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Why Search Engine Optimization Is Still Important During COVID-19

5 min read
Why Search Engine Optimization Is Still Important During COVID-19

It’s no understatement to say that the year so far has been one of abundant changes in every sector, including commercial real estate. When the economic impact of COVID-19 first began to become clear, many commercial real estate firms began reducing costs in order to minimize fallout. And for some of these companies, SEO and other digital marketing efforts may have been first on the chopping block.

However, there are many reasons why that isn’t the best idea right now. In fact, now is a great time to be investing more time and energy than ever before into SEO.

What Is SEO?

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Search engine optimization, also known as SEO, means doing everything you can to improve the factors on your website that impact how it ranks in search engine results. Your website’s content, user experience, and a variety of technical factors affect how Google and other search engines view and rank it. Optimization of the parts you can control is a great way to increase the quality of your website.

Luckily for all of us, there are many factors that can directly be controlled on your website that also happen to directly impact how Google ranks your content. No matter your level of skill or expertise, you’ll definitely be able to make some tweaks that will have huge advantages for your business.

_ Related: 4 Creative Ways to Monetize Your Real Estate Website_

Why Make SEO a Priority?

While it can take months to begin seeing the rewards of investment into good search engine optimization, those rewards will continue to grow and build upon themselves over time. Investments into digital made now will continue to prove their worth after we find our way into the new normal—whatever that is, and whenever it may happen. So why should you be focusing on your SEO efforts now?

  • SEO gains are long-term and won’t start paying off until several months of targeted effort has been put in (three to six months at least), so the best time to start is as soon as you can.
  • There is never a bad time to publish “evergreen” content, and having a plethora of thoughtful, well-researched, useful content on your website is an important aspect of SEO.
  • Online search is only going to be more ingrained in our lives after the pandemic. We are all on the internet now more than ever.
  • Anything you can do to strengthen your website’s online presence is important.
  • The visitors you do attract right now are likely to be highly relevant and interested in what you have on offer.
  • You may not have had time before to devote to all the little things that make up a good search engine optimization strategy, and you’ve got nothing but time now.
  • Things will not be going back to the way they were before. Digital is the future. Search engine optimization done now will only bolster your digital presence online in the times to come.

_ Related: 3 Impactful Ways to Use Social Media as a Real Estate Investor_

 Tackling SEO During COVID-19

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Not sure how to get started? Here’s a short list of some ways you can start bolstering your SEO strategy and expand the digital footprint for your company and your properties during the pandemic.

  • Modify for pandemic themes. Responsibly, of course. Virtual property tours, for example, or blogs on how your properties are dealing with new efforts at cleanliness and quarantine.
  • Balance short- and long-term goals. The pandemic isn’t forever! While short-term goals may focus on newly relevant keywords or topical content, long-term goals should retain their relevance. Don’t favor one over the other.
  • Update top-performing content. Update screenshots or images, make sure your headings have keywords and your images have alt tags, and add new information and useful outbound links.
  • Focus on long-form content. The slower pace of life with the virus lends more time for many for reading. Now is a great time to focus on creating juicy content that takes a bit more effort to delve into.
  • Reoptimize newly relevant content. Spruce up anything that has found its way back to relevance, re-publish it on your blog, and enjoy the traffic.

In sum, investment in SEO should definitely be considered as a potential solution for any kind of business currently staring down the slower-paced life of existence under the coronavirus. An investment in time, effort, and strategy will help grow your organization, both now and when we find our way into the new normal.

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How are you working on your online presence right now?

Let us know in the comments.