Last March the U.S. economy stopped, literally within two weeks, as the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic hit. But we all anticipated no more than a 2-3 month hiatus. After that, we expected to be on top of the situation and opening back up for business.
That didn’t happen, and during the extended shutdown people stopped spending. At first. Then unexpected bursts of activity flared up. Spending exploded online as people redirected their discretionary spending to home-based projects. Outdoor businesses like construction and roofing went back to work, as did AC repair services. Housing came back as rock-bottom interest rates proved too enticing for refinancers and home buyers. Take-out orders for simpler fare like pizza and BBQ, or budget gourmet home delivery offered by caterers, kept a number of our restaurants going (though hospitality is one industry that is truly struggling.)
How do you join them?
How do you reorganize your business to survive and thrive in a pandemic economy that may linger for another year?
What can you do NOW to make the most of pandemic spending patterns over the rest of 2020 and into 2021?
1. Focus marketing online, where your customers are.
Businesses that are thriving have optimized their websites and other digital properties to take advantage of the boom in online shopping. With smartphones and personal digital assistants like Alexa and Google Now the channel for online searches, SEO work must shift to account for the longer informational search terms being used. “Find me air conditioning repair services near me” is now the search phrase, as it is spoken into a phone.
The key insight: This is the New Consumer Normal that has been coming for a while. The pandemic has just accelerated the conversion from bricks and mortar shopping to digital browsing.
2. Get serious, again, about SEO.
Out of all the marketing channels available, marketers vote organic search (SEO) as the highest ROI over any other channel. The reason is simple: SEO is highly affordable, and if done well and kept up (a critical point) it is highly effective.
3. Where to start? Start from scratch!
Your SEO strategy and tactics need a refresh in response to the unanticipated acceleration of consumer activity from in-person to online:
- Start with keyword research. Add competitive research. What is your most desired prospect using to search online TODAY? What he or she used two years ago is OUT OF DATE.
- Explore voice-search phrases at length (pun intended!)
- Examine your websites and other digital properties. Update all the page content and descriptors to reflect your new keyword/phrase priorities.
- Refresh/replace your content (selectively – do not throw still-performing content out in your rush to modernize!)
- Revive your blog to open up extra spots to feature your new target phrases.
- Repeat the process again next month! SEO is on the move as a result of the pandemic, and you need to keep up!
With all the pent up consumer demand from the last six months, and the strong shift to online shopping, this Cyber-shopping holiday season could be huge, and your digital properties need to be ready.
The Holidays are Coming – Shape Up the SEO of Your Online Store to Cash In!
SEO can be complicated, so your first step should be to talk to us. We stay on top of SEO tool improvements to keep our client websites up-to-date and performing. We will put that knowledge to work shaping you up to grab your share of the coming Holiday Cyber-Shopping bonanza.
We’ll do the research, and flow the results into your site to significantly improve your SEO. Let’s get started!