Though we are undoubtedly living through a truly unusual situation and many of the rules of digital marketing seem to have changed, the practice of search engine optimisation is still integral to making sure your audience can find you. Though life has been paused in a lot of ways, there are still a number of significant changes taking place in the realm of both marketing and online digital communication. In this article, we explain why SEO still matters, even during a global pandemic.
Search habits change
Since the pandemic hit, global search habits have changed. Keywords that never used to rank are suddenly incredibly popular and people are online in record numbers at all times of the day. The content people are searching for is also starting to change as things like home workouts, meditation, stress management and help for psychological problems begin to eclipse pre lockdown terms. Keeping track of these changes will help you to ensure your keyword focus stays relevant and may also present you with new opportunities to secure some new business. As the lockdown begins to ease around the world, habits are likely to change once more. As this situation is something we’ve never experienced before, it would make sense for marketing professionals to adapt their approach to an unpredictable and constantly evolving SEO landscape.
Everybody is online
Internet service providers have had to add extra bandwidth capacity to their services because there are currently so many people online at any one time. Unprecedented numbers of web users are logging in at all hours of the day, which means they are still searching. From an SEO perspective, this should inform everything from when you release your content to the kind of focus you are placing on the articles you publish or the video content you are shooting. Online communication is now the preferred way to search for practically everything, so even though there is a serious global crisis at hand, people will still need digital services and will continue to use search engines and social media in the way they always have.
Google’s Algorithms Will Change Again
To combat problems created by the spread of things like fake news, propaganda and unsubstantiated information, Google and the other search engines take robust steps to monitor and remove inappropriate content. This means your SEO strategy must take this into account. Simply stuffing the word Covid 19 alongside numerous mentions of PPE will not be enough to drive your website up the rankings and if you are operating in an unrelated business niche, it could also cause a great deal of confusion amongst your existing customers. Keep content relevant, do mention the virus, but ensure that you are not coming across like an illegal, spam heavy site that is likely to incur automatic penalties for poor quality content.
Quality Still Trumps Quantity
Brand new businesses that want to get online quickly are often tempted to churn out low quality, key word heavy content in a bit to get to the top of the rankings as quickly as possible. Not only is this short sighted, it is also totally ineffective in today’s SEO landscape. Google and the other search engines reward high quality written content and well-presented web pages. “High quality” means that any written content is free from grammatical errors and has a sense of individual style and flair. Professional content writers generally have degree level qualifications and years of experience of working with text to ensure it sounds as good as possible. Investing in this service is the quickest and easiest way to make sure that anything that goes up on your site is of a professional standard. You may also want to consider something like Grammarly to check that your syntax and style are appropriate, though do be warned, these programs can never replace a human pair of eyes and a critical, active mind.
Some Businesses Are Enjoying Financial Success
Though you would be forgiven for thinking that the whole of the economy is in serious trouble, this is not necessarily the case for everybody. Industries that are involved in the manufacture of protective equipment, signage, medical supplies, and other products that have enjoyed a sudden increase in demand will need quality marketing and professional guidance to ensure they’re getting their products to everybody who needs them. Identifying these businesses and approaching them as potential clients is one of the best ways to replace business you may have lost or had to temporarily suspend as result of the Covid 19 outbreak.
Social Media and Online Communication is Being Regulated More Than Ever
Though it remains to be seen whether or not Donald Trump will be able to effectively censor or monitor Twitter itself, there are already plans in place to allow certain government agencies and other authorities to control what is allowed to be said or written online. Though it may not affect everybody, for certain key words and phrases, these measures could potentially change the way people do business. Making sure that your SEO strategy does not cause problems for your business or result in your site being unexpectedly penalised for using certain search terms is essential. This means staying on top of the news and making sure that you understand how any changes to existing legislation may impact on the way your SEO works.
Summary
SEO will always matter, no matter what is happening in the offline world. To make sure you are doing everything you can to stay on top of current trends, make sure you carry out keyword research regularly and check for changes as frequently as possible. There are never any guarantees but adopting a strategy of constantly reviewing your practices and analysing your existing user data will help you to make sure you do not suddenly lose your ranking to a competitor.
