We all know that January is seasonality peak for weight loss and fitness advertisers, but did you know that last year, there were twice as many clicks in January as there were in December? Also, the opportunities don't stop when January is over: clicks in February, March, and April are still about 35% greater than the rest of the year[1]. Optimizing for the New Year's resolution searchers doesn't just pay off in January; it's important throughout the entire first quarter!

To maximize performance after the holidays, here's a weight loss and fitness optimization check list:

1. Start Now! The most important tip is to start optimizing right now. If you wait until January 1 to update your search campaigns, then you'll be playing catch-up for the rest of the peak season. Optimizing early pays off!

2. Secure Top Position: Beginning in January, more competition on weight loss and fitness keywords means you need to bid more aggressively to maintain the same position on the results page. Advertisers can see CPCs increase anywhere from 20% to 100% (or more) depending on their goals, budgets, and bids. If you start increasing your bids before the January 1 rush, you'll save money later by building positive performance history.

3. Include Promotions in Ad Copy: If your company is offering any special rebates or incentives to help capture resolution-makers, be sure the promotion is reflected in your search ads. Not only do special deals draw in potential consumers, but they also reinforce the information searchers may have seen on TV or on your website. Ad copy that includes numbers, specific price points, and/or promotions often receives a higher CTR than those that don't.

4. Watch your Brand: If you own a registered trademark, check Bing frequently to make sure your competitors are not bidding on your trademarked keywords. Find more information about acceptable uses of trademarked terms and submit any issues you see to Microsoft Support.

5. Utilize the Content Network: If you want even more traffic, make sure you're opted into Content ads. Microsoft has a huge array of premium partner sites that are highly relevant to weight loss searchers, including MSN Health, iVillage.com, and Rodale. Since weight loss is top-of-mind for most people during and after the holidays, now is a great time to capture searches as they're browsing the Microsoft network of sites. Content traffic is often less expensive than search traffic and, when used effectively, can perform just as well. To reach the right audience, start by bidding on your high-volume search keywords like 'diet', 'health', and 'weight loss' and expand your keywords from there.

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[1] Based on adCenter data from December 2008 - March 2009 for a sample of health advertisers