If you’re reading this, then you’re one of the many business owners who are concerned about the future of your business. Of course, the first sensible thing is to follow the World Health Organisation (WHO) safety precautions.
An increasing number of federal governments are creating proactive policies meant to protect the workforce from the worst effects of the pandemic. At the forefront of these measures is self-isolation.
So, what can small business owners do to mitigate the worst economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, specifically from the effects of social distancing?
Here are five good reasons to make use of the current situation to put your search engine marketing strategy in place.
1. You Can Measure the Results
Someone whose focus has been on the top of the funnel for a long time might have to make some tough decisions as they start to feel the pinch of this new situation. This is the time to focus on low-hanging fruit.
Look at your analytics for leads and sales, because search engine marketing actually enables you to track all the important indicators. Once you have that rich database of leads and sales you can then pivot your budget towards money-generating efforts.
Of course, we’re going to see some significant fluctuations in user behavior and buying power in the next few months, but you need to base your actions on hard data. Keep in mind that search engine marketing is reactive by nature which means that you must be able to implement changes based on available data.
This could mean focusing on keyword phrases with the strongest buyer intent or focusing on the most appealing content to the user.
The most important thing is to ensure that you’re spending each dollar wisely on effective methods. Search engine marketing such as Google Ads offers a quick turnaround time when it comes to seeing what works and what doesn’t.
2. Produces Cash Flow
Cash is king in times of economic distress. Businesses that generate adequate cash flow to stay afloat or even continue thriving are the ones that ultimately survive during these tough times. There’s no better search engine marketing technique that’s better than an opt-in email list when it comes to increasing your ROI.
But, you need to work in order to grow your opt-in email list. You must create it through genuine demand and one of the best ways to gain that demand is through search engine marketing.
Apart from that, organic and paid search engine marketing allows you to reach your customer at just the right time. This is no time to worry about the top of the funnel or attribution.
The great thing about search engine marketing is that it connects you with the customer right at the time when they are looking for your product or service. After all, people still need to live even when they’re stuck in self-isolation. Plus, a lot of people will be searching for health advice online which means health specialists like nutritionists could make a huge impact at this time.
3. Users Search More Now
According to early data, people are going to have a hard time finding certain goods. As we all know, scarcity creates huge demand.
When something isn’t available people are willing to look for alternatives. Make sure that your business is at the forefront offering whatever products or services people are looking for. You’ll be surprised at the windfall that you’ll get when you do this, even in the face of unparalleled scarcity.
A lot of SEO pros are already implementing link building campaigns based on keywords for in-demand product alternatives. This includes anything that’s hard to find and expensive.
Businesses that focus on SEO marketing will do very well during this period because the cost of these keywords hasn’t yet increased, but it will over time as the demand for them sees an upward trajectory.
4. They Still Need Products and Services
It’s important to realise that the coronavirus pandemic isn’t the end of the world. People must still get on with their lives, and they still need the products and services that they’re accustomed to. GPs will most likely see an influx of people once this is all over, as overall good health will be of particular concern.
The best way to reach warm leads is to use both paid and organic methods of search engine marketing. This doesn’t mean that you’ll instantly see hordes of visitors and customers flock to your website within hours of setting up your Google Ads campaign. But, in order to see any kind of results, you need to get the ball rolling.
A search engine marketing campaign is one of the best ways to calm nervous decision-makers during this time of uncertainty, especially if this will be your first time implementing this digital marketing technique.
5. This Situation Will Pass Soon
This too shall pass. It’s crucial now more than ever to internalise those words because they are true. The only constant in life is change, and the situation that humanity finds itself in will change. Things will get back to normal and even then search engine optimisation will remain one of the best ways to reach customers.
Businesses who apply the right search engine optimisation methods now will do very well when the markets stabilise again.
Bottom Line
Keep in mind that SEO campaigns are a long game. It’ll be a while before you see tangible and significant results. But the harvest of a well-timed and well-executed SEO campaign can bring you revenue for years to come and help keep you afloat when times are tough.
Taking all of this into consideration, we advise business owners to use this time as an opportunity to apply effective search engine marketing techniques.
Businesses who applied this reaped great rewards during and after the ’08 crash. There’s no better time than today to get started.
Note: The above post serves as recommendation to readers. Running an SEO or Google Ads campaign require careful budgeting. Infinite Ace only recommends campaigns that are suitable to its clients’ needs and budgets.
