One of the questions we are getting asked recently at (un)Common Logic is “How does COVID-19 affect my SEO strategy?” quickly followed by “What should I be doing differently?”

Taking a step back, while COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, it has not changed a lot in SEO. Most of SEO is not affected by COVID-19. Simply said, Google’s algorithm has not changed and the same basic SEO principles apply:

  • Build and maintain a technically clean website
  • Create and regularly publish high quality, authoritative content
  • Provide users with a good user experience

Keep reading for insights on the ways COVID-19 has affected SEO strategy and tactics.

COVID-19 Has Affected User Interactions

This may sound simplistic, but Google’s mission statement has remained the same: “Our company mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” As such, (un)Common Logic’s overall approach to SEO has also stayed the same.

While things have stayed the same on Google’s side, some things have changed on the user side of the equation. (un)Common Logic has seen big changes in two primary areas:

  • What people are searching for
  • The value propositions potential customers are engaging with

What does this mean for you?

As you think about how to reach your audience and what content to produce, consider how your users’ concerns and perspective may have adjusted due to COVID-19.

  • Are there new “COVID-19 keywords” they are searching for?
  • Has their sense of urgency changed?
  • Are they interacting differently with your business, competitors, or intermediaries?
  • Do they care about different things when they buy?

Spending time examining how COVID-19 may be affecting your users’ online behavior before making any SEO-related moves will keep your SEO strategy focused where it belongs: on your users.

A Recent Example

(un)Common Logic was recently approached by a distance learning company. This SaaS company sells a software platform which enables companies to conduct online training and classes. Before COVID-19 their target customer was CFOs and their selling proposition was “save time and money” by replacing in-person training with online classes. However, in our COVID-19 world, customer concerns have changed.  Today, potential customers are much more likely to respond to messages around “safety” and “reduced travel” due to COVID-19 concerns rather than costs. The result: the company has shifted their content marketing strategy to build articles around safety and reducing business travel.

So what should you do when it comes to COVID-19 and SEO?

(un)Common Logic suggests a couple of things:

  • Start by asking:
    • “Has COVID-19 changed the things my customers care about?”
    • “Are my customers searching for my product or service differently now than before?”
  • Examine your content calendar. Are you creating content that is speaking to the issues your customers care about?
  • Don’t forget to look at your title tags and meta descriptions. If your customers are more worried about safety than saving money, make sure you don’t have legacy value propositions in your meta content.

Contact us to learn more about the (un)Common Logic approach to using SEO and digital marketing to achieve your business goals.