For numerous small businesses navigating the COVID-19 landscape, it’s easy to assume that with physical operations reduced or paused, marketing efforts can be put on hold as well. However, the reality is that digital marketing strategies, particularly SEO, can be pivotal to a small business’s success both during and after this pandemic. This article will delve into the significance of SEO and outline practical strategies that businesses can employ during this period, regardless of being considered essential or not.

We’ll delve into:

• The importance of SEO during COVID-19
• General SEO strategies
• Content SEO strategies
• Local SEO strategies Let’s dive in.

Employing the appropriate SEO strategies provides SMBs with unmatched visibility on Google.

Why Prioritize SEO During COVID-19?

Data on search trends reveals a decline in website traffic from search results, both paid and organic, across numerous industries. Does this render SEO irrelevant during the pandemic? Absolutely not. Here’s why:

1. While COVID-19 is a trending topic, SEO is an ongoing practice.
2. Consumers, largely confined to their local areas, are actively seeking out local businesses.
3. There’s never a wrong time to publish evergreen content, a cornerstone of SEO.
4. The visitors you do attract currently are more likely to be highly qualified leads.
5. SEO yields long-term benefits.
6. Search engines will only become more deeply integrated into our lives post-pandemic.
7. It’s a free strategy, and you might just have the time for it now. These represent just a few compelling reasons why SEO is crucial for small businesses in the current climate.

General SEO for SMBs During COVID-19

Let’s first examine the broader principles underpinning these COVID-19 SEO strategies, encompassing consistency, content creation, local search optimization, and strategic planning.

1. Maintaining Consistency

SEO demands consistent effort. An analogy by Uptick Marketing encapsulates this perfectly: “Think of SEO as the process of planting seeds and tending to your crops before you can harvest and enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you cease your efforts now, you might have some crops remaining for a short while, but in six months, you’ll regret abandoning your efforts.” Don’t neglect SEO during COVID-19, even if you can only manage the bare minimum. Your actions, or inaction, now will have repercussions for your business in the post-pandemic world.

2. Leveraging Long-Form Content

For many consumers, life has slowed down. They might be more inclined to delve deeper into topics rather than skimming through feeds during their commute or between tasks. This presents an opportunity, as not only is this type of content more likely to be read presently, but it’s also a cornerstone of SEO success. According to Backlinko, the average word count for organic search results ranking on Google’s first page is 1,890 words. If your pace has slowed due to the pandemic, capitalize on this extra time to build a stockpile of long-form content, such as blog posts, that you can gradually publish in the coming months.

Long-form content tends to perform well on the first page of Google.

3. Optimizing for Local SEO

Local SEO has consistently been a valuable strategy for small businesses vying for visibility against large corporations and prominent websites on search engines. With people staying closer to home, local businesses are in higher demand. Local SEO tactics are crucial for any business but particularly beneficial right now for those operating and lacking the time for extensive content creation.

4. Striking a Balance Between Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

While the coronavirus pandemic will eventually subside, its impact will be long-lasting. Therefore, your overarching SEO strategy should incorporate a blend of both short-term and long-term tactics.

• Short-term SEO endeavors might involve publishing content pertinent to coronavirus-related themes within your industry and updating your online listings and website with local search terms.
• Long-term SEO efforts could include crafting content that addresses questions your customers might have post-pandemic and continuing the objectives of your pre-pandemic strategy. The allocation of your efforts between short-term and long-term goals will hinge on your specific business and may require adjustments as the situation unfolds, so anticipate a fluid approach.

P.S. We have an update. Consider exploring these post-pandemic marketing strategies to help you achieve sustained growth.

Content SEO for SMBs during COVID-19

Now you understand the importance of maintaining your SEO efforts and the value of long-form content. But what exactly should you be writing about?

5. Targeting Coronavirus-Related Keywords

In the short term, one effective SEO strategy involves targeting trending keywords to increase traffic. While broad search terms will pit you against global giants like BBC and Forbes, long-tail, niche-specific searches related to the coronavirus offer a better chance of ranking success. For instance, a search for “prevent neck pain while in quarantine” leads to a blog post by Wood Associates Physical Therapy, a small business. Though currently closed, this post undoubtedly helps build the business’s domain authority and establishes a connection with potential and future clients.

Small businesses can achieve favorable rankings for coronavirus-related search terms.

6. Focusing on Trending Themes

If coronavirus-specific topics and keywords prove overly competitive, consider broader themes relevant across industries, such as “virtual,” “in-home,” “DIY,” and “indoors.” For example, a local design and architecture firm secures the top spot for the search “virtual design consultation”:

7. Revitalizing Old but Newly Relevant Content

This SEO strategy is particularly appealing as it doesn’t necessitate the creation of new content. A notable search trend during the coronavirus pandemic is the resurgence of previously dormant topics. For example, an older post on Facebook Live saw a staggering 326.78% increase in organic traffic within a single week.

Review your existing content for anything that might hold renewed relevance for your audience during the coronavirus outbreak. Refresh and republish this content to give it prominence on your blog and attract more traffic.

8. Targeting Emerging Keywords

Another noticeable search trend involves entirely new queries, like “drive-by graduation party ideas.”

Consider the unique needs, desires, interests, and pursuits of your buyer personas in the current climate. Think about the creative ways people are adapting. You might unearth some unique search terms to target.

9. Continuing to Create Evergreen Content

While the coronavirus is a significant and serious event, it’s crucial to remember that it’s a trending topic that will eventually fade. Therefore, while pandemic and post-pandemic content might offer a temporary traffic boost, don’t lose sight of your long-term goals. Maintain your focus on evergreen content. Unlike trending content, evergreen content steadily accumulates traffic over time and contributes to your overall SEO “equity.”

10. Updating High-Performing Content

Even your best-performing evergreen content requires occasional fine-tuning—new facts, updated screenshots, improved statistics, and so on. However, amidst the demands of daily operations and the creation of new content, updating these posts and pages often falls by the wayside. After all, they’re already performing well. But for many of these pieces, their strong performance is precisely why they deserve special attention. Since they’re already attracting a significant volume of traffic, a few strategic updates can yield substantial gains. A single existing post that climbs from page two to page one will deliver far greater results than several new posts languishing on page four.

Click-through rates don’t change significantly from page 10 to page three but experience a dramatic surge from page two to page one (Backlinko). This presents a prime opportunity to revisit your top-performing content and refine it to secure or maintain that coveted first-page ranking. Consider these optimization strategies:

• Incorporate high-quality outbound links
• Introduce new and relevant information
• Update screenshots and images
• Add alt text to images
• Strategically incorporate keywords into headings
• Craft more compelling title tags

Local SEO for SMBs during COVID-19

Arguably the most critical element of a business’s local SEO strategy is its Google My Business (GMB) profile. Your GMB profile serves as the data source for your Google Maps listing, Local Results listing, and Knowledge Panel result.

These listings offer a concise yet comprehensive overview of your business, enabling consumers who discover you through a Google search to quickly assess and engage with you directly from the results page. The real-time and specific details within your GMB profile help consumers determine if you’re currently open, how close you are to them, and whether you provide services that comply with pandemic-related restrictions. This means your local marketing efforts during COVID-19 should prioritize GMB optimization. Here’s a breakdown of what to do.

11. Verify Your Hours of Operation

As of this post’s publication, Google applies labels to listings for businesses that haven’t updated their hours or indicated temporary closure. If a consumer searching for a nearby business during COVID-19 encounters multiple listings, which one are they more likely to choose? The one they know is open or the one that requires an additional phone call to confirm?

Similarly, remember to cancel any scheduled events to avoid displaying an off-putting label like this on your GMB listing:

12. Utilize Business Attributes

In response to the pandemic, many businesses have implemented special accommodations like curbside pickup or delivery. Google My Business showcases these attributes on business profiles, so ensure yours accurately reflects the services you offer. Even if you’re temporarily closed, these details become increasingly important when you reopen and as the situation evolves. To display relevant attributes in GMB, select a business category. If pandemic-specific attributes aren’t yet available for your category, consider temporarily adding them to your business name or the “about the business” section.

If a specific attribute isn’t available for your chosen business category, temporarily add it to your business name.

13. Update Your Other Online Listings

While your GMB listing is paramount during COVID-19, it’s not the only component of a successful local SEO strategy. Maintaining other online listings is crucial because they act as citations for your website. Additionally, Google considers the consistency of information across your listings and website, in addition to their accuracy. Therefore, if you’re a non-essential business with extra time on your hands, now is an opportune time to audit your online listings.

• Ensure all information is consistent across platforms, including Yelp, Angie’s List, Trip Advisor, and other popular free listing sites.
• Check for any new, potentially auto-generated or user-generated listings.
• Conduct a reputation check. Catch up on customer reviews and respond to both positive and negative feedback. Customers value your responses as much as the reviews themselves.
• Implement a system for Google alerts to stay informed about reviews and manage auto-generated listings proactively.

Final SEO Strategy: Prioritizing Conversion

Website traffic might be lower than usual during COVID-19 as people’s priorities shift. However, this could mean that those who do find their way to your site despite these trends are highly interested in what you have to offer. This brings us to the final SEO strategy for your small business during COVID-19: conversion rate optimization. While not strictly SEO (it’s technically CRO), it’s closely related. If attracting more visitors proves difficult, focusing on converting existing visitors is a worthwhile endeavor. Here are some effective ways to boost conversion rates from organic search traffic:

• Use a plugin to implement pop-ups for content downloads, such as OptinMonster or Omniconvert.
• Incorporate a sidebar widget encouraging visitors to subscribe to your email newsletter.
• Experiment with A/B testing to optimize the placement and wording of the call-to-action on your homepage.
• Consider running a limited-time offer with free or discounted services. If you have the capacity to dedicate time to SEO during the COVID-19 pandemic, try implementing one of these strategies. Here’s a quick recap:

1. Prioritize long-form content.
2. Strike a balance between short-term and long-term goals.
3. Target coronavirus-related keywords strategically.
4. Adapt your content to address pandemic-related themes.
5. Reoptimize and republish existing content that’s newly relevant.
6. Target emerging keywords related to the current climate.
7. Maintain your traditional keyword strategy for long-term growth.
8. Regularly update and improve your top-performing content.
9. Keep your Google My Business profile up-to-date and accurate.
10. Conduct a comprehensive audit of your local listings. Depending on your specific circumstances, diversifying your efforts to encompass immediate relevance, post-pandemic search trends, and evergreen topics is a prudent approach. For more insights into marketing during COVID-19, tune in to our Goal Talk Podcast Episode 15: Updates on Marketing During COVID-19—Data, Reactivation, & More.