COVID-19 has turned the business world upside down and changed how businesses will operate for the foreseeable future. Online products have seen an unlevelled amount of interest due to the pandemic.
With business owners now looking at downsizing on office space and employees working from home or a hybrid setting, this could continue past 2021 and become the ‘new norm’.
In this article, I look to give hints to both business owners and SEO companies and their SEO specialists on what you need to consider.
Also, how to engage and retain your potential and existing client base as businesses need to generate convertible traffic, not just clicks!
I’m going to point out areas where savvy SEO specialists should invest time and resources in 2021 and beyond. Let’s get to it.
#1. Social Media – Engaging & Retaining
2021 is a pivotal year for businesses to consider what resources they have and where to allocate them.
SEO companies are aware that budgets have drastically changed off the back of the pandemic. However, if you are making cutbacks, be sure to allocate funds for your local SEO specialists to use Social Media Marketing.
If you speak with your SEO company, they are likely to talk about client retention. Retention has been the main priority in 2020, and 2021 will be no different.
In countries such as Australia, the UK, the US and Canada, with lockdown measures in place, people have intensified in researching products, brands and companies themselves.
This shift in consumer behaviour means heavy competition, but it provides an opportunity for SEO companies to find a new audience and re-engage with existing customers.
From a business owner’s perspective, it’s vital to engage with your SEO company and their designated SEO specialists to build a roadmap.
Having a clear plan towards content planning, regular posting and monitoring customer response to driving them through the sales funnel is essential.
Even if you don’t engage with Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram personally, remember millions of other people DO!
#2. Prioritise Local SEO
If you live in a suburb or small town, it is vital to ensure your local listings are fully up-to-date. Search platforms are numerous, so your SEO company should be well aware of keeping information current, so communication with them is paramount. Take a dentist or a car dealership; for instance, local acknowledgment is everything in these conditions. Google My Business provides searchers with localised information.
It provides the reader with information, including locations, contact details, maps, website and opening hours. Of course, with COVID-19, these can change, so keeping this platform up-to-date is vital. Plus, get registered in as many directories as you can.
#3. Local SEO – Top Directories
Defining your geographically defined service area in current with local listings will stand you in good stead.
When it comes to local listings, especially with Google, it is essential to be geographically-defined for your service areas as you will appear in ‘near me’ searches.
Google’s algorithms are undergoing significant updates this year, and relevance now plays a crucial part in searches on the SERPs. Try not to think that you are limiting yourself just to your local arena, whereby you’re not going to have an outside audience. Still, local searches have gone through the roof.
Small companies that may have been struggling before have become household names now. So, keep promotions going, update listings, get a blog that has local and state-wide information. If your products and services are international, include everything.
This is the year to think outside the box and keep it local – if that makes sense!
#4. Google Ads – Automated Bidding
Enter Automated bidding. If you have not been informed of this, look it up and learn about it this year and 2022. Google ads are regularly tweaking and adjusting campaigns, including keywords and bids, to get the most out of your advertising investment. The problem is at the end of the day; it costs you more. More hours are involved and management fees.
Automated bidding brings a new dynamic to the table, allowing Google to make automated moves and adjust your bid in real-time.
Please understand this is not new, and all reputable SEO companies, SEO specialists, and Local SEO specialists will be aware of this, but it has come to the fore more now due to the current climate we find ourselves in. The system has been upgraded to be utilised. At the same time, SEO companies focus on other more important issues like UX, UI and content upgrades, including PPC performance, if you have decided on that route.
#5. The Increasing Power of Online Voice Search
Voice search is due to become a ranking factor with Google. It is now dictating many search results.
For SEO companies and SEO specialists, you will need to assign the right people to understand how powerful this is becoming. The introduction of voice search through Alexa, for example, has caught on.
As we have seen in the tech world, once something takes hold and garners the public imagination, it becomes a formidable force. It will play a prevalent part in driving traffic moving forward. Don’t get left behind.
Optimising content for voice search needs to be specific, direct and conversational. Therefore, enhancing its ability to sync with the search queries and become more visible to potential customers.
So, What’s Next?
There are many more digital marketing trends that SEO companies and SEO specialists are already fully aware of and working on, but an article like this is designed to help keep you focused and give you some ideas that you can spin-off of and come up with creative ideas. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, you will need to do just that.
If you get it right, you can set your trends and techniques to make the most out of this uncertain but burgeoning online marketplace. Good luck!
