The Importance of SEO in your E-Commerce Business 

While governments worldwide are scrambling to find a solution to the spread of the virus, more than half of the world’s population and economic activities are at a standstill. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be one of the most severe challenges we have encountered in the last century.

The pandemic has forced non-essential companies worldwide to shut down to discourage the spread of the virus. Nations worldwide have put in place a timed national lockdown that has confined people to their homes. Consumers were unable to make physical purchases at such a time, making home delivery of essential items become the norm. In view of the current situation, does that mean that e-commerce companies should no longer invest in SEO? No, it’s not what I’m suggesting. Here are a few reasons why SEO should remain the most the principal component of your e-commerce plan during the pandemic:

SEO enables you to measure the Progress of your Business

A lot of companies are facing significant budget cuts, so you have to change your marketing objectives. Instead of raising awareness or positioning your brand, why not concentrate on consumers who genuinely intend to buy. They are the ones that are most likely to purchase from your brand during these times. The biggest obstacle you may face with e-commerce is to justify every penny you spend. Given the current situation, this is not the time to spend too much, but each time you decide to use your budget, you need to estimate the progress of the investment. You can find out how successful your investments are by looking at the total sales or the number of visitors to your websites. This will help you adjust your budget based on changing consumer behaviour. In these unpredictable times, responsive marketing that reflects customer behaviour is the solution.

There is Less Competition

Many companies have seen a decline in their business operations because of subsequent covid containment measures, mostly at night. Many businesses no longer prefer random marketing because people are no longer committed to anything that does not protect their basic survival. The decrease in marketing activities and spending may seem wise for those who are considering a short-term solution. Think about it like that; why invest in something that gives you no direct return? Be that as it may, the most important thing is to think long term. Bear in mind that the pandemic will not last long. Demand for non-core items and the e-commerce sector will rise significantly. Getting ready for this increase is a much better choice than focusing on the current shortage of demand.
As many companies stop investing in SEO, this is now the most important time to re-invest. In doing this, it means that you get a better ranking with less effort and cost. When you get a high ranking today, you’ll end up being the top company on online search engines when target clients search for your goods and services.

The Most Effective Tool during this time is Digital Marketing

Billboards are no longer suitable for your marketing communications, as the target audience is at home due to a pandemic. Recognizing the high cost of print ads, they are not feasible anymore.

How do you best reach your intended target audience?

Make use of digital media. All organizations now use digital channels. Your customers are now primarily indoors, some with unlimited Internet connectivity and smartphones, so your target audience is continually browsing online. My honest advice is to invest in e-commerce SEO. Consumers will remember your brand. For example, you can create a blog to share your knowledge on the impact of COVID-19 and how to ensure customers safety. Be sure to cite credible stories. This process will help you provide information to the masses to keep them safe while giving information about your brand or company. Don’t use the COVID-19 pandemic as your marketing tool. Resist the urge to be uncaring or exploiting. Instead, as an organization that values human safety, you can play a role in helping your customer base that will result in increased traffic to your website. This, in turn, will result in increased sales when normalcy returns.

E-commerce sales go up sharply if there is a shortage

I’ve seen Shoprite customers rush to buy toilet paper in April 2020, when COVID-19 was at its highest level. Who would think that such large and readily available items would become so rare? People regularly search for things online or in their general location, like toilet paper, when things become scarce. All toilet papers and related terms have seen increased keyword searches. So when things go back to normal, there’s a likelihood of demand exceeding supply.
Given that the manufacturing industry is witnessing a decline in output, there will be a shortage of items for everyone when the necessity to buy increases. As items become difficult to obtain, customers will always seek online options. Regardless of which e-commerce store you specialize in, once you optimize your website with the most sought-after SEO keywords of rare items, you are most likely to witness an increase in sales. The plan is to research current trends and select rare items during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can raise the rank of your search engine by creating topics around it.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic will end one day, but that does not mean you should stop your SEO strategy. Your business ranking highly on Google is an intelligent way to reap the rewards. SEO will increase your presence in the digital world, and once potential customers can find your goods and services with a click of a finger, your chances of hitting the jackpot are going to improve.