COVID-19 is not exactly anyone’s favorite topic of conversation. Yet, it is a shared experience that revolutionized how we view SEO. Here are a few things that changed pre-pandemic to post pandemic in relation to SEO.
Increase in Online Shopping
SEO became increasingly important during the pandemic due to the influx of online shopping. Many people bought even their groceries online and had them delivered to their door. The usability of websites became incredibly important for businesses to be successful.
According to Elk.com, “In June 2020, every brand’s SEO results went through the roof, because brick and mortar stores got shut down and online became the go-to. In response to customer demands and market trends, the website and other digital platforms became one of the strongest foundations for a business’s growth through a challenging time.” This article demonstrates how websites became a lot of customer’s first and only impression of stores and was a great opportunity for companies to grow.
Shift in Browsing Habits
COVID-19 also changed many consumer’s browsing habits. Many people spent an increased amount of time online not only for functional purposes but for entertainment as well. This change has continued well past the pandemic with consumers continuing to digest short form content online and blog posts as well. It is now imperative that companies have a substantial online presence to be successful today due to the public’s habits.
Increased Competition Online
During the pandemic, many companies shifted online and improved their presence on the internet. Because of this, there is more competition in the area of SEO. That is why, post COVID-19, it is important for companies to target niche audiences with their SEO. It is easier to win more specific key phrases that relate to your content than more general phrases that are dominated by big brands. Spike Interactive suggests that you select keywords that are navigational, local, transactional, and local to reach the customers that are interested in your product.
SEO in a Post-Pandemic World
Although many of the changes that we noted had been occurring even before the pandemic, COVID-19 accelerated these shifts greatly. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic forced companies to move online, create more content, and research keywords more seriously to reach their target markets. Now, companies must stay on top of these changes in order to be successful.
3 Responses
Love the data driven nature of this post! Great job showing these trends and awesome work backing it up with such reputable sources! Looking forward to reading what else you post!
This is an interesting topic! It is cool to see how SEO and search changed in just a few years between pre and post pandemic and how drastic the change was. You utilized links and quotes well in this post!
Great post! Super catchy title, infectious even… Good use of the featured image and titles of the sections. You used specific examples of organizations and linked to them to provide more information, which was helpful.