{"id":225310,"date":"2020-05-11T12:52:42","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T07:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qcsglobal.com\/?p=225310"},"modified":"2020-05-11T12:52:42","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T07:22:42","slug":"why-seo-is-more-important-than-ever-yes-even-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/why-seo-is-more-important-than-ever-yes-even-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Why SEO Is More Important Than Ever\u2014Yes, Even During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div>\n<p>While the coronavirus has increased internet usage exponentially, it has also caused search traffic to business websites to plummet in many industries. Does this mean that SEO is useless for your business right now? Absolutely not.<\/p>\n<p>This post takes a look at the case for and benefits of SEO for small businesses\u2014even the nonessential ones\u2014viewed through the lens of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2020\/03\/30\/covid-19-google-search-trends\">COVID-19 trends and behaviors<\/a>. In this post, we\u2019re going to cover:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The impact of COVID-19 on search traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Why SEO matters during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/li>\n<li>Why SEO may be especially important for SMBs during the pandemic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"67ceda22-85a8-42dd-9d72-570f620095f8\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>It may seem like you\u2019re up against some pretty stiff SEO competition during COVID-19, but SEO is not useless right now.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>The impact of COVID-19 on search traffic<\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ve heard a lot of people tell you that SEO is important right now because internet use is the highest it\u2019s ever been. The first part of that statement\u2014that SEO is important\u2014is true, but the reason why needs some more investigation. Let me explain.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, internet use has skyrocketed during this outbreak, but don\u2019t forget that \u201cinternet use\u201d does not refer exclusively to online search. In addition to search, it includes a wide array of activities such electronic transfers, virtual meetings, gaming, movie streaming, mobile apps, social media, and more.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"04c9e9ba-fea6-43d5-84fd-3a168b3cbda5\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMBs%20during%20COVID-19%20online%20behaviors.png?VthcVAjQSzkWZVDfN2F2nMCDR99PPXTV&amp;itok=Wq4XcyVR\" alt=\"SEO important for SMBs during COVID-19 online behaviors\" width=\"800\" height=\"516\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>This chart from <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/266891\/daily-digital-activities-of-us-internet-users\/\"><em>Statista<\/em><\/a><em> (published pre-coronavirus) shows us that internet use includes more than online search.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>That is not to say that online search has not increased. In a time marked by so many questions and a significant uptick in at-home pursuits, search volume certainly has, but with a focus on health, news, and other highly relevant industries. As a result, this has caused a decline in traffic to nonessential business websites (many of which are small businesses)\u2014from both paid and organic results.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"438272c1-8f03-40d7-bd92-c7cc2e048c43\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20during%20COVID%20search%20ad%20traffic%20decline.jpg?fkaBeKfumE8PiYLQ4aNsfAQK.NMy1VzP&amp;itok=OZHsO9OK\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB during COVID search ad traffic decline\" width=\"800\" height=\"470\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>Paid search traffic decline, courtesy of our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2020\/03\/23\/covid-19-business-trends\"><em>COVID-19 Business Trends<\/em><\/a><em> post.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This means that SEO looks very different depending on the industry.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For relevant and essential businesses, SEO is important for standing out and getting chosen over competitors in search results.<\/li>\n<li>For nonessential and temporarily closed businesses, SEO seems a lot less important\u2014pointless, actually.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But SEO is important, and might even be essential, for all SMBs during the coronavirus pandemic. Read on to learn why SEO is a worthwhile focus for your business right now, as well as some tangible steps you can take to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2014\/08\/14\/increase-traffic-to-my-website\">positively impact your website traffic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Why SEO matters during COVID-19<\/h2>\n<p>While there has been a lot of misinformation floating around, many facts remain that highlight the importance of SEO despite declines in search traffic.<\/p>\n<h3>Fact #1: COVID-19 is trending<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, it feels like it\u2019s been forever, and yes, it will have long-term repercussions, but no, the coronavirus will not be at the forefront of search forever. Evergreen questions your customers have, on the other hand, will remain relevant long after the outbreak has subsided.<\/p>\n<p>This is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2020\/04\/02\/marketing-during-covid-19\">not to minimize COVID-19<\/a>: It is still a major topic, a serious issue, and an ongoing event. It is simply a reality that, over time, it will subside.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"a399bf06-8905-4657-a078-eebe56bd3df7\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20during%20COVID-19%20trend%20decline.png?rag9qona9inFeZgmV45ySdDmU6qh8YTN&amp;itok=9AibFbMD\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB during COVID-19 trend decline\" width=\"800\" height=\"292\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>While still a serious and global issue, the decreasing volume of the search term \u201cCOVID-19\u201d reminds us that it is nevertheless a trend.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Fact #2: Evergreen content is still key<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s okay to write about trending topics as they relate to your business, but these pages will naturally decline in traffic over time. They also are less likely to rank in the first place, since leading brands and high authority websites will dominate page one results. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2012\/10\/16\/guide-to-evergreen-content-marketing\">Content written on evergreen topics <\/a>within your niche, on the other hand, stays relevant and accumulates traffic over time. As such, there is never a bad time to publish content on evergreen topics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"d862f7f4-d808-44e9-bac1-db3985ddba4b\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20during%20COVID-19%20good%20SEO.png?BiLgbza_.cnw6GG_cgP4S.8nvrN5vo.p&amp;itok=6Ewvobgi\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB during COVID-19 good SEO\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Fact #3: SEO is not just about traffic<\/h3>\n<p>The purpose of SEO is not simply to increase <em>website<\/em> traffic but to increase <em>qualified<\/em> traffic. This means that visitors who are finding their way to your website in the face of opposing trends are most likely very interested in what you have to offer. In this sense, SEO can help you identify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2019\/04\/08\/lead-quality\">highly qualified leads<\/a> for your business, even if to nurture in the future.<\/p>\n<h3>Fact #4: SEO gains are long-term<\/h3>\n<p>SEO is about gaining trust from search engines, and the only way to achieve this is slowly, over time, through consistent output. Since significant gains from SEO don\u2019t typically happen until three or so months down the line anyway, there is plenty you can be doing now that is worth your while.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, a study conducted by <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-long-does-it-take-to-rank\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Ahrefs<\/em><\/a> found that only 1% of pages that ranked in the first position on Google were less than a year old.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"c5808f76-9075-44f8-ab8e-dddbe5e13a62\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20during%20COVID-19%20age%20of%20first%20result.jpeg?4HfXHvD_hvMKKfw_mGxW_.Tv7TPe_m3Z&amp;itok=H75oXR68\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB during COVID-19 age of first result\" width=\"600\" height=\"402\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>An Ahrefs study showed a positive correlation between page age and position (on the first page of Google).<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Fact #5: Search is going to become more important<\/h3>\n<p>As mentioned earlier in this post, traffic to many websites from search engines may be down, but traffic to search engines is not. People who used to listen to the radio on their commute are now checking Google for updates. Older generation consumers who used to rely on their caretakers are now using voice assistants to get answers.<\/p>\n<p>Not only has our already-growing reliance on search engines accelerated during COVID-19, but our already-advancing search platforms are also now skyrocketing ahead. This makes search engine marketing (whether in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2017\/02\/27\/how-to-build-a-ppc-offering\">PPC<\/a> or SEO) an even more mission-critical pursuit for businesses down the line.<\/p>\n<h2>Why SEO is especially important for SMBs during COVID-19<\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019ve covered why COVID-19 has strengthened the case for SEO as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2016\/06\/23\/small-business-strategies\">marketing strategy for businesses<\/a> in general, but now let\u2019s dive a little deeper and look at why it\u2019s particularly important for small businesses.<\/p>\n<h3>Local search is crucial<\/h3>\n<p>With so many closings and with people unable to venture far, local search optimization is crucial. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2018\/10\/12\/local-seo\">Local SEO<\/a> tactics will help you to appear for \u201copen now\u201d and \u201cnear me\u201d searches.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"2c78c1e4-e727-47db-8374-307d1771ee79\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20during%20COVID-19%20open%20now%20searches.png?3zdwmjZCGWb7q_WeQx9CseprFDfAdwrk&amp;itok=_mI2ShJ8\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB during COVID-19 open now searches\" width=\"800\" height=\"448\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>\u201cOpen now\u201d searches have been on the rise since the pandemic began.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not open now or able to provide services, you should still optimize your business to get found, because you can direct people to your online services and include important information, including reopening dates, in your content. You also want to be set up for success when your business does open back up again.<\/p>\n<h3>People are looking to support SMBs<\/h3>\n<p>Another reason local SEO is important during the pandemic is that in the spirit of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2020\/04\/22\/free-marketing-during-covid-19\">#supportsmallbusiness<\/a> movement happening across US communities, consumers are making an effort to use local businesses over big brands. Your SEO strategy will connect you with people looking for local businesses to support.<\/p>\n<h3>SEO gives SMBs a competitive edge<\/h3>\n<p>Consumers don\u2019t often become customers immediately; it takes multiple encounters. And the informative blog posts you publish as a part of your SEO strategy make for trust-building, familiarity-breeding, quality encounters. When consumers are able to venture out again and they start looking up businesses near them, which ones do you think they\u2019ll call? The ones that they\u2019ve never heard of before or the ones they\u2019ve seen a few times now during all that web surfing over the past few months&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>In fact, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/blogging-frequency-benchmarks\">HubSpot<\/a>, companies that publish 16 or more blog posts per month generate 4.5X more leads than those that publish four posts (or less).<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"65d23706-dc5f-43cc-a26f-54d1c53f2847\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20during%20COVID-19%20leads%20from%20blogs.png?QSjei7LBj1A7ZnYUvOrOckaFcZ_dtBng&amp;itok=utmLU5tI\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB during COVID-19 leads from blog\" width=\"800\" height=\"487\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<h3>There are ways to rank during COVID-19<\/h3>\n<p>Even though search is dominated by coronavirus terms and results are dominated by name brands and news sites, there are still ways to rank on the first page of Google during COVID-19\u2014which we\u2019ll talk about later in this post.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-entity align-center\" data-embed-button=\"images\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:media.simple_image\" data-entity-type=\"media\" data-entity-uuid=\"6dba6208-b94e-4a96-ba4a-474888d53f58\" data-langcode=\"en\">\n<article>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wordstream-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/simple_image\/public\/images\/media\/images\/SEO%20important%20for%20SMB%20rank%20during%20COVID%20beacon%20telecom.png?oSSYtCa2uVfmWGr5pe9ZRPUkYDuEKY_K&amp;itok=Ftqk0oL9\" alt=\"SEO important for SMB rank during COVID beacon telecom\" width=\"800\" height=\"920\" \/><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><em>Small business Beacon Telecom ranks on the first page of Google for both local and organic results.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>SEO is free<\/h3>\n<p>One of the advantages of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2010\/08\/19\/seo-vs-ppc\">SEO over PPC marketing<\/a> is that it is free. However, it takes a significant investment of time\u2014both to understand it, then produce content, and then stay on top of it. However, with operations slow or halted, SMB owners may now have that time they need to set the wheels in motion.<\/p>\n<h2>SEO tactics for SMBs During COVID-19<\/h2>\n<p>So maybe you\u2019re convinced that SEO is essential for your nonessential small business right now. Great! But, where do you start? We also have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2015\/04\/30\/seo-basics\">beginner\u2019s guide SEO<\/a> if you\u2019re really just starting out. But for a general list of tactics, here are some strategies worth considering:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Write and stockpile high-quality, evergreen blog posts<\/li>\n<li>Target both coronavirus-related search terms and unrelated search terms<\/li>\n<li>Conduct a local listing audit<\/li>\n<li>Create or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2018\/06\/27\/google-my-business\">update your Google My Business listing<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Get featured in a local media article with a backlink to your site<\/li>\n<li>Update already-performing content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Make SEO a priority during COVID-19<\/h2>\n<p>We covered a lot in this post, so let\u2019s recap. SEO matters during COVID-19 because:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>There is no \u201cbad\u201d time to publish evergreen content, a staple of SEO.<\/li>\n<li>The visitors you do attract right now are likely to be highly qualified.<\/li>\n<li>SEO gains won\u2019t start paying off until three to six months out.<\/li>\n<li>Search is only going to be more ingrained in our lives after the pandemic.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>SEO is especially important for small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic because:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Travel restrictions are causing consumers to seek out nearby businesses.<\/li>\n<li>Consumers are looking for SMBs to support.<\/li>\n<li>SEO is the means by which SMBs can stand apart from competitors.<\/li>\n<li>It is free and you might just have the time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>SEO may be a potential solution for businesses experiencing the financial burdens and slower pacing of COVID-19. It can help you to become more visible on searches being performed now, and also to set yourself up for success once search behavior normalizes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordstream.com\/blog\/ws\/2020\/05\/08\/seo-during-covid-19\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the coronavirus has increased internet usage exponentially, it has also caused search traffic to business websites to plummet in many industries. Does this mean that SEO is useless for your business right now? Absolutely not. This post takes a look at the case for and benefits of SEO for small businesses\u2014even the nonessential ones\u2014viewed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":225311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225310"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225310"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225340,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225310\/revisions\/225340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qcsglobal.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}