Crisis Breeds Opportunities: Meet Them with Powered Up Digital Marketing Strategies

by | Mar 27, 2020

From what we’re seeing and hearing online, digital marketing experts are encouraging small to medium sized businesses to look for the opportunities that may be hidden in the current crisis and market downturn. 

It’s a scary time, and while it is natural to circle up the wagons and try to withstand the oncoming attacks to the company bottom line, it will be more heartening in the short term and more profitable in the long term to take a deep breath.

First, assess the situation, consider what will happen if and when certain “trigger” events happen (like not being able to make payday) and plan accordingly.

Then roll up your team’s sleeves and start to imagine what opportunities might be hidden in all this dire news.

Investing time and/or money today in Digital Marketing and SEO will be key to getting yourself in front of the eyes of customers looking for your goods and services online tomorrow, and in the unpredictable months ahead.

Companies that plan for the worst AND implement roadmaps to reach the best will come out ahead in the oncoming months.

Tracking Opportunity:

  • Buying trends and buyer behavior will be shifting over the coming months.
  • When goods become hard to find through “normal” channels (due to scarcity, or closure of brick and mortar outlets) most consumers go online to inquire where they can find them.
  • These queries are the goldmine you want to align your keywords with.
  • Opportunities abound for those who can rise to the top of Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) and offer the desired goods to motivated buyers. Tracking what people are looking for, then ensuring you show up for them online with what they need is what its all about.

Upping your digital marketing and SEO game now, though counterintuitive in an economic downturn, positions your business to take advantage of the opportunities embedded in the immediate and long term future.

Curious to learn more or try some keyword research tools out for free?

SEO/SEM Software as Service (SaaS) applications are making some of their keyword tools free during this period — try them out as you find them! Here are two we’re recommending:

  • Ubersuggest, a widely used free keyword research tool that was transitioning to a paid model has reverted back to offering many of its tools for free: Ubersuggest.com
  • SEOMonitor is releasing a tool we’re really excited about. It will allow users to search for keyword terms and see current search data trends AND compare them to the Year-over-Year trends SEOMonitor has been collecting. Valuable for those who want to see how user queries are shifting due to the Corona Virus’ impact. Trends.seomonitor.com

Want to Read More?

Author Tony Wright (CEO at WrightIMC) delivers the ideas that were the inspiration for this post:

5 Completely Sane Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Stop SEO Efforts During COVID-19

Designing a website with SEO in mind is crucial for improving its visibility in Google searches. Here are some key aspects to consider for optimizing your website design for SEO:

### 1. **Keyword Research and Implementation**
– **Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research**: Identify relevant keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
– **Strategic Placement**: Integrate these keywords naturally throughout your website, including in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body content.

### 2. **Responsive Design**
– **Mobile-Friendly**: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices as Google uses mobile-first indexing. Responsive design makes your site accessible and functional on both desktop and handheld devices.

### 3. **Site Structure and Navigation**
– **Logical and Intuitive Structure**: Organize content using a clear, hierarchical site structure. This helps search engines understand the organization of your content and improves user experience.
– **Breadcrumbs and Internal Linking**: Use breadcrumbs and a robust internal linking strategy to enhance navigation and authority distribution across your pages.

### 4. **Page Speed Optimization**
– **Fast Loading Times**: Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize HTTP requests to improve page speed. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help assess and improve load times.

### 5. **Content Quality and Originality**
– **High-Quality Content**: Regularly update your site with high-quality, original content that provides value to your audience. This engages users and encourages sharing and backlinking.
– **Content Freshness**: Updating content with the latest information can improve its relevance and ranking.

### 6. **Meta Tags and Descriptions**
– **Compelling Meta Descriptions**: Write concise and compelling meta descriptions that incorporate primary keywords to improve CTR (click-through rates).
– **Title Tags**: Ensure each page has a unique title tag that includes keywords and accurately describes the page content.

### 7. **Use of Headers and Formatting**
– **Proper Use of Headers**: Utilize header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure content and highlight important information, making it easier for search engines to understand the hierarchy of your content.

### 8. **Optimized Media**
– **Alt Text for Images**: Add descriptive alt text to images using relevant keywords to improve image search ranking and accessibility.
– **Video Optimization**: If you use videos, ensure they’re properly optimized for fast loading and include transcriptions or captions.

### 9. **Secure and Accessible Website**
– **HTTPS**: Ensure your website runs on HTTPS to secure user data and improve trust and ranking signals to Google.
– **ADA Compliance**: Make sure your website is accessible to all users, which can also positively affect your SEO.

### 10. **XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt**
– **Submit an XML Sitemap**: Submit a sitemap to help Google understand the structure of your website and prioritize crawling.
– **Optimize Robots.txt**: Use the robots.txt file to guide search engines on which pages to crawl and index.

### 11. **Local SEO Considerations**
– **Google My Business**: Ensure your business is listed and updated on Google My Business if you target local audiences.
– **Local Keywords**: Include location-based keywords and create content relevant to your local audience.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll lay a strong foundation for your website to be more easily found and ranked by Google, ultimately increasing your site’s visibility and organic traffic.

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