Although many businesses throughout the nation are starting to reopen, it’s important to remember that the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much a part of our lives. Whether you’ve already started to venture back to the office or you’re continuing to work remotely for the time being, there’s no doubt that the coronavirus will continue to alter the way we conduct our daily operations for many weeks and months to come.
Of course, when the virus first hit, many organizations panicked about how to quickly cut costs in order to stay afloat. And unfortunately, marketing budgets were among the first to be slashed. Despite the fact that businesses stand to gain a lot by maintaining (or even ramping up) their marketing efforts during times of economic downturn, the fear of financial loss proved to be a huge motivator.
As a business owner, you might have already scaled back in certain aspects of your marketing. But it’s essential to stay the course with your premium SEO services — with a few tweaks. Let’s dive into our Clearwater SEO company recommendations for thriving during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
SEO is Already Cost-Effective And For the Long Term
Roughly 14 million small businesses throughout the U.S. have invested in SEO services due to the value they provide. But any SEO and web design company will tell you that search engine optimization isn’t meant to be a quick fix. It’s designed to build traffic and rankings in a natural way over time.
Because of that, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to put a pause on your SEO campaigns during the pandemic. SEO is already more cost-effective than virtually any other type of marketing, so what you’ll continue to spend comes with a high ROI. That’s particularly true right now, as overall internet traffic has skyrocketed. In addition, because other businesses have likely paused their marketing, you’ll stand to gain more attention as a result.
In other words, you should continue with your SEO strategy if at all possible. If you play your cards right, you could actually experience huge gains during this otherwise uncertain period.
How to Be Smart About Professional SEO During the Pandemic
That said, you’ll still need to make good decisions with your SEO. Here are just three SEO tips to remember during the pandemic (and to prepare for a potential second wave).
- Create Longer Content
Your SEO and web design company will likely tell you how valuable long-form content is for SEO ranking signals. If you create compelling content that keeps visitors on a page for a longer period, Google may reward your website accordingly. This is a great opportunity to create new or expand existing content on your site. Educational content has been found to increase customer trust of a specific brand — and brands need that more than ever right now. Consumers are looking for answers, so provide them and do what you can to quell (rather than capitalize on) their fears. - Focus on Technical SEO Web Enhancements
As any SEO and web design company knows, the technical aspects of SEO can be complex. Even if you’ve been doing a lot off- and on-site optimization, you’ll still need to address the backend of your site to ensure it’s properly optimized. If you’ve been planning a website redesign, it may also be a good time to talk to your provider about creating a custom website. That way, you can prepare to launch it as the pandemic hubbub starts to dissipate. - Highlight Local Search
Small businesses are more likely to face financial struggles during the pandemic, but focusing on local search traffic can be a great way to offset losses. Even if your brick-and-mortar store isn’t open to the public yet, optimizing your site for curbside pickup or delivery offerings can let locals know they can still support you. And if your business is legally able to operate and can do so with health measures in mind, be sure to reflect that information through your website optimizations.
Now that you have a better idea of how to move forward with marketing during the pandemic, you’ll want to contact a reputable SEO and web design company to ensure you’re doing everything you can to succeed. Contact us today for more information.