As you are likely aware, more people have been spending time online during lockdown, and as multiple countries ease out of lockdown and (hopefully) a post-COVID world, consumer behaviour will continue to be changed.
The COVID-19 crisis has changed how we live, how we shop, and how we interact with each other and brands online. One avenue which has seen more demand for many sectors is organic search, which affects the SEO strategies of many businesses around the world.
Re-evaluating your SEO strategy can help your business grow as we come out of lockdown, and cement your place in the search results for the terms which really matter for you to generate revenue.
So what should you be doing?
Monitor trends for spikes in searches
Overall, more people are searching online.
However, there will be more demand for some services and products than historically there perhaps were.
Restaurants, retail, ecommerce – all will have been hit by the pandemic and SEO will play a pivotal part going forwards. Whereas before they may rely on foot traffic or people looking for in-person experiences, perhaps now delivery will be more important.
As searches are going up in volume, it’s worth investing in SEO in order to make the most of it.
SEO has long been a very important channel for businesses to invest in – but now more than ever, it will be critical for the survival of many more. Optimising your site to rank highly in the search results can pay dividends.
Research new keywords
SEO without keyword research is pretty pointless – but in an unprecedented time, there will be new keywords to target (such as COVID, lockdown, coronavirus, corona, COVID-19 and other variants) so research your existing keywords/products/services along with any new terms where they may be affected.
People may be searching for delivery options, or face masks, or other safety-specific terms which may relate to what you offer. Online courses, online training, online house viewings, and so on. You may wish to tweak your existing pages, or create new ones, to reflect the new ways people are interacting online.
Create new content
If you haven’t already been creating content, then content marketing is a good channel to begin investing in.
By putting content on your site that people want to read and are actively searching for, you can find new audiences, attract new customers and help them with their needs.
If you have already been creating content – does your old content reflect a post-lockdown and new-normal society? Does it still remain relevant?
If not, think about how your audience mindset may have changed, and create content which may address these issues or answer questions to new problems or struggles they face.
Remember to be tasteful
When optimising or rewriting your pages, remember not to make it appear that you are taking advantage of the situation, or making any jokes which may be considered inappropriate or insensitive in this time period.
While many marketers have used “fear” in their marketing – now may not be the best time to do so. Creating negativity in your content or website copy may not come across well during this time. Using a positive tone will be received much better.
Consider your calls-to-action
What CTAs are you using on your key pages and landing pages? Do these need to be changed to suit the time we are living in?
The pressurised, negative tone of some CTAs may not be the best route now. Remain positive, keep your audience interested and give them a reason to convert on your website.
