- Every business needs to make the most out of their SEO strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the digital age, having a website is paramount. Whether a brick-and-mortar or an online store, your business must have an online representation or entity. A website does more than meets the eye. Not only does it create your branding, but it also promotes your products or service. It allows you to reach out to your target consumers and engage with them. Lastly, it enables you to conduct business transactions with your clients or customers.
It isn’t enough, however, that you have a website. No matter how visually appealing and highly functional it is, your site won’t matter if it cannot be found in the first place. Unfortunately, the web is saturated with tons of sites and bombarded with too much information. It can be difficult for your websites and content pieces to have online prominence. That is where search engine optimization (SEO) comes into the picture.
Let’s take a look at how important SEO is in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEO amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
SEO primarily aims to increase your online visibility and website traffic. This happens when your website or content gets the top ranking of the search engine results pages (SERP). When your target consumers search online, your site or content pieces appear on top of the SERP. To ensure this SEO ranking, you must optimize your website, produce relevant content, and build links.
During this pandemic, many consumers have got hooked online to look for information, be it a product, service, or business. On the other end of the spectrum, many brick-and-mortar businesses have gone digital as well. Imagine how saturated the internet has become and how high the competition is in your market.
Through SEO, you’ll be able to put your business in the spotlight by increasing your online prominence and driving traffic to your website. Having high website traffic can translate into plenty of opportunities for your business, from lead generation to customer engagement up to sales conversion.
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Technical SEO: Optimizing your business website
The first thing to consider for your SEO implementation is the technical aspect of your website. It refers to the non-content elements of your website. These include visual elements like the layout, background, color scheme, white space, and typography. Also, factor in functionality features like speed, loading time, navigation, and calls-to-action (CTAs). Remember that Google will favor those websites that cater to the needs of their customers.
When optimizing your website, you must have the user experience (UX) in mind. Try visiting your site and navigate from one web page to another. Ask yourself if you’re happy and satisfied with the experience.
If not, it’s best to hire a website development company that can conduct a site audit and optimize your website. Below are some features they must incorporate in your website:
- Well-structure user interface (UI)
- Streamlined visual elements
- Minimalist design
- Ample whitespace
- Use of color psychology
- Responsive web design
On-Page SEO: Producing relevant content
Content is and will always be king in the digital world. Of course, this is what online users are looking for in the first place. Sure, the technical side of a website may have a say in the UX. But consumers will always be searching for content, whether a blog post about a service or an image of a product.
If you want to boost your on-page SEO, be sure to create relevant and valuable content. Relevancy requires that your content pieces resonate with your target market. On the other hand, your content must provide value to your potential customers.
However, it doesn’t stop there. On a more technical side, you must conduct keyword research. This is crucial if you want to improve your search engine rankings. This is to have a list of terminologies that your target consumers are more likely to use in the search engines. From there, be sure to incorporate these keywords into your content. So, when target consumers type in the search engine field, your site will appear on SERP.
Off-page SEO: Building backlinks
When we talk about off-page SEO, most digital marketers think about building backlinks for site authority. Know that backlinks are links from one web page to another. In this blog post, the word ‘backlink’ above is linked to another source. If you click on it, it will direct you to the Search metrics website.
Building backlinks is essential for SEO. They serve as votes that tell search engines like Google that your content is credible, useful, and valuable. The goal is not to have as many links as you can. For this to work, you must opt for quality over quantity.
Off-page SEO goes beyond building backlinks. By definition, it refers to any action taken outside of your website that affects your SEO ranking. As such, you must ensure that your business website has a good online reputation. Aside from building backlinks, resort to guest blogging, social media marketing, and influencer marketing. With off-page SEO, you can ensure your website’s EAT: expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
SEO is indeed one of the pillars of digital marketing. To boost your online visibility and website traffic, don’t neglect your SEO at all. Know that it is all the more necessary to implement SEO strategies during this pandemic. That said, be sure to consider the three SEO aspects in your digital marketing campaign. All these will put your website in the top SERP ranking and your business on the pedestal of success.