Consumer needs and behaviors can change dramatically based on the current economic climate.
However, one thing is always consistent: they always turn to SEO to help them survive and thrive.
In fact, savvy companies can seize this opportunity by recognizing this shift (turn) and adapting their content strategies to fit the need.
SEO insights are a great place to find the latest trends in consumer behavior and intent.
Compared to traditional and expensive media, the conventional wisdom of holding back your marketing budget, especially for SEO, is a short-sighted strategy that erodes your brand presence over time.
If you want to position yourself for growth during the recovery that inevitably follows a recession or recession, the prediction stage is exactly the time to invest in SEO.
According to Gartner’s latest State of Marketing Budget and Strategy 2022 survey, SEO is top of mind for all “non-paid” channels.
Here are some of my thoughts on why.
Consumers Search In All Economic Conditions
Yes, consumer needs and behaviors can change dramatically based on the current economic climate.
But they do not cease, nor do they disappear completely.
Your customers may have more concerns about their household budget and, as a result, show reduced business intent. Maybe they’re just not in the market to buy.
Someday they will be again, though.
Sales are a cycle; while some markets experience drops in demand, others see increases.
For some, it might be time to learn, plan, and educate yourself about your options.
SEO Is A Long Game & The Rules Are Constantly Changing
You can’t just pause your SEO, well, yes, but it would mean a lot to catch up when you “turn it back on”.
Google’s algorithms are constantly changing and being updated as the search engine strives to better meet the needs of its users.
Instead of cutting back, tough economic times are when you can focus and invest in improving user experience, solving nagging technical issues, and speeding up your site.
These goals may have been lower on marketing’s priority list when times were good and sales were high.
At other times, however, it may make sense to reconsider your ad spend due to the potentially lower commercial intent of your search audience.
In this case, you could reallocate some of the budget, making sure that SEO intent data and channels like pay-per-click (PPC) are working.
You should also focus on technical SEO and the crawl and performance of your website.
Experiences will be important and help you convert opportunities, opportunities you can’t afford to lose before competitors grab them.
SEO Can Drive Wins In The Short, Mid, And Long-Term
A solid SEO program forms a solid foundation for your entire web presence. But it can also help your business stay nimble and responsive to rapidly changing conditions.
Economic uncertainty may require quick action to find marketing efficiencies.
It also helps protect the brand from external threats or move on to emerging opportunities.
In these conditions, SEO data is essential to keep a finger on the pulse of the market.
However, activating the insights gained from this data is a critical next step:
Remember when the initial pandemic shut down much of the global economy?
Consumer information needs exploded and service delivery models changed almost overnight.
Businesses that were able to quickly update their Google Business Profiles with current hours of operation, availability of curbside pickup and online ordering, etc. became the first.
Demand for SEO rose to an all-time high.
Not only did this translate into business won, but these companies were also able to instill a sense of stability and calm among consumers in an otherwise tumultuous era.
Brand Protection Is Essential At All Times
Consumer behavior can be unpredictable, fragmented and even irrational in times of uncertainty.
SEO helps the brand to actively listen to the audience, triage issues and combat negative brand sentiment in real time.
As mentioned above, your SEO knowledge is a key source of this business intelligence.
Online reviews are another rich source of information and potential liability if not managed properly.
Google is clear: businesses need to respond to searcher reviews, messages and questions as quickly as possible.
Your business’s review profile (average star rating, review volume and recency) can also affect your local ranking.
It is essential that you have in place:
Depending on your industry, economic uncertainty may lead to a higher volume of reviews. Having this foundation in place will allow you to add resources and expand as needed.
Brand protection should also come from your content team.
If you’re in the financial services industry, for example, you may find that your customer base has many questions about how current conditions are affecting them and their families.
They may have questions and concerns about employment, taxes, stimulus or support programs that weren’t top of mind before.
Your company can not only serve as a thought leader, but provide real and valuable solutions for customers that will earn their long-term trust and loyalty.
E-commerce, retail and travel brands will seek insights and trends into demand volatility and category fluctuations for goods, products and services.
Understanding these trends early on will help content teams create and target accordingly.
You’ll need a skilled content team to produce these opportunities, craft targeted content that can use technologies to optimize and promote it for maximum impact across all the platforms your online audience is on.
As a bonus, this program can help you beat any competitors (or perhaps negative brand content) with positive stories and helpful content.
Conclusion
Whether markets are high or low, the SEO team’s talents are most needed to find new opportunities, combat immediate threats, and lay the foundation for a successful recovery.
The role of business intelligence is critical to understanding the environment in which you currently work.
Organizations that “pause” can damage the investments you’ve already made and make it difficult for you to catch up with more advanced competitors.
SEO can have the effect of smoothing out peaks and troughs.
The data it produces is as close to the real-time voice of customers as you’ll get.
Compared to other channels, it is not only the most profitable; it also drives incremental value throughout your business.
Featured Image: Everything Possible/Shutterstock
SEO is important because it helps you establish yourself as an expert in your field and drive traffic to your website, while helping you promote your business organically for free. If you’re not sure about the importance of SEO, you’re not alone. Only 36% of small businesses actually have an SEO strategy.
What is SEO & Why is it important?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. The ultimate goal of SEO for businesses is to generate organic traffic – searchers clicking on your website from a search engine results page (SERP).
Why is SEO important in simple words? The Importance of SEO SEO is important because it helps people find information and discover pages on the World Wide Web. SEO is especially important for businesses, as it ensures that they are answering their audience’s most important search engine questions, while driving traffic to their products and services.
Why is SEO search important?
SEO is important because: SEO is not only about search engines but good SEO practices improve the user experience and usability of a website. Users trust search engines and having a presence in the first positions of the keywords that the user searches for, increases the trust of the website.
Why is SEO still important?
Optimizing your website for SEO means you’re more likely to generate organic traffic, which will turn into customers who buy your product or service. When people search on Google, they usually do very specific searches, for example “Honda specialist garage in Walthamstow”.
What is SEO and why is it so important?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In the simplest terms, good SEO optimizes your online visibility. This means that the more people see your website, the more your online traffic will increase and the more likely you are to provide your product or service to a larger number of people.
Why SEO is important for business?
A solid SEO strategy will allow brands to position their website and content high in the SERPs for relevant keywords so they can attract the attention of potential customers and bring them into their sales funnel. Start strategizing for important keywords using Data Cube.
Does SEO really work for small business?
So does SEO work for small businesses? It should come as no surprise that the answer to that question is yes. Search engines use complex algorithms to deliver the exact results people need, which means that if you provide useful content, you can compete with other small businesses as well as large corporations.
Is SEO Worth it for Small Businesses? The short answer is that SEO is very effective, not only for generating traffic, but also leads and sales. Do not you worry. The long answer includes research and data, not just empty statements. Most SEOs get too caught up in specific search metrics like SERPs (Search Engine Results Page), rankings, and organic traffic.
Is SEO worth it in 2022?
Yes, SEO is worth it… in 2022, in the future, in the past and always. As long as websites and search engines exist, SEO is necessary. SEO in 10 years will likely be very different than SEO today, but you should always make sure that your website is sending the right signals to search engines so that you can be found.
Does SEO have a future?
SEO is now considered a long-term investment for businesses, with results appearing gradually over time. SEO is considered almost dead by many webmasters and business owners due to recent search engine algorithms. They believe that SEO is no longer effective and will never yield fruitful results.
Why do we need SEO in 2022?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key to successful digital marketing strategies. SEO can help your website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), allowing for increased visibility and organic search traffic.
How SEO will change in 2022?
In 2022, expect SEO rankings to become more competitive by providing high-quality content that is useful to internet users. Content that only tries to capture its audience by linking to unnecessary feeds will not be as effective as it is today.
Is SEO still relevant in 2022?
Will SEO still be relevant in 2022? Yes, of course. Although some SEO tactics that were effective in the past have stopped working, SEO continued to evolve. Constantly reinventing ourselves to try to better match user intent, reducing ineffective and spammy tactics to improve.
Is it worth paying someone to do SEO?
SEO is worth it if you have the right strategy and work with a partner who knows how to get results. About 93% of online experiences start with a search engine, and SEO’s lead closing rate is much higher than traditional marketing. Hence, SEO offers an impressive return on investment (ROI).
Is SEO still worth it in 2021?
So is SEO still a good investment in 2021 and beyond?! Short answer: YES! SEO is more important than ever! It is still one of the most powerful digital marketing strategies that drive long-term results.
Should I hire an SEO expert?
You benefit from having SEO professionals working on your site because they have the knowledge and experience to help you create the best campaign. Your campaign will generate better results for your business because you will have experts who know how to optimize to improve your campaign.
Is it worth it to pay someone for SEO?
| Search position | CTR (%) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 36.5% |
| 2 | 12.5% |
| 3 | 9.5% |
| 4 | 7.9% |
How SEO help small businesses?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is how you help customers find your site when they search on Google, Bing and Yahoo. If you build your site the right way and optimize for keywords, you will drive more traffic to your page and generate more sales.
How SEO improve your business?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In the simplest terms, good SEO optimizes your online visibility. This means that the more people see your website, the more your online traffic will increase and the more likely you are to provide your product or service to a larger number of people.
What are the two techniques of SEO?
SEO techniques fall into two broad categories: White Hat SEO – Techniques that search engines recommend as part of good design. Black Hat SEO – Techniques that search engines do not approve of and try to minimize their effect.
What are SEO techniques?
How many types of SEO are there?
There are about 12 different types of SEO that help websites rank better on search engine results pages.
What are the 3 types of SEO? There are three main types of SEO: Internal SEO (on-page SEO) External SEO (off-page SEO) Technical SEO.