Loads of traffic each January

[Globetrotter]

For the second time in a row I'm having loads of extra visitors at the start of January. Both times my traffic doubled and traffic quality was very good. This traffic gave the whole site an extra boost when looked at member activity.

The second of January the switch goes on, and someday in February it's switched off. I only get this behavior in January. You can also see in google webmaster tools the visibility increased over this period and drops down again when it is finished.

I would like to know what I can do to get more off these traffic waves? Or if other people have them too?

[rango]

Judging by your username, you might have a travel related site? If so, then it could have to do with that. We run a large travel site and a January increase has always been something to count on. As soon as the new year starts, people tend to start planning trips, etc. for the year ahead.

Mind you, I'm not sure why it "switched off" for you in Feb. Typically we'd see it maybe dip slightly in Feb, but continue to then increase throughout the year, reach a peak in June / July and then start to drop again after the northern hemisphere summer is over in August.

[Globetrotter]

Yes I do have a travel related website. I thought about seasonal traffic too but it would seem weird to me the traffic boost starts exactly at the same day twice and in such numbers the stats spike. In other years it slowly got more and after a certain time it slowly declined. But the last two years I only get one great month and then the traffic levels are spot on by the hour.

[Whitey]

If you're talking US/Europe this pattern is quite normal, even before the web took hold. Lot's of researchers planning and perhaps catching sale bargains, and locking in plans for the warmer season. Usually they have to be highly motivated to convert. Hence the January sales marketing mentality that co incides. A day or so shift in traffic, isn't significant in my view.

[deadsea]

Google trends can easily show what to expect for the travel industry seasonality. Here is the graph for people searching for the word "hotels":

[google.com...]

I don't really know why the year over year trend on that is going down. Maybe less people are searching for single word phrases each year? But the shape of the graph is very predictable within each year.

It is at the low point at Christmas. It rockets up in January and gently drops for until mid May. Then it picks up again for the summer to hit new highs in August. Then it drops throughout the fall to abysmal lows around Christmas time.

If you are in the travel industry, you end up planning around this schedule. Big releases in the fall when there are fewer visitors. Plan for capacity in January and August.

[Globetrotter]

I know adsense revenue spikes during this month. So I guess you are right.

I don't know why my traffic doesn't follow the same pattern, but that's stuff to investigate :)