SEO: An Essential for Businesses in the New Normal

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people interact with brands and how companies do business on a massive scale. Due to the government-imposed lockdowns and social distancing measures in place, people are doing much of their transactions online.

As businesses strive to remain relevant for their consumers throughout COVID-19, maintaining a strong digital presence is more important than ever. SEO and content marketing are the crucial steps all businesses must take, especially if they want to thrive in the age of digital consumerism.

Customers are shifting their buying activity toward more online options and brands can be present for these customers via search engine optimization.

What Are The Benefits of SEO During a Crisis?

Since people can’t go out of their homes, they are turning to online markets to address their needs, which means that businesses should be ready to meet their needs. Another important thing to note is that much of the growth online occurred on mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, which have seen incredible growth in internet usage (from 40 percent to 100 percent).

Brands that create more high-quality content and digital experiences will engage with more customers, as well as benefit from the following:

Cost-Effective Digital Solution

Compared to other marketing solutions, optimizing your search results through SEO is a cost-effective move. Unless you purchase a software tool for your strategy, there are no costs involved. Unlike hosting events, working with influencers or running paid ads, SEO involves tailoring the website to meet search engine requirements and putting out great content.

Trust-Building Strategy

In a crisis like COVID-19, building trust with your audience is important. Search engine optimization hinges on that trust. Consumers are big believers in Google’s search ranking systems. Just think about the last time you went past page two of the search engine results pages (SERPs). It doesn’t often happen since most people think Google’s assessment of the top links is accurate.

Long-Term Growth

SEO is also important for your business’ long-term growth. If you rank first on Google, you’ll stay there for a long time. If you lose your spot, however, don’t lose hope. You can make a few small tweaks here and there. This is why you shouldn’t disregard SEO; brands that improved their rankings months before the pandemic are now enjoying high traffic with little to no additional effort.

Useful Audience Metrics

By taking note of trending keywords or which pages of your websites are reaping the benefits of SEO, you’ll know what your audience is looking for.

SEO: More Crucial for SMBs During COVID-19

We’ve discussed the general benefits of investing in SEO during a crisis like COVID-19, which is applicable to businesses of all sizes. Now, let’s dive a little deeper and be more specific. How can SEO benefit small businesses?

Local Search is Crucial

With so many people choosing to stay close to home, local search optimization is important. Local SEO tools and tactics will help you appear on “near me” and “open now” searches.

If you are unable to provide services at this time, you must still optimize your website so people can find your business. You can direct people to your online services and offer information, such as reopening dates, in your content.

People Are All For Supporting SMBs

The pandemic has encouraged more people to support small businesses. Consumers are making the move to use local businesses instead of bigger brands.

Here’s an example: instead of buying name-brand eucalyptamint ointment, people would rather look for a small business selling one online. Your search engine optimization strategy connects you with people looking to support small businesses.

SEOs Give SMBs a Competitive Edge

Interested site visitors often don’t become customers right away. It takes multiple encounters before interested visitors become customers. Plus, the informative blogs you publish make for familiarity-breeding, trust-building, quality encounters.

Small Steps to Improve Your SEO Strategy

If you’re new to SEO or need a refresher to SEO, here are some tips to keep in mind:

Research Keywords

Whether you have an existing strategy or not, now is a good time to revisit your keywords. Understand which terms and phrases are receiving the most traffic, as well as the terms that have low competition. Remember that the keywords you’ve been working on before may not be as relevant as they were today.

Write Helpful Content

Good content is the foundation of any quality SEO strategy. Write for your audience; don’t just write for the search engine. Also, consider the intention behind the ranking keywords.

Keep Your Website Updated

Apart from keeping your content fresh, make sure that your website is friendly to both users and search engines. Check for bugs and always improve site speed.

As COVID-19 impacts businesses around the world, you’ll continue to see how SEO helps businesses mitigate marketing challenges. With that in mind, now is the time to build your strategy so you can reap the benefits in the near future.