Investing in SEO During a Pandemic

Investing in SEO During a Pandemic

During a global pandemic, few things are more soothing than music. From classic R&B to mid-aughts pop, there are thousands of songs dedicated to one timeless subject.

No, not love. We’re talking about change.

There have been more than a few changes brought on by the pandemic, and even now it can be hard to tell what has changed for your business.

Wondering whether investing in SEO during a pandemic is still important? The short answer is “Yes. More than ever.”

Ready to track the changes the pandemic has had on SEO, and discover how you improve your SEO efforts? We’ve got all the info you need to make the right moves. As Bob Dylan wisely said, “The Times They Are A-Changing,” and that couldn’t be more true than in the world of pandemic-era SEO.

How Has the Pandemic Changed SEO?

SEO is driven by people. That means when people change, so do searches. A decade ago, Taylor Swift announced, “Everything Has Changed,” and while she may have been referring to a whirlwind romance, the statement certainly applies to pandemic search habits.

Consider how consumer searches have changed around topics including:

• Personal spending habits – Saving, spending—American economic habits have varied throughout the pandemic. That said, there’s been no better way of keeping track of consumer spending than through tangible SEO analytics.

• Comparative shopping – Consumers are savvier than ever when it comes to comparing brands and products against each other. While brand recognition and loyalty are still relevant factors, standing up side-by-side with the competition during searches has become even more important.

• Searching for stock – Shoppers eager to receive their purchases as soon as possible have been utilizing terms such as “in stock” and “who has” at a higher rate than ever, according to recent data.

Of course, these search habit changes are only part of the story. Virtual events, work-from-home employment, and a whole host of popular delivery services have changed the digital landscape. 

“Change is a powerful thing,” Lana Del Rey warned us. Who’d have known she was an SEO expert on top of being an unparalleled pop songstress?

Tips for Investing in SEO During A Pandemic

You know SEO is an important, multifaceted, and constantly changing subject matter, relevant to your business. Take the next step by discovering ways to maximize your SEO content and earn the best return on your SEO investment. 

It’s time to live by the immortal words of Kelly Clarkson: “Take a chance, make a change, and break away” from standard, expected, and outdated SEO content.

#1. Craft High-Quality Content

We’re all trying our best, right? But crafting high-quality content takes time and resources, and occasionally it might seem like increasing quantity might make up the gap in your SEO content.

Prior to the pandemic, Google had already begun crafting an algorithm that prioritized high-quality content. In the following years, it has continued to drive SEO. 

But what makes content high quality? Consider these factors:

• Authoritative – Build your reader’s trust by writing as an authority on the subject at hand. That doesn’t mean being pushy, cold, or using an excess of exclamation points. It means using language that informs, educates, and ensures your readers that you know what you’re talking about.

• Accurate research – Quality SEO prioritizes vetted sources and accurate information to keep the reader informed. Misreporting or mishandling facts can negatively impact your SEO content. If Google believes your content to be misinformation, it could be totally filtered out of searches.

• Rigorous editing – Polish up all your content with multiple revisions and a rigorous editorial process. Mistakes happen, but the more eyes and opportunities you have to refine a piece of content, the less something like a misused comma will sneak past your critical eye. 

Fleetwood Mac may have been afraid of changing. But if you’ve built your SEO content around quality, you can look forward to a landslide of traffic on your page.

#2. Focus on Keywords

If you think keywords are less important than they once were, it might be time to change your tune. 

More than a decade ago, Google began removing keyword data and by 2013, keyword information was no longer accessible. That doesn't mean keywords stopped being relevant. 

After all, how we search hasn’t changed. Words, phrases, and sentences make up the entirety of what we search, and isolating the most frequently used keywords is a huge part of SEO success.

Optimize your keywords for today by implementing the following:

• Add keywords in multiple places – It’s not enough to stack your homepage with a series of keywords. Consider adding keywords to titles, headers, meta descriptions, and image titles to improve your keyword ranking.

• Consider the human experience – Are your keywords popping up in awkward positions? Not only can improperly placed keywords ruin the smooth flow of your content, but they can also hinder user engagement. That means fewer clicks and less return, even if you’ve used all the right words.

• Engage in an SEO audit – Discover how your site is performing through an SEO audit. This will allow you to see how your current content is performing relative to keyword rankings. You’ll also get an idea of where your site requires improvement.

If your site's traffic has been slowing, it’s time to reinvest in SEO and follow the sage-like advice of David Bowie—make some “ch-ch-ch-ch-changes” to your keyword usage.

#3. Know Your Audience 

Whether you’re aiming at a specific industry, age group, or demographic, pandemic-era SEO is all about making stronger connections with your target audience.

It’s never been more important to understand what consumers are looking for and how you can change their searches and clicks into active leads. To borrow a line from 2Pac, “Things changed and that’s just the way it is.” 

So what can you do to better understand your customer base? Try the following:

• Explore your analytics – The 21st-century solution to discovering your audience, Google Analytics offers a simple way to get basic demographic information. The more you know, the more specialized your content messaging can be.

• Analyze your socials – If your business is actively engaged on social media, you’ll have another opportunity for audience analytics. Additionally, you can explore your competitor's pages to see where your audiences overlap or differ.

• Direct questions – Via polls or online surveys you can connect directly with your audience to learn more about them. It’s a time-tested method and could help your brand appear more approachable or customer friendly. 

#4. Optimize Your Links

In 1996, Sheryl Crow knew that a change would do you good. Why not take her advice and look to change the way you optimize internal and external links?

Hyperlinks are one of the oldest mechanics on the web. They can help create a strong reader experience, seamlessly linking between content and products.

Why else might you consider taking a second pass at your SEO content links? Well, there are a whole host of reasons, including:

• Strengthening your brand – Internal and external links can expand the network of your business, adding authority and credibility to your brand. If those visiting your site can find information and solutions through your content, you’re likely to build stronger customer relations.

• Consistency – Linking topics and content together can create a consistent user experience, furthering your business's accessibility and building a cohesive brand.

• Page rankings – As with all SEO content, the ideal is to make pages easier to find via search engines. Internal linking can help increase page rankings between several different pages at once, boosting the potential of your entire site.

#5. Create Fresh Content

At the dawn of the millennium, Dr. Dre admitted, “Things just ain’t the same for gangstas. Times is changin’.” That’s not just true for the city of Compton. It’s also true for SEO. Part of that change is the need for fresh, “evergreen” content designed to provide new opportunities for search traffic.

Sure, you could just keep writing the same content over and over again, trying to recapture the market with stronger writing, punchier bullet points, or better musical references. But changing up your content entirely might be the smartest move you can make.

To start crafting fresh SEO content that will attract more eyes to your business, consider these tips:

• Find a niche – Burgeoning markets, new interests, and fresh terms are the perfect place to start when designing new content. Consumers encounter new ideas and subjects on a near-daily basis, and paying attention to current trends is essential for finding a new content niche.

• The same, but in a new way – Sometimes you just haven’t found the right way to get your content idea across. New content can find new ways of phrasing, investigating, or exploring a topic that touches on what you’ve already done and expands it even further.

• Get topical – Are the holidays coming? Has a news story relevant to your business just broken? Fresh content is often crafted to fulfill timely and topical customer needs. Don’t let an event pass by without crafting related SEO content.

Invest in SEO with Copycat Copywriters

A change is gonna come. Sam Cooke knew it in 1963, and you know it today. As unpredictable as the future might seem, Copycat is all tuned up to take on the ever-changing world of SEO copywriting for your business with pitch-perfect content.

Ready for Copycat’s agile, catlike content reflexes? We’re standing by to craft a piece of complimentary content to assure you that we’re the right writers for the job. 

For SEO content that flows with the changes, choose Copycat Copywriters.

Sources: 
Search Engine Journal. Google Predicts These 4 Pandemic Changes Are Permanent. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-predicts-pandemic-changes/399149/#close 

Google Search Central. Report spam, paid links, or malware. https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/report-spam#rich-snippets-spam 

Search Engine Watch. Goodbye, Keyword Data: Google Moves Entirely to Secure Search. https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2013/09/23/goodbye-keyword-data-google-moves-entirely-to-secure-search/