Best SEO Strategy for Small Business: Rank TOP10 in 2 Months

Many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic often mistakenly think that online marketing becomes unnecessary when direct sales activities slow down or temporarily halt. The truth is that digital marketing strategies like SEO become crucial during this health crisis and even after it ends.

In this article, we will explore why SEO is an essential and practical online marketing strategy that your business can implement during this time. Additionally, we’ll consider whether your business truly needs to implement SEO during these challenging times.

In this article, we will discuss:

1. Why you should use SEO during COVID-19.
2. General SEO strategies.
3. Content-based SEO strategies.
4. Local SEO strategies.

So, let’s get started.

Why should you do SEO?

Data shows that website traffic from paid and organic search results is declining across various industries. Does this mean SEO is futile during the pandemic? Not. Here are some reasons why SEO remains crucial and not insignificant, even during the pandemic:

1. COVID-19 is a transient disease, while SEO is a highly sustainable and effective marketing tool.
2. Consumers tend to support and consume products from local businesses during reduced mobility.
3. Any time is suitable to publish SEO content, regardless of whether it is during a pandemic or not. It is a core aspect of SEO.
4. The visitors you attract at this time may become potential customers.
5. The benefits of SEO are long-lasting.
6. Search habits will continue in our lives even after the pandemic.
7. It is almost cost-free, requiring only your time.

These are just a few of the many reasons SEO is important for small businesses.

General SEO for SMBs during COVID-19

First, discuss broader topics behind these COVID-19 SEO strategies, including consistency, content, local search, and planning.

1. Consistency

SEO requires regular updates and refreshes. Uptick Marketing affirms this: “SEO is like growing fruit-bearing trees. Business results are like sweet fruit. If you only plant in one season and harvest without continuing to nurture the trees, you won’t have any sweet fruit in the next harvest season.”

SEO demands continuous renewal and consistent attention if you want it to be effective and long-lasting. Even if your actions during COVID-19 are minimal, it’s better to keep going than stop altogether. All these efforts will impact your business results during and after the pandemic.

2. Long-form Content

Long-form content engages readers and encourages them to delve deeper into the topic rather than quickly skimming through and moving between tasks. This type of content attracts more readers and is critical to SEO success. According to Backlinko, non-paid search results ranking on the first page of Google contain an average of 1,890 words.

Suppose your business activities are slowing down due to the pandemic, and you have spare time. In that case, you can dedicate it to writing and designing long-form content such as blogs and gradually publishing them during this period.

3. Local SEO

Local SEO benefits small businesses as they compete with more prominent brands and websites. Local businesses are often the preferred choice, especially during the COVID period, when people primarily work and live at home. Local SEO strategies are crucial for any business. However, they can be handy for businesses that are still operational and for people who only have a little time to read lengthy content.

4. Balancing Short-term and Long-term Goals

Although we know the COVID-19 pandemic will eventually end, its impact will be long-lasting. Your overall SEO strategy should combine both short-term and long-term tactics.

• Short-term SEO efforts include publishing content related to topics such as the impact of Covid on your industry and updating your listings and website in terms of local SEO.
• Long-term SEO efforts involve publishing content that answers your customers’ questions after the pandemic and continuing with your traditional strategic goals.

The allocation of your focus between short-term and long-term goals will vary depending on your business operations and will have different avenues for development.

SEO Content for Small and Medium-sized Businesses during COVID-19

Even though you know you should continue developing your SEO strategy and understand that long-form content is a good idea, you might need clarification on what to write about. Here are some tips to help you:

5. Target Covid-related Keywords

In the short term, an SEO strategy targets trending keywords to increase your website traffic.

Broad and general search terms will make you compete with global and highly authoritative websites like news portals. However, for long-term searches, you can target specific niche keywords related to Covid-19 that can help you rank higher.

For example, a search for “preventing neck pain during quarantine” brings up a blog post from Wood Associates Physical Therapy. Although the SMB is closed, this blog post builds connections with potential and future customers.

6. Target broader topics and trends

If specific COVID-related topics and keywords are still highly competitive for your business, consider broader issues you can apply across industries, such as “trends” or “trendy”.

7. Optimize your existing content

The beauty of this SEO strategy is that it doesn’t require creating new content. One of the search trends during COVID-19 is the increased search volume for previously inactive topics.

Check if you have any existing content that aligns with your audience during COVID-19. Refresh and republish it at the top of your blog to attract more traffic.

8. Target new audiences

Another search trend we’re seeing is new queries, such as “Rice cooker pancake”.

Consider your target audience’s needs, desires, and preferences, and find creative ways to capture their attention. You can target unique searches to achieve high rankings.

9. Continue creating evergreen content

COVID-19 is a severe and significant issue, and although it’s currently a hot topic, it will gradually decrease in importance. Therefore, while COVID-19-related content can help boost your traffic now, remember your long-term goals.

Continue with your original content and marketing goals because, unlike trending content, evergreen content accumulates traffic over time and builds trust for your SEO results.

10. Update successful content

Even your high-quality content occasionally needs adjustments, such as updating information, adding new images, updating statistics, etc. Running ads daily, producing new content, editing recent posts, or updating trends are all activity updates.

However, for many, the fact that they are performing well is why they receive special attention. As they maintain good traffic, a few updates can create significant changes.

The pandemic is a good time to repost your most effective active posts and polish them to make users aware of and choose your page as their first click. Some optimization you can do includes:

• Adding high-quality embedded links.
• Adding new information.
• Updating images.
• Adding alternative text to images.
• Adding keywords to the title.
• Modify the title tag to make it more appealing.

Comprehensive SEO for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in COVID-19

The most critical aspect of a business’s local SEO strategy is its Google Business Profile (GMB). Your GMB profile is a data source for Google Maps listings, local search results, and your Knowledge Panel.

These listings provide quick and detailed snapshots of your business, allowing consumers to find you on Google search and interact with you, including ratings and reviews, directly from the search results pages.

The specific and real-time information your GMB profile provides helps consumers determine if you are open, nearby, and offering services during the pandemic. Your local marketing strategy during COVID-19 should primarily focus on GMB.

Knowing how to use GMB effectively can help you stand out from your competitors and become the top choice for customers.

11. Verify your hours

Google has added a label “hours may differ” or marked businesses as temporarily closed. If a consumer searches for a business near them during COVID-19 and sees multiple listings, which company do you think they will interact with? Is the one they know open, or must we call and verify?

12. Check your business’s supportive features

Many businesses are adapting to the pandemic by offering special accommodations such as curbside pickup or indirect delivery. Google Business displays these features on your business profile, so check the features you provide. Even if you are temporarily closed, these small details can be crucial when reopening to customers and may become necessary as the pandemic improves.

To highlight applicable features in GMB, remember to select a category. If any specific pandemic-related features are unavailable for your variety, consider adding them to your business name or “business description” section.

If a particular attribute is unavailable in your business category, add that attribute to your business name.

13. Update your other listings

While your GMB listing is beneficial during COVID-19, it is not the only part of an effective local SEO strategy. Other listings are also crucial as they serve as citations for your website, and Google considers the consistency and accuracy of these listings with each other and your website.

If you have some free time as a business, now is the right time to review your online listings.

• Ensure all your information is consistent across platforms.
• Check for any new listings that may have been created automatically or by users.
• Monitor your reputation. Track customer reviews and respond to them, both positive and negative. Customers look at your responses as well as the reviews.
• Set up Google alerts so that you can keep up with future studies and automatically create listings.

Final SEO strategy: Focus on conversions

Website traffic may decrease during COVID-19 as consumer trends change. However, it could mean that the people still visiting your website despite these trends are genuinely interested in what you offer. Optimizing for conversions leads to the ultimate SEO strategy that your small business can try during COVID-19. They are not entirely SEO (CRO) but closely related. If you cannot attract more people to your website, focusing on converting those visitors into customers is better. Here are some ways to increase conversion rates from organic traffic:

• Use a plugin to create pop-up windows for content downloads, such as OptinMonster or Omniconvert.
• Create a sidebar widget for visitors to subscribe to your email newsletter.
• Try adding CTAs to your homepage.
• Run limited-time offers with free services or discounts.

If SEO is what you want to focus on during this COVID period, then research the following list:

1. Focus on long-form content.
2. Balance short-term and long-term goals.
3. Target keywords related to “covid 19”.
4. Adapt content to pandemic trends.
5. Optimize existing content.
6. Target new audiences.
7. Continue keyword strategies.
8. Update old content that used to work well.
9. Update Google Business Profile.
10. Perform checks and updates on other relevant listings.

Depending on your development direction, you can diversify your accounts immediately by publishing search articles on pandemic trends. For more marketing tips on COVID-19, you can visit EverRanks to update your knowledge and information.

Additionally, if you still need more experience and support for your SEO business, contact EverRanks for assistance and clarification.