2020 has been a disruptive year for businesses because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of small businesses had to shut down temporarily to mitigate the spread of the infection. People became afraid to venture out of their homes which resulted in a change in their purchasing habits. Business owners needed to change their business tactics and instructed Seattle SEO agencies to change their digital marketing strategies to survive.
Before the pandemic, Seattle was home to a state with more than 630 thousand small businesses, which made up 99.5% of all the companies. However, the second quarter of 2020 saw 4,500 businesses in Seattle closing down temporarily or permanently as the State implemented a lockdown.
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How SEO Can Help Restaurants Survive During the Pandemic
Restaurants are considered non-essential businesses and have been forced to shut their doors down during the height of the pandemic. As a result, most restaurants took a massive hit leading to declining revenue. Fortunately, some states that made significant progress in their fight against COVID slowly allowed restaurants to resume their operations following strict safety guidelines.
Restaurant owners need to make up for the revenue losses during the temporary closure and adapt to the changing consumer habits. Here are some digital strategies that restaurants can use during COVID 19.
Search Engine Optimization
The success of your restaurant will largely depend on your website’s SERP ranking. Being on the first page of Google will allow your site to bring in more traffic and, at the same time, establish your credibility and authority in the restaurant business. When you hire a Seattle SEO agency, their main responsibility is to optimize your website for local searches.
SEO for restaurants will also include publishing high-quality, keyword-optimized content to get your current and potential customers engaged. Likewise, SEO will also utilize Google Places, Local Google Plus, and Google My Business so that customers within your service area can easily find you and know your current status of the operation.
Connecting with social media
The number of social media users is actually growing exponentially every day, especially during the pandemic when many people use social media to ward off boredom. It is best to connect with your customers with an empathetic approach since the pandemic has affected them. Lay off on being pushy with self-promoting or marketing your restaurant. Instead, it would be best to let your customers know how your restaurant is helping out during the pandemic.
For example, sending food packs with your restaurant’s logo to hard-working frontline workers will establish an image that your restaurant cares and is doing its best to help out.
Focus on Local Searches
Most people are still afraid to venture out of their homes. However, since the pandemic, there are a significant increase in “near me” queries, with “restaurants near me” as the most popular phrase. Therefore, it is best to optimize your SEO tactics for the “near me” query before focusing on other marketing tactics.
Near me, searches will allow users to see what establishments are near them, the hours of operation, and the different safety requirements needed for them to order.
It is best to ask your Seattle SEO agency to register your restaurant with Google My Business and ensure that your complete contact details and operating hours are correctly entered and consistent throughout all your campaign. Likewise, it is also important to tell your customers what safety features your establishment is implementing to ensure their safety when they order from you. For example, you can mention that you have curbside pickup for pre-ordered food.
Shifting your SEO tactics to adapt to the changes COVID 19 has brought will ensure that your restaurant is in the best position to get back on its feet once things normalize.
