Why Now is the Time to Revisit your SEO Program

Your Customers Attitudes, Behaviors and Expectations Are Changing

I’ve chosen to look at COVID 19 as a ‘great reset’. It’s been said that problems are opportunities-so  then what exactly is the opportunity for your business in this new normal? Kantar, a leading worldwide research firm, canvassed over 100,000 people’s opinion in over 60 markets and published a “COVID 19 Barometer” designed to help marketers understand some of the key short and long term changes in consumer attitudes, behaviors and expectations – and their implications. The Kantar study identified three significant changes that are predicted to remain sticky in our post-pandemic world, and to which consumer products and brands will need to adapt. In abbreviated form they are (1) a new wave of digital shoppers will emerge, (2) An extended period of value-consciousness, (3) Localism as a mainstream movement.

Using the foundation of these three core trends, and particularly the acknowledgement that on-line shopping will continue to develop, businesses that position themselves as most responsive to these evolving consumer needs and inquiries are the ones mostly likely to survive and thrive. The world of on-line search has changed significantly over the recent period and today involves many more paths to purchase. When was the last time you reviewed how your business is ranking in regards to these new types of searches? Updated Search Engine Optimization SEO is vital and the time to revisit it is now.

Where to Begin

A great first step is to contact a prospective SEO partner and have them run a  free analysis of your website. What you should see is a report card for things like site loading time, broken links, missing headers or tags all of which are contributing factors as to how google ranks your site.

Next, ask specific questions about the actual deliverables they intend to provide such as keyword reporting, competitive share, rank reports, etc. Be sure you understand and agree with the long term expectations and there is a strategy that is unique to your business. Keep in mind too, that more is not better, better is better.  Sometimes an SEO company will focus heavily on content creation or link building in the mistaken belief this will provide higher site ranking when in fact it can hurt your site.  Once engaged, your SEO team should be able to show you how your defined universe of search terms and phases are gaining (or losing) ground in overall rankings along with competitive market share reports on how you are doing relative to competitors as well as what it would cost in google adwords pay-per-click to achieve the same relative rank or position.

Invest in Yourself for Long Term Benefits

Remember one of the great things about SEO is that it’s an investment in your long term position. Research shows that over 80% of clicks come from organic results. Unlike paid adwords, organic results don’t stop when you quit paying the bill. It has also been shown repeatedly that stronger organic results work in concert with your paid campaigns and improve the effectiveness of both.  

Your website, and how you attract buyers to it, are more important than ever before. It’s time to get back to basics and re-tool for the new now.