During the first quarter of May, the coronavirus had already infected over 4 million people globally. Just in the US, there were some 1.3 million people infected with the infamous virus. The pandemic has been going strong for some time now, but the prompt reaction in many countries, especially in Europe, helped “flatten the curve” and improve the situation considerably. So how do SEO experts fare during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Judging by the overall health of their citizens, governments managed to take control of the situation, with more or less success. Now, as for the economy, according to experts, the world is about to get into yet another recession — the worst one in centuries.
Fortunately, marketing and SEO are not among those industries that are most affected. Other sectors, including tourism, the oil industry, transportation services, and private healthcare, all faced a significant drop in business activities. Nevertheless, marketing and SEO professionals should still pay close attention to the current situation to cope better with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Analyzing The Situation Closely
The frequent market analysis goes without saying, seeing how fast trends are changing at the moment. In times of crisis, people have different needs than before. For instance, the latest SEO trends show that traffic for travel websites is down by 46%, but people still look for information regarding places and travel restrictions, and how to get refunds from their bookings.
Some industries, on the other hand, experienced a massive spike in new visits and searches. For example, fitness and workout equipment saw an increase of 162% (which makes perfect sense given the current state of affairs).
In other words, the current situation necessitates continuous research into the various intricacies of each industry and responding accordingly.
How To Respond?
Since this is a brand new situation that no one in the digital world has ever experienced, it’s hard to say for certain what should and shouldn’t be done — such a manual hasn’t been written yet. Still, that doesn’t mean you should do absolutely nothing. If your business hasn’t experienced a drop in traffic, you need to take advantage of the current situation and redouble your efforts to generate even more conversions.
On the other hand, sectors such as travel and accommodation, or personal coaching, demand a different approach. Even though at the moment, almost no one is looking for hotels and airplane tickets, it’s clear that this situation is not going to last forever. Once the virus has been taken care of, people will rush to see the world more than ever before.
Getting ready for that moment is the most important thing to do right now. So, quit writing articles on what’s great to see at the moment. No one wants to see the top 10 popular places in Micronesia, as no one is brave (or foolish) enough to go to the airport. Instead, focus on early booking, setting up content for after-virus destinations, and so on.
Next, some countries are facing greater rates of infection than others. For instance, the USA and South Korea are in two opposite positions at the moment, with the latter coping with success. The world has changed, so think about diversifying the regions that you get the traffic from. International SEO should bring you higher revenues than before.
Remote Marketing
As the most recent work from home statistics highlight, remote workers are 82% less stressed than their on-site colleagues. Meaning, the COVID-19 lockdown might actually be a good thing for marketers. After all, high job satisfaction, like reduced stress, breeds creativity, which is essential in this line of work.
Bottom Line
The good news is: SEO experts and marketers are not out of business (yet), unlike some unlucky industries out there. As a matter of fact, if you are able to recognize what the world is focusing on and diversify your offer, you could be looking at a very profitable period for SEO and marketing services. They are already being recommended as the most effective and least costly method of increasing business revenue, so get ready for a very busy year.
