If your business is slowly sinking because of COVID-19, learn these 7 SEO benefits for small businesses.
Everyone feels uncertain nowadays because of the deadly pandemic that wreaks havoc around the world. For small businesses, these days have been really tough.
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t just a threat to health but to the economy as well, especially to small businesses and startups. Amidst the Congressional approval of the $700 billion stimulus package to support small businesses, it didn’t stop the permanent shut down of 100,000 businesses since March.
According to studies done by the Harvard Business School and the University of Chicago, at least 2 percent of small businesses have closed in the United States with the restaurant industry as the worst affected sector. According to the National Restaurant Association, 3 percent of restaurants closed due to the pandemic.
This pandemic created a significant economic impact as the majority of industries are struggling to come to terms with the restrictions and lockdowns. This forced a lot of businesses to modify its operation by working remotely to thrive amidst this pandemic.
With this in mind, maybe this is the perfect time for your small business to utilize digital marketing strategies, particularly Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In this way, you give your business a chance to survive and even grow during an economic crisis like this one.
To learn how SEO can help your business, check out the 7 benefits of SEO for small businesses during a pandemic.
- It gives you an edge over your competitors – Due to the lockdown, many business owners nowadays believe that SEO isn’t as effective anymore because people are locked up in their homes. This is completely false because Google isn’t stopping its work even in a pandemic. People are now busier browsing the internet and searching for stuff on Google. SEO will be more helpful to your business in this situation because it helps your website gain a better ranking on Google’s results pages. You can improve your website’s ranking by strategically using keywords relevant to your business’ niche.
- SEO provides your business a lifeline – Since people are more present online than before, you have to start transitioning your business online. This will be very convenient for your customers who want to purchase your goods online or have inquiries about your products or services. You can answer inquiries, respond to emails, and assist customers in purchasing your product through an online ordering system.
- You have an analytical insight into the demands – Through SEO analytics, you can predict the curves of the demands of your products and services. This vital information will help you formulate better business strategies in case there’s a slump in sales. SEO analytics will help you see how quickly the interest in your product or service can change.
- It helps your business gain more potential customers – Even during a lockdown, people are still spending money through online shopping. Local SEO helps these potential customers to find your business faster. Local SEO is valuable because it is highly targeted and timely, and most people search locally for businesses that they want to transact with.
- It enhances the user experience in your site – Utilizing SEO’s best practices improves the website and content that benefits your customers’ overall user experience. Your site will be more organized and easier to navigate as you continue to build and optimize its content. This will also give you the chance to evaluate your site based on the user’s perspective. It will give you insights to improve accessibility and navigation. This way, you can correct errors such as missing image alt text, confusing calls-to-actions, and the lack of internal links to name a few.
Conclusion
It is really sad to see that the world we are living in right now is greatly affected by a pandemic. We’re not just losing lives but livelihood as well. However, we should live on and survive by finding new innovative ways to thrive. SEO is just one of the best ways to keep your business up on its feet and will help your business grow by using it in the best way possible.
