The Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020 and significantly impacted the world’s economy.
Travelling became more complicated, affecting the tourism industry.
Working for a company became more complex, impacting the workplace.
Brick-and-mortar businesses started to close down.
The global health crisis killed the businesses here in the Philippines and abroad. Hence, what should business owners do in these trying times? GoSEO, an SEO company in Manila, has found out that most struggling businesses are turning to SEO for help. Keep reading to know more.
How Did Brands Respond To The Coronavirus Outbreak?
With the onset of the pandemic, the first thing that most brands globally do is cut their digital advertising expenses. As per the Digital 2021 report of Hootsuite and We Are Social, digital ad spending decreased by 4% last 2020 in the Philippines (translated to $558 million).
Tough times like this may force brands to either grab the ‘opportunity’ that other businesses/companies have used to bounce back from the crisis and/or to cut costs in other areas. Unfortunately, the majority of them chose to do the latter.
If this is the case, the advertising budget suffers, putting our brands at greater risk of losing customers.
That’s where SEO comes in.
SEO Can Help You and Your Business Get Back on Track
Now, the main question is, why and how SEO can save your business? Here’s why.
1. You need a cost-effective yet high-ROI strategy.
With the digital ad spend of brands decreasing, most businesses would have to resort to other ways to get the word out. But use the right strategies, create your dream team and do your marketing the right way, you will win this online war.
Yes, it is an online war. Roughly 81.5% of Filipinos search online first before buying products/services. Furthermore, 76.8% of them purchased goods online, according to Digital Report 2021. To stay competitive, you need to know where your customers are!
2. You need to take advantage of local searches.
Travel restrictions and localized lockdowns led to an unexpected boost in local search results within a month, as reported by Adweek. This is particularly true for local businesses with delivery service needs.
Optimizing your business online for search based on specific keywords, terms or phrases, implying local search intent. Say, for instance, you’re a restaurant in BGC, here are the search terms you should be focusing on:
online food delivery BGC, food delivery BGC, restaurants with delivery in BGC
By this, the competition is less while the demand is still very high. A goldmine!
3. You need to be 'visible' where people are looking for you.
During the pandemic, most businesses were sold out of stock everywhere and in anything because of travel restrictions and the fact that most markets were overbooked. As a result, there was a significant drop in-store traffic. The perfect time to get on top of your social media game!
4. Organic search drives continual traffic.
The value of SEO doesn’t end once your customers are in the door. However, traffic should be constant and consistent, not one-time only. So how can you do that?
Keeping visitors on your website for as long as possible is key to making them convert into a sale. This means you need to provide your visitors with engaging content that will keep them coming back for more. Organic posting will do this for you, as it is low-cost, convenient and smart.
When your traffic is constant and consistent, you may be more likely to make them buy. Also, in an era of digital disruption and digitization, organic search can be a great way to build your brand reputation. Or increase search engine rankings – although that remains to be seen if the result is profitable for your business.
5. Your customers want relevant results when looking for products/services online.
They’re not going to take notice of ads that can’t give them what they want – or worse, irrelevant ads that are just clogging up the search results.
How do you stay relevant?
Make sure that your business has a website, and if you don’t have one already, get one fast!
6. You need new tactics for new trends.
The outbreak brought frustrations, limitations and restrictions for businesses. And it also provokes an unexpected shift to consumption behavior. If you are to keep up with these trends, new tactics are needed.
Searches increased with different priorities.
This is how we sum up the sudden shift.
Generally, these trends suggest that consumers are looking for ethical and sustainable brands. It was further supported by different anti-racism groups all over the world.
On top of that, consumers are expected to make more purchases online. This simply means that online business owners need to think about expanding their delivery options — offering free delivery or same-day delivery. Moreover, contactless payment options will be great additions to your arsenal.
Why do you need an SEO company by your side?
Most companies are stuck in the usual business strategies.
They’re not getting any attention and are being beaten by their competitors.
That’s where you cross the line. You’ve decided to go with SEO because you know if you don’t, your business will die a slow death.
Remember this: successful SEO strategies will go beyond just rankings and traffic. It’s about the customer experience. You will no longer rank for keywords if it’s not relevant to your site content or brands niche/vertical.
Get a credible SEO company to partner with you before things get worse. One can help you evaluate all the possible options for your online business, especially in these trying times.
Time to step back and re-evaluate your options
Since the cards are on the table, you can’t afford to be complacent about SEO.
You need to stay ahead of your competition by looking at SEO as a way to reach your customers and make them buy from you. Sometimes, you have no other choice but to get back on your feet and start running again. If you need advice or professional help, contact us now! Ready to step up your game? Email us at [email protected].
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