One thing we’ve learned in the last 12 months is that being prepared for whatever comes next, and being flexible enough to roll with the punches, is more important than ever.
The full long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses both large and small are yet to be seen but it’s more important than ever before to make sure that your SEO strategy is as sharp as it can possibly be in 2021 as we roll into another highly challenging year. Here are three reasons why you can’t take your eye off the ball when it comes to your online presence.
Everyone is still searching
With everyone sat at home at their computers all day, it’s never been more important to stand out from the crowd. Some areas are obviously going to be consistently on top (online grocery shopping will be at the front of everyone’s minds for a while longer yet), while others are going to be subject to more fluctuation. Take travel, for example: searches will spike around lockdown easing announcements and everyone will want to know whether they can go anywhere this holiday season, but in the meantime, local “near me” searches will dominate. As people look for essentials, ways to keep fit, little things to make their life at home a little more interesting, or gifts for the holidays, it’s crucial to make sure that your site is optimised to stay near the top of the rankings.
SEO is a necessary expense
There’s no sugar-coating the fact that 2020 has been a brutal year for business, and of course everyone is looking for ways to cut corners. In the UK, the furlough scheme has been extended until the end of March but if there’s one thing the pandemic has shown, it’s that everything is subject to change. While some cost-cutting measures make perfect sense, such as reconsidering whether you need that expensive office space or cutting back on travel costs, this is hardly the time to be dialling back on your site’s optimisation. A professional, responsive google ads agency is more important than ever, and Zesty Marketing Agency offers a team of specialists who’ll work on a multi-layered approach that’s right for your business.
Google is continuing to adapt
While many things came to a grinding halt this year, Google waits for no business, pandemic or no pandemic. If you don’t follow tech news, you may have missed the announcement that Google will be updating its rankings metrics. Following a core update in May this year, the new element is page experience signals, which means that pages that have great experience will be prioritised in the search rankings. Their recent statement highlights a couple of things that publishers can do to improve the site’s page experience but the launch won’t be coming until May 2021, so you can expect more details to trickle out in the coming months. In such turbulent conditions, it’s easy to get distracted by other aspects of the business but SEO does require constant attention, and finding the right PPC agency is a very savvy use of your funds at this time.
