You’re probably shuddering to see a holiday shopping headline. But the truth is, the season has already begun. It happens earlier and earlier every year, and this year is accelerated by massive disruptions in how we find things online… not to mention macro factors such as tariffs.
The question is how should marketers adapt? We recently caught up with Network Solutions Director of Online Marketing Alicia Pringle, who’s been developing insights around this topic. The short version is that SMBs need to get a jump on holiday promotions now, including SEO and AI action items.
Before jumping into Pringle’s Playbook, what are the factors impacting this year’s holiday shopping dynamics? According to Shopify, normal years see 40+ percent of consumers browsing before Halloween, while most SMBs don’t launch holiday promotions until November, missing a big window.
“Holiday shopping doesn’t kick off on Black Friday anymore,” Pringle said. “Customers are already browsing and planning in September and October, with many making buying decisions before November even begins. For small businesses, this means showing up early is key. If you wait until Black Friday, ad costs climb and competition gets fierce. Building momentum ahead of time puts you in front of shoppers during the discovery stage, when they’re most open to finding new products and businesses.”
Early & Often
All the above is under normal circumstances. Pringle asserts that AI-powered search and retail chatbots are transforming how businesses get found. If SMBs aren’t mobile-ready, optimized, and findable in AI results now – as in circa-Labor-Day – they risk disappearing entirely from consumer holiday visibility.
“AI is changing the way people shop and discover businesses,” she says. “Instead of scrolling through page after page, shoppers now ask AI tools questions like, “What’s a great holiday gift under $50?” or “Where can I buy custom candles near me?” The businesses that show up in those answers are the ones customers trust first.”
Practically speaking, this means a few things. It means getting smart on the art of AI SEO, also sometimes known as generative engine optimization (GEO). And due to the lead time in getting indexed and building authority in AI engines like Chat GPT – much like traditional SEO – do it early & often.
“Clear, accurate, and well-structured content matters more than ever,” Pringle told us. “Go beyond keywords. Make sure your product descriptions, FAQs, and business info give direct, useful answers so AI tools choose your business to highlight.”
New Muscles
Going one level deeper, tactically speaking, Pringle boils it down to 3 action items that are easy to remember. And the sooner SMBs apply these tactics, the more of an early jump they’ll have over competitors. They’ll also get to develop longer-term muscles for what is likely a new cyclical norm.
The first tip is to update homepages and product descriptions with seasonal messaging. This lets AI engines – and traditional search engines – index seasonal offers and promotions. To reiterate, timing is critical in terms of indexing and model training, as well as getting a jump on competitors.
Similarly, refresh Google Business Profiles with any changes to holiday hours, as well as promotions. It’s also smart to update photos so that it evokes holiday vibes. That last part may or may not impact ranking or model training, but it does work towards human appeal when customers encounter your content.
Lastly, create a simple holiday landing page to showcase seasonal products or services. Make the page shoppable and shareable with the right calls to action and share buttons. The good news is that this, like the above tactics, at least partly aligns with the SEO practices SMBs should have been doing all along.
Header image credit: freestocks on Unsplash
