It’s an unfortunate byproduct but COVID-19 has provided a unique window of opportunity for online businesses. Discover why this is and the key steps that you should take with your SEO campaign.
You may have already heard that during the lockdowns and the continued coronavirus pandemic internet usage has risen. This is true, however it isn’t quite as cut and dry as it seems.
You would be forgiven in thinking that a surge in internet usage means that you don’t need to pay as much attention to online marketing. However, internet usage can refer to far more than online searches. It does include, gaming, social messaging and other similar activities.
Have Online Searches Increased?
Online searches have increased throughout the pandemic however this isn’t true for every industry. Instead, understandably, many searches have been tied to home pursuits, health, news and other key industries that consumers are interested in right now.
So, if you are a nonessential business, you could be seeing far less traffic. Particularly, if you don’t have the right strategy in place. With an economic recession looming, customers are being more careful about where they spend their money. Therefore it is important to take action to draw them to your business.
Who Will SEO Be Important For?
If you are running an essential business or your company remains open to customers, being visible is vital and SEO can play a huge part in being visible. You need to ensure that you are pushing users to choose your company over equally fierce competition. Be aware that your key competitors will be making the push right now in terms of online marketing so you should be doing the same.
For SME’s that want to not only stay afloat but also prosper, SEO could ultimately be essential. There are a few key reasons why this is the case.
SEO Matters More Than Ever
Currently, COVID-19 is a key topic that is on the mind of every user when they search online. They want to make sure that they find businesses that are open and that have the right safety measures in place. You can adapt your marketing campaign to cover these topics.
However, it’s also worth noting that COVID-19 won’t last forever. Eventually, this will subside and you need to guarantee that your SEO strategy is still fresh and consistent when this happens. Particularly, when you consider that the economic situation might not be particularly healthy by the time this crisis ends. Evergreen content is key here.
There is also a strong opportunity here. Customers want to support SME’s. They want to help ensure that businesses stay afloat during this critical time. There have been trends on social media relating to this type of support. All you need to do to gain the benefit of this attention is to make sure that your business can be found. With the right SEO campaign, you can ensure that customers looking to support small businesses discover your company online.
There are also clear ways to rank right now. Whether you are creating high-quality content related to the coronavirus or you are focusing on linking with local media, you can make an impression.
Ultimately, there is no wrong time to focus on SEO with your business and the COVID-19 health crisis is certainly not an exception to this rule.