The pandemic’s impact on SEO

The impacts of COVID-19 will be felt for many months, if not years to come. The difficulty of hiring and retaining top business talent has proven to be what are the key sticking points for any business, but it isn’t just about the real-world scenarios. There has been a noticeable impact on search performance. Search Engine Optimisation is such an important component for any business as far as it’s marketing campaigns are concerned. Many businesses have taken it upon themselves to pause SEO campaigns, or even cancel them. But this is not the right approach. 

Businesses can learn from the pandemic and apply the lessons to their ongoing marketing campaigns. Every business is struggling in one respect, whether this is financially or in terms of its employees. The bottom line is that for search engine results to swing in the favour of any business, a company’s website requires fresh and informative content. This is proving difficult for small to medium-sized businesses.

However, the answer may lie in outsourcing. Hiring an SEO agency to cover the search engine components for any business is proving to be a suitable financial option. The “gig culture” has risen exponentially as a result of the pandemic, and the increase of freelancers willing to lend their work towards any business is proving to be a boost for any company looking to overhaul their marketing tactics. But in addition to this, it is proving beneficial for the freelancers themselves.

The industry has been experiencing a significant boost over the last few years due to the rise of the gig economy. But now the pandemic has pushed it into overdrive. With more than 2.4 million customers in 2019, the results are yet to be unveiled by Fiverr, but the numbers are likely to hit the 3 million mark.

So what does this mean for a marketing campaign in terms of the all-important Search Engine Optimisation? Businesses are needing to create more content as a great SEO tactic. This is where there’s been a significant rise in freelance writers. While there are other components such as SEO housekeeping, this can be easily managed in-house. Search Engine Optimisation has long been a marker of how a website can climb up the rankings through simple and effective changes, such as cleaning up 404 errors. But now as a result of the pandemic, the impressions and clicks have declined but the average rankings have stayed consistent, meaning that businesses that have already worked hard to improve their SEO are still reaping the benefits.

Any uncertain time can result in a multitude of anxiety. Businesses need to look at the long-term impacts of their digital marketing budget. It is an impulse to cut marketing budgets when going through tough times. But Search Engine Optimisation is one of those approaches that cannot be switched off at will. This is the bread-and-butter of an organisation. Getting that all-important traffic is crucial to the success of any company. But this is where businesses can learn valuable lessons.

 

17/12/2020