Get Your Website Ready for Your Busy Season
The right time to get your website ready for your busy season is a few weeks before customers start searching, not the week the phones start ringing. Conqueror Capital's seasonal plan for local businesses is short: find when interest in your services rises, publish clear answers to the questions customers ask every year, and update your Google Business Profile, hours and booking availability before the rush.
AT A GLANCE
By Conqueror Capital · Published
The short answer: List the three or four seasonal questions customers ask you every year. Use Google Trends to see when searches for your service rise in your area. Publish or refresh a helpful page for each question a few weeks ahead, post a seasonal update with current photos on your Business Profile, and set special hours for holidays and events so Google shows the right times.
FIND WHEN CUSTOMERS START LOOKING
Customers usually search before they buy. People look up heating help as nights turn cold, gutter cleaning after the leaves drop and garden services as spring approaches. Google Trends shows when that interest rises. Google describes it as a largely unfiltered sample of actual searches, normalized on a scale of 0 to 100, and available down to city-level geography.1
Type your main service, set the location to your region and the time range to the past five years, and look for the point each year where the line starts to climb. That is your deadline for having pages and listings ready. Trends shows relative interest, not the number of searches, so use it for timing rather than for forecasting sales.
WRITE DOWN THE SEASONAL QUESTIONS
Ask whoever answers your phone which questions come back every season. A heating contractor might hear "Should I service my furnace before winter?" A landscaper might hear "When should I book spring cleanup?" A retailer might hear "What are your holiday hours?" Each of those deserves a clear answer on your website.
- Answer first: put the direct answer in the opening sentence, then the details.
- Be specific to your area when timing depends on local weather or local rules.
- End with one next step: book, call or request a quote.
Refresh last year's page instead of writing a new one each year. Updating dates, prices you have confirmed and photos keeps one strong page rather than several thin ones.
UPDATE YOUR GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE
Google lets businesses post updates, offers and events on their Business Profile. Offers need a title, dates and times, and update posts can carry a button that sends customers to a page where they can book or order.3 A seasonal update with a current photo and a link to your seasonal page is a simple way to show the listing is active.
Google's help page also warns that a post with a phone number in the description might be rejected if the number cannot be verified as connected to the business.3 Keep phone numbers in your profile's contact details instead.
For hours, Google recommends special hours when your schedule changes briefly, such as for holidays and special events, and suggests confirming holiday hours even when they match your regular ones.2 Our note on getting ready for Small Business Saturday has a short checklist you can reuse for any peak weekend.
CHECK CAPACITY BEFORE YOU PROMOTE
Seasonal demand is only useful if you can serve it. Before you push a seasonal post or ad, check your staff schedule, stock and booking calendar. If you are already full, say so on the page and offer the next available date or a waiting list. A clear "booked until" message is more useful to a customer than a booking form that never gets an answer.
SMALL, MID-SIZE AND ENTERPRISE
Small businesses: one seasonal page, one profile update and correct holiday hours cover most of the work. Put the dates in your calendar for next year.
Mid-size businesses: build a simple seasonal calendar listing which page, post and hours change each month, and who owns each task.
Multi-location and enterprise brands: timing can differ by region, so check Trends per market. Google's help page explains that special hours can be set in bulk through the spreadsheet upload using the store code and special hours columns, and warns that empty columns with headings can erase existing information.2 Test a small batch first. See how we work with enterprise teams.
FAQ
When should a local business prepare its website for the busy season?
A few weeks before customers start searching. Google Trends shows when interest in your service rises in your region each year, so set your deadline before that point.
What should a seasonal page include?
A direct answer to the seasonal question in the first sentence, details that apply to your area, honest availability, and one clear next step such as booking or calling.
Should I write a new seasonal page every year?
Usually not. Refreshing last year's page with current dates, photos and confirmed details keeps one strong page instead of several thin ones.
How do I show holiday hours on Google?
Set special hours in your Business Profile under Edit profile, then Hours. Google suggests confirming holiday hours even when they match your regular hours.
Can I put a phone number in a Google Business Profile post?
Google warns that posts with a phone number in the description might be rejected if the number cannot be verified as connected to the business. Keep the number in your contact details.
SOURCES
- Google Trends Help, FAQ about Google Trends data.
- Google Business Profile Help, How to set Special hours.
- Google Business Profile Help, Create & manage posts on your Business Profile.
Platforms change often. Check the sources for the current version before acting.
KEEP READING
BOOK A STRATEGY CALL
Want a seasonal plan for your website and Google listing before your next rush? Book a 15-minute call, or ask for a free Google listing and website check.