While the coronavirus has led to a sharp increase in Internet usage, it has also reduced search traffic to commercial websites in many industries. Does this mean that SEO is useless for your business right now? There is no way.
This post takes a look at the case and benefits of SEO for small businesses – even non-essentials – viewed through the lens of COVID-19 trends and behaviours. In this post, we are going to cover effects of pandemic on the businesses and how SEO company Melbourne can help to get attention from customers on search engines.
Effect of COVID-19 on search traffic
You may have heard many people say that SEO is important right now because internet usage is by far the highest. The first part of that statement that SEO is important is true, but it needs a little more research.
Yes, the use of the Internet has skyrocketed since the outbreak, but don’t forget that “Internet access” does not specifically refer to online search. In addition to search, this includes a wide range of activities such as electronic transfer, virtual meetings, gaming, movie streaming, mobile applications, social media and more.
This does not mean that online search has not increased. With so many questions and a significant increase in home activity, search volume has certainly increased, but with a focus on health, news and other highly relevant industries. As a result, it has reduced traffic to non-essential business websites (many of which are small businesses) – with both paid and organic results.
This means that SEO company Melbourne looks very different depending on the industry.
- For relevant and essential businesses, SEO is important to stay ahead of competitors and get selected in search results.
- For non-essential and temporarily closed businesses, SEO seems to be a very low key – meaningless in fact.
But SEO is important, and coronavirus can be essential for all SMBs during an epidemic. Read on to find out why SEO is the right focus for your business right now, as well as some concrete steps you can take to positively impact your website traffic.
Why SEO is important during COVID-19?
While there is a lot of misinformation floating around, there are many facts that highlight the importance of SEO company Melbourne despite the decline in search traffic.
Changing behaviour of consumers during COVID-19
Yes, it seems that it is forever, and yes, it will have a long-term effect on consumer behaviour and various industries, but no, coronavirus will not be at the forefront of the search forever. On the other hand, the everlasting questions of your customers will remain relevant even after the outbreak.
This is not to underestimate COVID-19: it is still a major issue, a serious issue and an ongoing phenomenon. It’s just a fact that over time, that will fade.
Evergreen Content is still important
It’s okay to write about trending topics because they relate to your business, but these pages will naturally reduce traffic over time. They are also less likely to rank in the first place, as major brands and high-powered websites will dominate one-page results. On the other hand, content written on evergreen topics stays relevant in your niche and collects traffic over time. As such, it is never a bad time to publish content on evergreen topics.
SEO is not just about traffic
The purpose of SEO is not only to increase website traffic but also to increase qualified traffic. This means that visitors who find their way to your website in the face of rival trends are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. In this sense, SEO can help you identify high quality leads for your business, even if it means raising them in the future.
SEO benefits are long term
SEO is about gaining the trust of search engines, and the only way to get it is through consistent output over time. Significant benefits from SEO usually do not occur for three or more months, so now you can do a lot that suits your time. In fact, a study conducted by Ahrefs found that only 1% of the first ranked pages on Google were less than a year old.
SEO is especially important for small businesses during coronavirus epidemics because:
- Customers are looking for nearby businesses due to travel restrictions.
- Looking for SMBs for consumer support.
- SEO is the medium through which SMBs can stand out from the competition.
- It’s free and you can only get time.
Final thoughts
SEO could be a potential solution for businesses experiencing the financial burden and slowdown of COVID-19. It can help you become more visible on current searches, and can also help you set yourself up for success once search behaviour becomes normal. Make SEO a marketing priority, or if you think SEO company Melbourne can help with a better investment, you might want to consider finding a small business SEO service for yourself.