The coronavirus is having an impact on SEO metrics and has driven an uptick in demand for health and wellness content and greater traffic to ecommerce sites and big publishers, according to research by Search Engine Journal.
With more draconian measures being rolled out in the UK, many companies will have to pivot to new ways of doing business and update marketing campaigns to adapt and survive during a difficult period.
It is perhaps no surprise that the media industry is currently thriving as the general public consumes a mass of content to keep up to speed with developments about the virus.
The research found that there have been “huge surges” in impressions and traffic for publisher websites during the last 10 days.
Health and wellness has also seen a marked increase, though those not showcasing E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness and trust) could lose out in the long run.
More people are entering search queries for medical questions and issues, and anyone operating in this niche should aim to step up with relevant, timely content that provides much-needed information.
In contrast, both travel and restaurant sites have experienced a challenging week, though third-party delivery services such as Deliveroo have trended higher in search.
Any brands in the hospitality sector that have been affected may want to update opening hours on Google My Business to show that they are closed rather than removing them entirely.
SEOs will have to respond to the changes in the coming weeks, but search is particularly volatile at the moment, which can impact pretty much every company.
This is a time to focus on organic search and evergreen content, which will continue to deliver rewards in the face of potential budget cuts elsewhere.
Looking at query data is also a very useful window into what your audience needs right now.
