Novel Coronavirus or Covid 19 is devastating many countries, businesses and lively hoods.
From panic buying to layoffs, it has had varying impacts.
From a search perspective we can take a deep dive into the data that is coming through and analyse the impact it is having on various industries.
No surprises that most people would agree the travel industry has been hit the hardest with travel bans and restrictions. Travel website traffic is down -46% and is a huge dip.
Essential ecommerce stores that stock toilet paper, face masks and hand sanitizers are in popular demand.
News sites are most sought after as people are glued to their television sets while in isolation or staying at home. News feeds with updates on the number of cases, deaths, new government rules and regulations are all contributing to this. Search traffic for News sites is up +34%.
While people are under strict restrictions, they are also looking for health and wellness information where searches range from Covid 19 symptoms to exercise routines on how to stay fit while in lock down.
Another popular industry that is be benefitting from the stay at home limitation is food and recipe websites where the traffic has increased by 22%.
Finance is another sector that is experiencing traffic surges up by 29%.
Here is an infographic on Covid 19 imapct on SEO by PageTraffic.
Search Trends & Impact by Industry
Essential Ecommerce Stores
Trend – Up
Searches – Toilet paper near me, Hand sanitizer near me, Face masks near me, Thermometers and Sanitary wipes
Health & Wellness Information
Trend: Up +17%
Searches: Coronavirus symptoms, home remedies, prevention methods, handwashing technique, antibacterial essential oils, antiviral foods, and antiviral herbs.
News Mediums
Trend: Up +34%
Impact: News publishers are seeing the most significant gains in search traffic
Travel Websites
Trend: Down -46%
Searches: Travel restrictions, hotel / cruise ship quarantines, airlines / hotel queries related to cancelation and refunds.
Food & Recipe Websites
Trend: Up +22%
The category Community-Supported Agriculture up 157% and the category Imported Food Stores up 172%.
• Thai (up 55%)
• Pizza (up 53%)
• Fast Food (up 53%)
The categories of food courts and buffets are both down 32%.
• Breweries (down 57%)
• French restaurants (down 45%)
• Coffee Roasteries (down 43%)
Finance
Trend: Up +29%
• check cashing & pay-day loan stores up 37%
• tax services down 26%
• mortgage lenders down 22%
Recreation
• Fitness & Exercise Equipment (up 162%)
• Hiking (up 135%)
• Mountain biking (up 119%)
• Lakes (up 86%)
• Parks (up 62%)
• Videos & Video Game Rental (up 41%)
• Bowling (down 67%)
• Personal trainers (down 51%)
• Yoga (down 51%)
• Amusement Parks (down 44%)
• Flea Markets (down 35%)
What can you do in times like these other than staying home and staying safe?
SEO/SEM Tips:
1. Beware, your analytics data is likely skewed
2. Stay at the forefront of Google Trends
3. Reduce paid search and get ready for daily management
4. Maximise email and remind you can still deliver products and/or services
5. Continue the path of SEO and content marketing
6. Learn how to market in an era where there is no short-term personal contact, e.g. – webinars & online consultations
7. Don’t promote Coronavirus sales or deals!
8. Start thinking about Holiday & Q4 Initiatives Now
9. Don’t exploit and market efficiently
10. Focus on customer support and consolidation, as opposed to customer acquisition depending on your industry
11. Help and support your community
This post was originally published on YourEscapeFrom9to5
