The holiday season is a busy time for companies, marketers and everyday consumers. While companies are crafting Christmas social media posts to bring people onto their websites, consumers are busy shopping for holiday gifts or traveling to see loved ones. You may have noticed a significant drop in website traffic, especially if you are an e-commerce company. 

This phenomenon can be disconcerting, but it's not unexpected. In this blog post, our digital marketing strategy Denver team explores the reasons behind the decrease in website traffic during December and provides insights into how to navigate this seasonal dip.

Why website traffic decreases in December 

Holiday distractions

During the holiday season, people are often preoccupied with various activities such as shopping, making preparations, attending family gatherings and planning trips. As a result, they tend to have less time to browse the web, which can lead to a decrease in website traffic. Furthermore, many employees take time off work, resulting in reduced online activity during business hours.

Reduced B2B activity

If your website is aimed towards a B2B audience, you might observe a more noticeable decline in traffic during December. Many businesses tend to slow down their operations, postpone decision-making processes and delay projects until the new year. This can result in a reduction in professional online activity, such as visiting business websites.

Search engine algorithm fluctuations

Search engines constantly update their algorithms to provide the most accurate search results. During the holiday season, people's search preferences change as they look for holiday-related content and gifts. These algorithm changes can have a significant impact on your website's visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs), which could result in a decline in organic traffic.

Reduced content production

The end of the year is a period when many businesses tend to reduce their content production efforts. It's quite common for teams to take vacations during this time, and content calendars may slow down as a result. With fewer blog posts, articles and updates being published, there is less new content available to attract and engage visitors, which can lead to a decrease in traffic.

Marketing budget exhaustion

During the holiday season, businesses often allocate a significant portion of their marketing budget to paid advertising. However, as December progresses, these budgets may deplete, leading to a decrease in paid website traffic.

Visitor priorities

In December, visitors' priorities shift from researching and browsing to making purchases and participating in holiday-related activities. People are more likely to visit e-commerce sites, retail websites or holiday-specific destinations rather than informational or entertainment websites.

Prepare your marketing for next year with a digital marketing company from Denver!

While a decrease in website traffic during December is common, it's essential to view it as an opportunity to recalibrate and prepare for the new year. If you need help with your company’s marketing, then hire us! At Denver Media Group, we can help create and execute digital marketing campaigns that are tailored to your unique business goals. Start the new year on the right foot with us!