Effective SEO strategies during COVID-19
In such unprecedented times, internet use is higher than it has ever been. If and when the outbreak subsides, timeless queries that customers have will remain relevant for businesses. Without good rankings, it is difficult to get valuable traffic. Without traffic, sales lessen. SEO has gone through radical changes. Strategic implementation of SEO is needed in such challenging times in order to position websites of businesses on the first page of Google faster. Stated below are some key factors that should be taken into account to help keep businesses afloat during these times.
1) Loading speed- Page load speed affects the overall ranking of a website. A website should ideally load within three seconds. The longer it takes for a website to load, the more likely it is that visitors will leave. It is a good idea to analyze the speed of your website by using tools like GTmetrix, which tests the performance of a website. The resulting reports would help a website conduct necessary updates.
2) Mobile-friendliness – The mobile-friendliness of a website can be rewarding. If a website is easy to load, view, and interact with on a smartphone, tablet, or any other device, it will rank higher on Google. If it does not fit into a search engine’s mobile ease-of-use criteria, its rankings may plummet.
3) Use COVID-19 related keywords – A popular trend in the search engine world now is COVID-19 related searches. Most people are worried and looking for support in going about their day-to-day activities. This could be an opportunity to appear in front of that audience. If possible, developing content related to coronavirus would be immensely helpful. This trend would be a rewarding experience. With a lot of people being quarantined, search engines are a valuable tool that helps people get the information they need. Google trends is a tool that would be helpful in this regard. It could provide data about popular keywords trending over time.
4) Lengthy content- With more time at their disposal, customers are willing to go through more in-depth articles on a particular topic. Most search results on Google’s first page have a word count of around 1900 keywords. Lengthier content remains relevant longer. Contrary to scrolling through content on their commute, people now read more at home.
5) Increased demand for health and wellness sites – People are increasingly seeking content related to advice and information on medical issues. To increase organic traffic for a website, might add marketing muscle to write about health and wellness. Queries like ‘Coronavirus symptoms’ are common. There are also frequent searches for antiviral foods and herbs.
6) Social shares – Social activity is also a factor in how a business website ranks online. If a website is good, then others would feel compelled to share it with their family and friends. Websites with more shares rank higher on Google. Sometimes, the person sharing the content also matters. If an influencer shares content, the post will carry more weight and it would be beneficial if the influencers take action on the content.
