $20
…then you need to start building and optimising those pages in July or August — not when the advent calendars hit Coles.
This gives your website the lead time it needs to:
- Show up in the right search results
- Build trust with Google (and customers)
- Gain organic traffic before ad costs skyrocket during peak season
Don’t Unpublish Your Christmas Pages in January
One of the most common (and costly) SEO mistakes we see?
Businesses unpublishing their festive product pages, categories, or gift guides the moment Christmas is over.
Here’s why that hurts:
When you take down a page, Google treats it like it never existed. So when you go to re-upload it the following year? You’re back at square one.
Instead, keep your Christmas promotion pages live all year round.
Just:
- Hide them from your top menu
- Add a “seasonal” tag if needed
- Or move them to the footer or archive section
This allows Google to continue indexing them — and means you can simply refresh them next year, not rebuild from scratch.
Update Your Homepage and Hero Copy to Show You're "In Season"
If your homepage still says “New Autumn Styles” in December, you’re leaving money on the table.
People notice whether your content feels current — and if it doesn’t, trust drops. This is especially true for seasonal shoppers who want to know:
- Will this ship on time?
- Is this in stock?
- Is this store even open for Christmas?
Simple tweaks that build trust during your Christmas promotion:
- Add festive lifestyle imagery (bonus points for real customer content!)
- Update headlines to include gift-related language
- Highlight shipping cut-off dates clearly
- Feature bundles or gift guides above the fold
Your homepage is often your first impression — make sure it says “we’re ready for Christmas” without being covered in glitter.
Create Festive Landing Pages — Not Just Product Lists
A Christmas collection isn’t just a grid of products. It should be a sales funnel in disguise.
When you’re planning your Christmas promotion, think about how people shop:
- They search with intention.
- They want to narrow choices quickly.
- And they want reassurance that what they’re seeing is right for their needs – and there comes an increase in sales.
That’s where a landing page comes in — one designed to:
- Introduce the collection
- Speak to the buyer’s needs (e.g. “Perfect gifts for teachers, neighbours or last-minute Secret Santas”)
- Highlight benefits (e.g. “All under $25” or “Eco-friendly packaging”)
- Answer objections (“Yes, we ship Australia-wide — fast!”)
- Offer a clear CTA (“Shop Now” or “See Our Top 10 Picks”)
These pages are also a dream for SEO — because you can target long-tail keywords like:
- Best gifts for toddlers under 4
- Eco-friendly Christmas gifts Australia
- Personalised Christmas gifts for teachers
- Gifts under $30 with fast shipping
The earlier you publish these pages, the more time Google has to learn what they’re about and serve them up to shoppers looking for exactly what you offer.
Use Keyword Research to Target Real Holiday Searches
SEO isn’t just about showing up — it’s about showing up in front of the right people. And that starts with keyword research.
If your Christmas promotion strategy includes writing gift guides or building new landing pages, make sure you’re using phrases your ideal customers are actually searching for.
Start with:
- Gift type + recipient (e.g. “gifts for teenage boys” or “Christmas gift ideas for teachers”)
- Price range (e.g. “Christmas gifts under $50”)
- Product type + seasonal intent (e.g. “festive body scrub sets” or “Christmas tea gift boxes”)
Tools like Google’s autocomplete, Semrush, or Ubersuggest can help you find the real phrases being searched — and they’re often less competitive than generic terms like “Christmas gift.”
Need Support With Your Christmas SEO Strategy?
If you’re feeling like you’ve already missed the sleigh — don’t panic.
We work with small businesses and product-based brands to plan and implement seasonal strategies that:
- Bring traffic to the right pages and increase sales
- Build trust and relevance through thoughtful content
- Help your Christmas promotion actually convert
Whether you need a one-off SEO audit, help building a high-converting festive landing page, or a full Christmas content strategy, we’re here for it.