It goes without saying that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on practically every aspect of our lives. What’s more, the virus’s impact on the global economy continues to grow with each passing day and its effects will undoubtedly be felt for many years to come. Put simply: business is not as usual.
With the world currently in a state of panic and confusion, businesses of all shapes and sizes in all industries are facing a unique set of challenges few could have predicted. However, this doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. During this time of crisis, it’s imperative that business owners carefully consider each decision that they make, lest the effects of such outlive the situation we’re currently facing.
One of the most important decisions a business owner can make is to keep up with their online marketing efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. Aside from the fact that businesses who keep up with their marketing will come out much stronger than others who abandoned all advertising, anything you do now will most certainly benefit your long-term business growth.
COVID-19 and Your SEO
With most businesses closed and people staying home, internet use and online searches are surging. Even if you are currently experiencing a new low in sales, it’s imperative that you keep up with your SEO efforts. Those who have been in the game for a while know all too well how long it took to achieve those crucial high rankings.
What’s more, current events have not stopped Google from making algorithm changes. This means that it’s more important than ever to keep up with your SEO to ensure that your business is “ready to go” the moment things start to settle down. There’s no guarantee you’ll regain lost search engine rankings, so the safest approach is to simply maintain them.
Update Your Website and Listings
Regardless of the situation, you need to continuously implement changes to your business and adapt your offer to the current reality. Whether this means changing your opening hours, switching to online consultations, offering gift cards, or selling your products and services online, you need to let your customers know.
People are increasingly turning to the internet for up-to-date information on the status of local businesses, and their first stop is often Google. Be sure to reflect any changes you make to your regular business operations on both your website and your business listings.
COVID-19 and Your Google Ads
It’s only natural that businesses facing tough times turn to cost-cutting measures to mitigate losses, and one of the first things that tend to get cut is paid advertising. However, if there’s anything we have learned from previous crashes (such as the dotcom crash in 2000 and the stock market crash 2008) is that the best time to double down is when others are not.
It’s safe to say that during an economic downturn, you’ll find that you will have less competition — meaning that cost-per-click for paid advertising drops. If you have set aside some money previously, now is a great opportunity to dominate the market and take advantage of the lack of online competition.
Google Ads Credit Is On The Way!
Google has announced that they will be giving away $340 million in Ads credit to businesses worldwide. Advertisers that have been active since the beginning of 2019 will see a credit notification appear in their Google Ads account in the coming months. Double-check to ensure that your business qualifies and enjoy the free advertising!
Use This Time Wisely and Think Ahead
Knowing that your Q1 and Q2 numbers might be lower than initially forecasted, focus on planning how to make up for that in the second half of the year. There’s no better time than now to review your website content and add more blog posts, images, and videos to your site. New content will not only make your site more appealing and useful, but it will help boost your site’s search engine rankings. In short, any content you add now is sure to pay off in the future.
Companies able to push through this downturn and strategically plan their future will undoubtedly come out much stronger than those who don’t and will be poised for a much quicker recovery. Remember that what we’re facing now is only temporary and that it’s in your best interests to avoid taking extreme measures that could potentially hinder your overall future business growth. Feel free to get in touch with the Three Marketers today if you have any questions about your current online marketing campaign or want to learn more about how to make the most out of this temporary downtime.
Stay safe out there!
