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During these times of a global crisis that has been brought on by the novel Coronavirus pandemic, more people are performing searches online than ever before. That is why it is crucial that irrespective of the economic turmoil that is currently underway, it is imperative for brands to constantly strive for the top positions when it comes to SERPs.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, all businesses and brands (except those dealing with essential goods and services) have come to a complete standstill. Therefore, any activity that a brand might have wanted to undertake to progress its present state will have been put on the backburner for the time being. One easy activity that all brands can undertake during these times, is SEO. SEO is not just easy for a brand to carry out even if its entire workforce happens to be working from home, because of the fact that it can be done effortlessly and requires very little investment carry out effectively.
The strategies detailed below should give you an idea of how to kickstart your SEO campaign during a crisis situation such as we are in now.
Generating Content That Secures The Confidence Of Consumers In You
In a recent study conducted by Forrester, it was discovered that consumers are beginning to lose their trust in brands delivering on all their assurances during this pandemic. Consumer sentiments have witnessed a major downturn.
The best way therefore for brands to exploit this situation and make the most of this crisis situation and gain the edge over their competitors is to generate content that captures the trust of their consumers in their ability to deliver on all promises and keep up with demands.
In such a pursuit, brands should rethink their content strategies and decide on toning down the marketing and salesy vibes of their content. The best way for a brand to earn the trust of consumers is to offer messages of solidarity, hope, comfort, and reassurance. In a time when most people are stranded at home with nowhere to go and nothing to do, the motive of a brand’s content should be to offer companionship, solace, and a message of help. Content helps consumers realize that the brand is truly there to help them and cater to their every need, is guaranteed to work wonders.
Another recent study undertaken by Conductor proves that educational content tends to build maximum trust amongst consumers of all the different sorts of content. Close to half of all readers who read such educational content are likely to make purchases from the brand that put out the content. Content marketers must think from a buyer’s perspective in order to come up with the most effective educational content that is sure to appeal to audiences. In such uncertain times, when little is known about when the world is likely to go back to normal and the economy is likely to recover, it is important to provide answers. Answers that offer transparent, easy-to-understand, and to-the-point resolutions to the common queries of consumers are bound to work well.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that such a strategy takes time to yield results, just as it takes time to build trust. Implementing such a content strategy right away is the best way to have a plan of action in play if and when the going gets tough.
Micro-Management Of Your Brand’s Presence Online
Outdated information that is irrelevant during these times can often be construed as insensitive and be taken as a sign of a brand’s ineptitude by consumers. It is highly recommended that marketers begin looking at the nitty-gritty of their brand’s online presence and begin fine-tuning as well as updating all product, service, and brand-related information that is presently out there on the web.
Schema Updation
The first step in ensuring that your brand’s information online is up-to-date is to update your scheme. By doing this, you are making sure that Google is displaying the most authentic and latest information about your brand. E-commerce companies should go a step further and update their product schemas so consumers are able to view the latest information on individual products.
Google My Business Page Updation
Any changes made to the closure of your stores, as well as working hours and service offerings have to be reflected on your Google My Business page. Failing to do so, will result in consumers falling for false and outdated information that they are very likely to hold grudges about. Your brand image could also take a hit as a result of failing to update your Google My Business page.
Keep Track Of Web Traffic
Constantly using the Google Search Console to keep track of the traffic to your website is highly important in gauging where the demand for your products and services are stemming from. Carefully analyzing the areas of your business that are taking a hit and the areas that are unexpectedly doing well, will be the make it or break it factor as far as weathering the storm and seeing it through, is concerned. Identifying which part of your services are witnessing increased inflows of web traffic, and focussing your efforts on meeting demands in this area could very well put you in a better place than your competitors when the crisis finally dies down and the economy gets back on track.
