The Post-COVID State of SEO and Local Search
You're probably suffering from information overload concerning the recent health crisis. You don't want to hear a single thing having to do with the pandemic, do you? What if there was something that could help propel your SEO efforts in the post-COVID era? Is your interest piqued now?
To understand how to dominate the algorithms as the world returns to normal, it's vital to know the current state of SEO. What has transpired in the nearly two years since the nasty invisible invader reared its ugly head?
The Current State of SEO
SEO is every modern business owner's preoccupation. If it's not yours, you may just be in one of the few industries that thrive away from the online ecosystem. Alternatively, you might just be running your business oblivious to the fact that you could be doing better in the search rankings.
For those that rely on organic search traffic for sales, SEO expert Ian Lurie states that "the discipline of search engine optimization is too abstract." Ian notes that Google's algorithm has become mysterious.
SEO professionals have tried automating the process as much as possible. Instead, website owners need to focus on integration.
What does integration mean in SEO? Looking at site performance, traffic, keywords, and other metrics as a means of drawing up recommendations and boosting your position in the SERPs.
Until now, most SEO was done under the holistic model. That's when tools and SEO professionals lump everything together in a formula that spits out a conclusion. Instead, integration calls for taking a problem-solving approach.
To better understand the difference, holistic SEO would be like writing down all of a sick person's symptoms and matching a medication from a chart.
Integration would be like running all necessary exams and dealing with each symptom individually. Maybe you need a surgical procedure in conjunction with a change in your diet. Perhaps a change in the patient's behavior is in order.
Tools That Provide Integrated Perspective?
Everybody wants a tool they can plug their metrics into and have a magic SEO formula magically appear. In the past, several companies have provided useful SEO tools that follow the holistic model. What about a toolset for the integrated approach?
As per Ian Lurie, there isn't such a tool on the market that is exceptionally good. Some SEO agencies develop proprietary software that follows their specific approaches. However, nothing exists on the market that gives users a ready-to-go integrated SEO companion.
What Is the Most Important Signal That Google Relies On?
Finding the most important SEO signal is the holy grail for website owners that don't have unlimited time to devote to boosting their rankings. "If I could only focus on one SEO action that would give me results, rather than spend endless hours nitpicking each aspect of my site! What is the most important signal?"
If you find yourself asking this question while languishing over your keyboard, tears streaming down your face, you're in luck. Ian Lurie states that internal link architecture and language use are the key ingredients to successful SEO.
Don't avoid your keywords in a futile attempt to appease the algorithm gods. If you feel that using 'athletic footwear' seems like Google will reward you over 'running shoes,' you'd be wrong. Use the keywords your marketplace is using.
Keep a balance between keyword stuffing and not using your keywords often enough by writing naturally. You don't need to overthink your keyword use. Use related keywords to flesh out your content rather than sounding like an SEO agency is writing your posts.
As far as your internal linking strategy goes, create a web of interconnected pages that shows Google your site is full of useful content. Properly placed internal links allow visitors to seamlessly navigate through content that is relevant to their needs. This is especially important to Google.
Don't Write for Search Engines
This seems counter-intuitive. Shouldn't you write your content in a way that appeals to Google?
Think of it this way. How attractive would you find an individual that spent a few hours listening to you talk and then went back and mirrored your words? Imagine they dressed the way you said you prefer people to dress, used the words and phrases you use, and claimed you liked everything they like. It would creep you out, wouldn't it?
This is exactly what Google has done with its algorithm. The search engine juggernaut has cracked down on content produced just for SEO. Any website trying to game the system by creating content that follows a formulaic method of algorithm appeasement gets penalized.
This presents a great opportunity for your website. Write content with real substance in a way that flows naturally, as if having a conversation. Don't try to meet keyword density quotas or spend too much time getting backlinks. The more organic your content is, the better it'll perform.
How Has COVID Impacted Local Search?
Many of the things people do online have to do with their community or immediate environment. Whether looking for more information on a product or interacting with a friend on social media, there is a significant local component to how people operate online.
Once lockdowns began, people started buying everything they needed online. The uncertainty of the virus caused people to limit their trips to the store.
As per local SEO specialist Greg Sterling, indicative of the explosion in online activity, "50% of e-commerce users were new to Target.com in the past year." People were buying online in various capacities, either having items delivered, ordering online with offline fulfillment, or doing product research so that their trips to the store would be in-and-out. From purchasing a tube of toothpaste to buying a new car, new trends in internet-based shopping formed.
Will These Changes Be Permanent?
It's apparent that buying trends have changed and that people are shopping online more, but will it continue? Should you spend the time and effort on local SEO only to find that this trend will reverse? If shopping habits don't revert to pre-pandemic trends, will the higher cost of competing online become a barrier to entry?
Greg Sterling believes that some changes will be permanent and others will revert to the way they were in 2019. Groceries are an example of how local shopping will continue. Some stores placed a service charge on online grocery shopping. This will cause people to vary the way they make their purchases. Sometimes people will have their items delivered, other times they'll go to the store, and other times they'll opt for parking lot pickup.
Trends on Internet Consumer Behavior
Survey data shows 96% of consumers (out of 4000 surveyed) are using the internet as a part of their purchasing process. It's also important to recognize that people trust physical locations more. The existence of a brick-and-mortar store behind an e-commerce website helps people buy online with confidence because they know they can direct their concerns to a physical location.
A trend that has emerged in this era of COVID restrictions is that people are buying different sizes of shoes and clothing and returning the ones that don't fit. This trend raises a viability issue with logistics and shipping costs that companies are tasked with solving before it becomes unsustainable.
Advice Moving Forward
Businesses that emphasize local search found that their efforts were rewarded during the pandemic. Leveraging an effective local search strategy to thrive in the post COVID era is something small business owners should consider. You must recognize that your business has to deliver a good experience for your audience.
Beef up your digital presence if you have a brick-and-mortar location. The cost of being online has increased as the competition skyrocketed in 2020 and 2021. The presence of more brands online means rising PPC costs, greater competition for top organic spots in the SERPs, and fewer opportunities to grab people's attention on social media platforms.
On this new battlefield, you need all the weapons you can get your hands on. Your company's Google My Business Presence needs to go from conventional to nuclear. Embellish your profile with more and better images. Use Google posts. Showcase your business and products exhaustively. Engage with users in reviews and make it a point to reply to all submissions. This will set you apart from your competition as well as big corporations that often do not engage their audience with meaningful interaction in mind.