The Seasonal Shifts in Knowledge Base Traffic

River Sloane -

Have you ever noticed how some months, your knowledge base (KB) is buzzing with activity, while at other times, it feels like a ghost town? 👻

It turns out, just like everything else on the internet, KB traffic follows predictable seasonal patterns. If you’ve ever wondered why your self-service content is getting more traction at certain times of the year—and why things slow down in others—you’re not alone.

Much like retail businesses prepare for holiday rushes and travel companies brace for peak seasons, knowledge bases also experience fluctuations in traffic.

Understanding when these changes happen can help you plan ahead, optimize self-service resources, and reduce customer frustration.

Our State of Knowledge Base Traffic Report 2025 analyzed 24 months of KB data across multiple industries, revealing clear seasonal traffic fluctuations. So, let’s break it down and see what this means for you and how you can adjust your strategy.

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The Seasonality of Knowledge Base Traffic: What the Data Says

Knowledge bases don’t receive a steady stream of visitors all year long. Instead, engagement follows predictable seasonal cycles influenced by business trends, product usage patterns, and even the time of year when people are more likely to seek help.

Understanding these trends can make a huge difference in how effectively your KB supports users.

🚀 Q1: The Peak of KB Activity (January–March)

  • January: The new year kicks off with a surge in product usage, troubleshooting needs, and onboarding as customers return from holiday breaks.
  • February: Traffic remains high but stabilizes slightly as onboarding slows and users become more familiar with products.
  • March: One of the busiest months of the year, with a 14.03% traffic spike. Users are fully engaged with their tools and more likely to turn to the KB for support.

Your Move: Get ahead of the game by updating your onboarding guides and troubleshooting articles in December, so they're fresh and ready for the Q1 surge.

🌱 Q2: The Spring Plateau (April–June)

  • April: Traffic drops (-12.75%) as businesses return to normal operations and fewer new users need onboarding support.
  • May: Engagement holds steady, making it a great time for A/B testing search optimizations and KB layout changes.
  • June: The start of the summer dip, as users head out on vacations and business activity slows down slightly (-4.31% decline).

Your Move: Use this lull to do a content audit, identify outdated articles, and experiment with structural improvements.

☀️ Q3: The Summer Slump (July–September)

  • July: The slowest month of the year. Fewer users are online, and those who are tend to engage less with support content.
  • August: Traffic starts to recover as businesses and users return from summer breaks.
  • September: A significant rebound as companies ramp up operations, leading to increased KB engagement.

Your Move: Since fewer users are active, focus on backend optimizations, improving mobile accessibility, and testing AI-powered search enhancements.

🎄 Q4: The Pre-Holiday Surge (October–December)

  • October: Traffic jumps (+5–10%) as businesses prepare for the year-end, launch new projects, and users start exploring additional features.
  • November: KB traffic remains high due to renewals, billing inquiries, and holiday-related support.
  • December: Traffic dips slightly as users slow down before the holidays but stays higher than in the summer months.

Your Move: Ensure billing, renewal, and troubleshooting articles are optimized before Q4. Get your customer support team ready for potential spikes in self-service requests.

Why Seasonality Matters for KB Strategy

Knowing when your KB will be busy (and when it won’t) allows you to plan ahead rather than scramble in response to traffic spikes. Here’s how you can leverage seasonal trends to improve your self-service strategy.

🔍 1. Refresh KB Content Before Traffic Spikes

  • Q1 Preparation: Update troubleshooting and onboarding guides before January.
  • Q4 Preparation: Optimize billing, renewal, and support articles before October.

🏗️ 2. Use Slow Periods for Content and Search Improvements

  • Spring: Conduct a full KB content audit, remove outdated information, and test search enhancements.
  • Summer: Focus on backend optimizations like improving KB structure, mobile accessibility, and AI-driven search features.

🔎 3. Improve On-Site Search and Ticket Deflection

If users can’t find what they need, they’ll open a support ticket. Our research found that improving internal search accuracy can reduce ticket volume by up to 98.3%.

  • Track failed searches and create content for missing topics.
  • Implement auto-suggest and predictive search.
  • Use pre-ticket submission suggestions to deflect common support requests.

🤖 4. Enhance Self-Service with AI and Automation

  • Deploy AI chatbots that surface relevant KB content.
  • Optimize articles for voice search, making it easier for users on the go.
  • Structure KB content properly so AI-powered search tools can index it effectively.
Month Traffic Change (%) Team Action
January +5% Update onboarding and troubleshooting content for the New Year surge.
February +4% Monitor engagement and refine top-performing articles.
March +14.03% Ensure knowledge base is fully optimized for peak traffic.
April -12.75% Perform a content audit and remove outdated information.
May 0% Test knowledge base improvements and implement structural changes.
June -4.31% Improve mobile accessibility and optimize search functionality.
July -10% Use slow traffic period for backend optimizations and UI/UX improvements.
August -5% Prepare knowledge base updates for post-summer engagement surge.
September +8% Refresh key support articles to align with business ramp-up.
October +5% Ensure billing, renewal, and product update content is up-to-date.
November +10% Scale AI chat support and pre-holiday troubleshooting guides.
December -3% Analyze yearly performance and plan major KB strategy updates.

Your knowledge base is a living, evolving resource, and seasonality plays a big role in its effectiveness. By understanding when users engage the most, you can fine-tune your KB strategy to keep it relevant and useful all year long.

So, what’s next? Get proactive. Download the full State of Knowledge Base Traffic Report 2025 to explore industry benchmarks and actionable insights.

By staying ahead of these trends, you’ll ensure your KB is always ready to meet users when they need it most!