{"id":1516,"date":"2020-05-12T15:44:41","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T15:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchberg.com\/blog\/?p=1516"},"modified":"2025-06-23T11:00:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T11:00:59","slug":"8-ways-to-adjust-your-seo-strategy-amid-the-ongoing-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.searchberg.com\/blog\/8-ways-to-adjust-your-seo-strategy-amid-the-ongoing-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Adjust Your SEO Strategy Amid the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues\u2014albeit with a flattened curve across many U.S. states\u2014businesses have been increasingly branching out and navigating new marketing strategies.<\/p>\n

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While tried-and-tested offline marketing tactics may have worked in the past, the prolonged period of lockdown has nullified their efficacy. According to Forbes, the global pandemic has pushed internet use by a whopping 70%<\/a>. Alongside this astounding increase, social media engagement has escalated by up to 61%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Local offline businesses that fail to leverage the power of digital marketing<\/a> during this crucial period not only notice a dip in metrics, but also suffer customer attrition.<\/p>\n

You may be risking temporary or permanent business closure.<\/p>\n

With over 7.5 million companies<\/a> at risk of going out of business, adopting a strong SEO strategy is imperative<\/em> to navigating the rough terrain of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

However, this is where the slope becomes more slippery than expected.<\/p>\n

Many businesses across the U.S. have been actively leveraging SEO<\/a>. However, they\u2019ve paid little to no attention to the importance of making continual adjustments. Keep in mind, an immutable one-size-fits-all SEO strategy does more damage than good by stagnating audience engagement and retention.<\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve rounded up eight ways to adjust your 2020 SEO strategy amid COVID-19 as consumer habits continue to ebb and flow.<\/p>\n

How Will SEO Lead Companies Through COVID-19?<\/h2>\n

1. Closely Monitor Keywords and Create Content Accordingly<\/h3>\n

According to a recent survey, 1 in 3 consumers<\/a> admitted that COVID-19 updates impacted their shopping behavior. As the precarious pandemic continues to affect search trends and consumer habits, closely monitoring keywords and creating content accordingly is imperative.<\/p>\n

For instance, searches like \u201cwork from home covid<\/em>\u201d and \u201chand washing tips<\/em>\u201d were dominating<\/em> search engines as the COVID-19 curve was forming.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a glimpse of the rising popularity of \u201cwork from home covid<\/em>\u201d during March:<\/p>\n

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However, as the COVID-19 curve hit its apex and began to flatten across several U.S. states, the search requests evolved accordingly.<\/p>\n

According to Google Trends<\/a>, searches like \u201cbusiness opening covid<\/em>\u201d have increased in popularity owing to the eased lockdown restrictions:<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re still using the list of keywords you created as the pandemic was taking shape in the initial months, it may be time to rethink your strategy.<\/p>\n

Make periodic adjustments to your keyword research and analysis strategy<\/a>. This is a great way to stay abreast of popular searches and identify relevant topics accordingly.<\/p>\n

Familiarize yourself with popular short-tail and long-tail keywords in your niche while identifying time-sensitive keyword modifiers. Creating content around this mix will help you climb SERPs, increase organic search traffic, generate more leads, and build brand credibility.<\/p>\n

Incorporate updated keywords in your title tags, meta description tags, image alt attributes, and content (blogs, articles, guest posts, press releases, etc.) to increase visibility and boost revenue. Keeping up with the evolving trends given the volatile and ever-changing nature of the pandemic will not only help your business during this crunch, but also pay off in the long run.<\/p>\n

As the curve begins to dip, search requests will shift rapidly, thereby necessitating the development of fresh content with updated keywords.<\/p>\n

Closely monitor the fluctuating trends to maximize audience reach and grow your business.<\/p>\n

2. Create an Empathetic and Informative Page About COVID-19<\/h3>\n

If your SEO strategy has been solely focused on numbers and metrics, you may be dealing with a cracked foundation that has been affecting your subsequent efforts.<\/p>\n

Develop an empathetic approach<\/a> to the crisis to make your audience feel supported, inspired, and heard during a period of ongoing turbulence and uncertainty. Creating an empathetic and informative page about COVID-19 is essential to keep your audience updated about your products\/services and operation while lending much-needed support and encouragement.<\/p>\n

Lacoste\u2019s<\/a> sweet and succinct approach is a great way to give your customers necessary updates in a warm and supportive way.<\/p>\n

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As new audiences are directed to your website, they\u2019re more likely to develop a positive notion of your brand presence and engage with your social media pages. This will help convert visitors into leads and boost revenue.<\/p>\n

Chipotle\u2019s COVID-19 update page<\/a> is another great example of reassuring customers by delineating safety measures.<\/p>\n

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The clean, visually engaging, and easy-to-follow graphics help visitors retain important information without feeling compelled to click off. This enhances user experience and decreases the bounce rate while imparting vital company updates.<\/p>\n

3. Improve Local SEO by Updating Your Google My Business Listing<\/h3>\n

As one of the most powerful local SEO tactics, updating your Google My Business listing<\/a> is a surefire way to enhance online presence during a time of increasing chaos and uncertainty. The free platform allows business owners to share their business hours, contact number, website address, description, category, FAQs, and posts, thereby boosting visibility on Google search and maps.<\/p>\n

Google recently launched new tools and strategies<\/a> in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to help businesses share essential updates with customers.<\/p>\n

We recommend updating your Google My Business<\/strong> listing accordingly to improve local SEO and increase revenue<\/a>. Optimize your page by sharing shipping delay updates, products that may be out of stock, updated business hours, safety measures, and donation plans to keep preexisting and potential customers in the loop.<\/p>\n

With internet usage across the U.S. at an all-time high<\/a>, taking these measures is essential to get your business on the map and increase traffic.<\/p>\n

According to a study conducted by Google and Oxera, sharing accurate business details on Google My Business increases homepage click-throughs by a whopping 30%<\/a>. With 80%<\/a> of all searches occurring on Google, optimizing Google My Business<\/strong> in accordance with the evolving COVID-19 landscape will help your brand stay afloat and maintain a strong brand identity.<\/p>\n

4. Keep Up With the Competition<\/h3>\n

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While you may be tweaking your SEO strategy every other week, your business is still liable to falling through the cracks of stagnation, unoriginality, and complacency.<\/p>\n

Keeping tabs on your competition<\/a> is a great way to pick up on new SEO tactics that you may have overlooked. We recommend shortlisting 3\u20135 strong local businesses within the same industry. While a few deviations won\u2019t do any harm, make sure the business offers similar products\/services and has a wide customer base.<\/p>\n

Analyze their web presence to identify strengths that you could potentially incorporate into your own scheme and weaknesses that you should steer clear of at all costs.<\/p>\n

We also suggest sifting through their social media pages<\/a> to develop an idea about their content, brand voice, and posting frequency. This will help identify lapses within your own strategy, if any.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve finalized a list of strong local businesses, expand your search to incorporate successful global companies within your niche. For instance, if your company designs and manufactures furniture, keep an eye out for established brands like IKEA, Ashley Furniture Industries, Herman Miller, and Williams-Sonoma, among others.<\/p>\n

Use a competitor analysis tool or consult SEO experts<\/a> to help examine their domain authority, traffic volume, click depth, unique selling point, and COVID-19 digital marketing strategies.<\/p>\n

Realign your SEO tactics accordingly to rank higher on search engines and establish a better<\/em> connection with your customers during the ongoing pandemic.<\/p>\n

5. Actively Update Your Website and Social Media Pages<\/h3>\n

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While this may seem like a no-brainer, many businesses have abandoned their website and social media pages during the pandemic owing to interrupted business.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this can have a detrimental effect on brand identity, audience engagement, and audience retention.<\/p>\n

As customers lose touch with your content, they\u2019re more likely to engage with other brands that actively share creative, insightful, and inspirational content. Not only will this increase customer attrition, but it\u2019ll also make your brand seem negligent and apathetic, thereby damaging its reputability and trustworthiness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If your business falls in the travel or live entertainment industry, it\u2019s easy to feel like there\u2019s no content to produce or share. However, you can create unique and value-added content despite being unable to continue your services at the moment. For example, you can:<\/p>\n