How Have SEO Trends Changed Since the Pandemic?

14 Dec ‘20

In: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), / By: Ripe Media

Seek and ye shall find. But you need to let yourself be found. 

Search engine optimization makes and breaks small businesses. If you can produce search engine-friendly content, your business will be found. If your business is found, you will succeed.

But SEO is always changing. New search terms rise to the forefront, and old terms fall away. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the SEO landscape. But you can turn a profit on SEO. Here is a quick guide to SEO trends during the pandemic. 

Understand the Landscape

Any SEO strategy begins with research. You can only optimize your search results once you know how people are searching. 

Coronavirus keywords are the most popular keywords. Most people type in “COVID,” or they attach “COVID” to the end of search results. “COVID-19,” “coronavirus,” and “pandemic” are not as popular as “COVID.” 

Most people are looking for critical information. They want to know about the symptoms and vaccines for COVID. They want to know about the condition of famous people who are sick. 

They also want to know about travel restrictions. COVID causes a particular problem, and they are looking for information to fix that problem. They want information fast, then they want to move on. 

Life During the Pandemic

Besides COVID, people are looking for content that helps them adapt to the pandemic. Many people are looking for retail, home delivery, and mortgage payments. They are also looking for how-to guides, especially for preparing and freezing food. 

When people type in their terms, they use long-tail keywords. These keywords usually feature the subterm, “near me,” or they provide a city or state. People look for “vacuum repair Houston Texas” instead of “vacuum repair.”

“With me” is another popular subterm. People cannot connect to each other during the pandemic, so they are connecting with people on the Internet. “Study with me” and “cook with me” are popular trending terms. 

Interest is also high for video games and happy hour. People want critical information, but they also want some sense of leisure. 

Thanking Essential Workers

“Thank essential workers” has remained a popular term throughout the whole pandemic. “Everyday heroes” is another popular term. 

Many people are looking for guides about who essential workers are. Government websites dominate the top of these search results. Many colleges and universities also put out pages thanking essential workers, which rise to the top of results. 

One opportunity for small businesses comes in “near me” results. Writing a blog post thanking essential workers near your business can rise to the top of results. It is also an effective strategy toward developing a compassionate brand. 

Essential workers are inspiring many people to learn about self-care. Results relating to self-care have spiked, with people looking for ways to relax, treat sicknesses, and grieve.  

Black Lives Matter

COVID does not act in isolation. The racial reckoning in the United States following the death of George Floyd ignited search results. Millions of Americans looked for articles about anti-Black racism and African-American history. 

Consider writing a post about Black Lives Matter. Discuss Black-owned businesses in your area, and tell their story. Reach out to local community leaders and have them write a guest post on your blog. 

Writing one blog post is not enough. Commit yourself to anti-racist learning and training. Donate to local community organizations, and conduct internal audits to ensure that Black employees are paid fairly and get regular promotions. 

Remain Evergreen

COVID will be with us for a while. But it will eventually fade away. 

Some search terms are evergreen. People always look for articles on love, parenting, food, and finance. These issues are at the core of many small businesses. 

We can also call certain formats evergreen. Lists, tip guides, how-to articles, and encyclopedia entries are always popular. News articles fall by the wayside and toward the bottom of search results. 

Even during COVID, you should produce content that will last. Have a content marketing strategy in place. Conceive your brand, then have every blog post build back to your brand. 

Customers are looking for smart, compassionate, and charismatic professionals. Intelligence and decency are always popular. Show that you are a titan of industry, and show a little bit about yourself in the process. 

A View Through Videos

More and more companies are using videos to publicize themselves. Videos are great for SEO. They allow customers to see business owners, and they provide more detail on the business and industry. 

Many different kinds of videos are popular. Interviews with staff, instructional guides, and live streams have all been successful. Shorter videos are more popular than longer videos, but a company can release a series of related short videos. 

The key to any video is to stay focused. Do not include unnecessary information, including inappropriate jokes or facts. Highlight a product, service, or personality. 

Make sure your video is well-lit and sounds good. Many people turn off videos after the first few seconds because it is poor quality. 

Value User Experience

You can only capitalize on SEO trends if you value user experience. User experience encompasses every aspect of how your audience reaches your SEO content. Your load times need to be fast, and your website design needs to promote readability. 

Visit your front page, contact page, and blog every day. If something loads too slow, contact your website designer and get it fixed. 

SEO Trends During the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the entire world. That goes for SEO trends as well. But you can find SEO tricks to make your business profitable. 

Understand the landscape. People are looking for COVID-related information using long search terms. They are localizing their searches, and they are looking for specific types of leisure. 

Many people want to thank essential workers and learn about Black Lives Matter. At the same time, formats and search terms that were popular before COVID remain popular. Videos and user experience are growing in importance. 

COVID-19 will only change the landscape more. Ripe Media can keep you updated with the latest SEO tools. Contact us today, or call us at 323-882-6874. 

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