Local Holiday Event SEO Case Study

Starting Fresh: Launching A New Web Presence For a Holiday Tradition
Local Holiday Event Marketing SEO

Project Overview

This case study dives into the SEO project for a new local holiday event launching in a competitive metro area. 

Our project was to build a strong SEO foundation right from the start of the new event. The project started with a completely new domain and zero digital presence, the three-month campaign (October-December) delivered exceptional results across local search, organic visibility, and digital asset optimization.

Campaign Objectives

The primary goals for this SEO campaign were to:

  1. Establish strong local search visibility in the major metropolitan market
  2. Build domain authority and organic search presence from zero
  3. Optimize and claim essential local business profiles
  4. Generate qualified traffic and engagement for the holiday event
  5. Compete effectively against established seasonal events in the region

Result Highlights

60,336

Organic Sessions

148K

Business Profile Views

4,750

Google Search
Clicks

1,644

Dec. 2024 Yelp
Profile Vists

Project Background

The local Holiday Event was getting a new launch for the seasonal market. Starting off in a completive metro, the client wanted to set a solid SEO foundation right away. 

Start of the Project

  • Brand new domain with zero authority
  • No existing digital profiles or local listings
  • No organic search presence
  • Limited time frame due to seasonal nature of the event
  • Need to redirect traffic from previous event organizers

The Initial SEO Project was centered around building a strong SEO foundation both on-site and offsite. 

Website Build: As the website was being built and launched the project was focused around SEO. I was in charge of structuring and optimization of the header structure, lead on developing user focused content, meta data optimization and site structure. 

Local SEO was a large part of the overall campaign. My strategy started with optimizing content with a balance of user focused content while also applying user searched keywords. We also focused on claiming and created local listing. 

Lasty, Off-site SEO. Since we were starting with a new domain, my focus was to build the right citations & perform link outreach to articles & webpages pointing to different holiday events of the past. Two highlights were getting prominent articles “Best holiday date ideas” & “Girls night out guide” for the local area. 

November 1st – December 23rd Results:

Organic Search Performance

  • 60,336 organic website visits – Exceptional performance for a new domain
  • 33,045 total impressions – Strong visibility in search results
  • 4,750 clicks from Google Search – High engagement and click-through rates
One of the issues with starting a new campaign is not having prior data to compare. However the clients were very excited at the progress we made and the setup will pay off in the future. 

Local SEO Results 

  • 148,000 Business Profile views 
  • 124,000 Business Profile Search Views
  • 213 phone calls generated 
  • 25,248 requests for directions
  • +50% increase in Yelp impressions compared to previous event organizers
  • +42% increase in Yelp page views

Challenges

No Prior Data: One issue was the lack of comparison data. However, comparing the Yelp data that we did have, YoY we can see the level effort almost double views & impressions through profile optimization. 

 

Local SEO delivered impactful local results with both onsite & offsite efforts.  

Onsite SEO delivered keyword rankings and developing user focused content drives attention to the site and impressions for information. 

Link Building small but quality-focused links such featuring local content can drive new links! (PS: it is also good to be a seasonal popular tourist attraction and get a lot of coverage.)

Plan Your Next SEO Campaign

Get in touch about your optimizing your seasonal event. 

Future Recommendations

  • Establish year-over-year comparison capabilities (starting fresh limited historical performance analysis)
  • Leverage impressions and clicks as primary growth indicators for non-ticketed events
  • Develop systems to tie SEO results more granularly to attendance metrics or implement ticketing systems for better attribution if possible
  • establish alternative measurable goals such as email subscribers, donations, or vendor inquiries
  • Evolve backlink outreach into broader digital PR campaigns to leverage AI tools and emerging opportunities
  • Optimize for Bing search influence, particularly as ChatGPT results gain prominence
  • Maintain consistent local SEO efforts year-round to drive sustained results and event awareness

Conclusion

This project demonstrates that local SEO (both onsite & offsite) can significantly impact visibility for holiday events. Starting from zero digital presence, the campaign achieved substantial organic growth and local search dominance within a three-month timeframe, providing a framework for similar seasonal event SEO initiatives.

 

TylerLorenzen.tech