The need of the hour is to reach customers in the best way possible and meet their needs.
The entire human race has experienced a setback due to COVID-19. Along with this, businesses also have suffered a huge impact due to this pandemic.
Several entities have to hunt for ways that can help them reach and strengthen their relation with their customers.
Although it appears to be easy but it takes continuous efforts to retain and win customers. Discussed here are two main aspects that can simplify your task with the help of SEO:
- The Recovery Phase
- Adapting the New eCommerce Business Practices
The Recovery Phase
During a crisis, there is a major shift in the marketing budget. In fact, most budding enterprises avoid investing in marketing resources. As a matter of fact, this should be your last resort.
Every organization should take a pause and prepare a recovery plan. A plan that can help them function throughout the pandemic. Remember, marketing is quite powerful, when done correctly it can bring you positive results.
Firms can adopt Crisis-Recovery-Growth (CRG) framework. This framework may appear to be a common solution. But, what makes it different for you is the way you implement it.
The way you prioritize each channel during each phase can have a significant impact on your business.
It is important to connect, adjust, and engage through key channels such as SEO, website, content, and local.
During this phase, your enterprise must consider:
- Increase and maintain digital relevance.
- Introduce COVID-related content, policies, and FAQs.
- Update your maps and local presence.
- Upgrade and offer the latest content.
During this phase it is essential to aim at the following tactics:
- Local
- Offers
- Schemas
- FAQs
- AMP
- Local
Local visibility plays a significant role to recover your business. An updated profile can help you to amplify your business opportunities. In the current market scenario, it is essential to get a grip on your business activities.
This is important because a major section of your audience utilizes Google to learn about you or your services.
- Offers
The pandemic has left several enterprises crumbling. It’s almost starting all over again from scratch for organizations. In such circumstances, it is important to offer lucrative packages and offers to your customers.
Make note of your customers’ requirements and your current business scenario. Determine causes of concerns, barriers, and current and future demands.
Carry out website research, google trends, forums, customer services logs, and trends in global markets.
Your offers are dependable on the nature of your product/services. For instance, if you are into food services, one of the major concerns for your customers is the safety issue. They want to ensure that there is no transmission of virus while the food is delivered.
You can adopt a no-touch production and delivery policy. Highlight the same through your marketing campaigns and explain that you take all the necessary precautionary measures.
Make sure that you mention this ‘no-contact’ policy in your FAQs, social media messages, and also on your website.
- Schemas
Schemas have the potential to guide Google to understand a language. Schemas help you to subliminally add more information to your website without directly adding it on your website or customers.
Crawlers can then pick this data and utilize the information to enhance their knowledge about your services. Schemas have an impact and accelerate gains. You can utilize COVID-related schema to notify events and make announcements.
You can also develop and implement a robust schema to enable improved voice, traffic, and increase rank. All this can be done without affecting your internal IT resources.
- FAQs
Frequently asked questions and voice search functionality can help improve visibility. There are different ways to determine essential questions. The best way to identify the right set of questions and resolve customer queries is to utilize online and offline resources.
While including FAQs on your website make sure that you consider these elements-
- Assure that the website has good speed and analyze schemas to retain FAQs.
- Create FAQ content that your customers are curious to know about your product/services. FAQs must help resolve customer queries.
- If you implement voice search feature, then ensure that it operates properly so that customers can easily ask questions and get correct answers to them.
- AMP
Amp or accelerated mobile pages have potential to load faster and generate better engagement, visibility, and conversion.
AMP is Google’s arrangement to improve the speed of the website. An AMP site has a replica on Google’s server that promises quicker user experience.
These sites load ten times faster than the others. Improved user experience helps trigger increased clicks and search visibility.
Besides, these are some common speed breakers that you must be mindful of:
- Don’t ignore signs from your customers.
- Missing out on schemas or schema errors.
- A poor mobile speed score below 65.
- Not marinating the SERP with various asset channels and alternatives.
Adapting to the New eCommerce Business Practices
It is tricky to understand and decipher market scenarios during and also post pandemic.
There is an upsurge in certain products while there is almost no demand for other products. Carry out an in-depth analysis of the demand for your product/services currently and in the near future.
An increased number of customers have switched to online purchase to ensure safe and timely delivery. Make sure that you take advantage of this for your eCommerce business.
There are specific industries such as travel, hotels, etc. that are experiencing a great downfall during the pandemic. It is difficult to retain customers for businesses associated with these industries.
There are 5 effective yet smart ways through which digital marketers can help you surpass these trying times-
- Maintain Organic Visibility
In today’s modern business world, digital visibility holds tremendous significance. This visibility has several advantages that can help you to survive the odds of the pandemic.
When you think about organic activity, SEO rules the market. Switching to an entirely different strategy may have repercussions. However, SEO may bring you results in the future but what should you do to hold on your visibility currently?
The simplest and the best way is to blend SEO with PPC. There is no option to put off SEO as it brings you quality results in the future. PPC can help you manage the business currently.
With the pandemic in effect, Google will tweak a few algorithms so that the public acquires authentic and precise information. Don’t skip your basics as it may jeopardize your organic visibility in the future.
Organic search is the most sustainable solution for almost every market scenario and industry. People are in hunt of good and nothing better than this time so make the most of this opportunity.
eCommerce businesses possess better abilities and have the potential to withstand their enterprises during this difficult phase.
- Be Productive on Social Media
Several potential customers will be surfing and spending additional time on social media platforms. With work from home in effect, several customers will have add-on time to spend on these platforms.
This is a brilliant opportunity to re-create your magic and refurbish your social media strategy. In case you don’t have one, it’s the best time to work on your social media presence.
You can create and re-create social media presence through:
- Help: Help businesses and people to bridge the gap and resolve their problems. Provide the much-needed assistance to your customers and local businesses.
- Round the clock services: Inform your customers that you are ready to help them at any hour of the day or night. Update them about your presence at regular intervals.
- Improve life: Work from home and social distancing has isolated people. Make sure that you help your audience to cope with the anxiety and dullness and keep in touch with you
- Share experiences
Digital PR can help to send a recall to your audience stating that you are doing the best to guide people. If your business has experienced something, then make sure that you share it through digital PR.
Approach a journalist or share the same through your social media platforms. A strong story is likely to win the hearts of customers.
Find a healthy way to associate with other businesses. This will help reduce the unwanted competitive pressure and bring a smile on the face of your customers. Besides, at this moment it is important to sail through together rather than get sunk.
- Get creative with PPC budget
A lot of rumors are going around regarding eliminating PPC campaigns from marketing departments of a budding business. In fact, these campaigns are merely viewed as an expense.
The right approach is to discard or reduce expenses on ineffective strategies.
Refrain from the use of a non-essential keyword that promises lower conversion rates. This is because this may demand investment of several resources and fail to deliver expected output.
Instead, invest in promising keywords that can generate conversions.
Takeaway
The need of the hour is to reach customers in the best way possible and meet their needs. It is important to connect with them, understand their plight, and assist them through this phase.
With the right eCommerce SEO tactics, you can survive through the COVID-19 pandemic.
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