Did COVID-19 push SEO aside? Mortality rates are growing and the last thing on people's mind is optimising their website or ranking for relevant keywords. Correct?
To some extent, this is true. However, the emergence of a deadly virus is not enough reason to completely obliterate the significance of SEO principles. Publishers who generate accurate and updated content about the virus create avenues for more traffic. Whether it was their intention or not, they could also help people looking for information related to COVID-19.
Everyone in the world right now wants to understand a faceless enemy and alleviate their fears. So any data that broadens or adds to their understanding is helpful.
Use SEO Principles to Rank Organically
If you're a writer or publisher and you are serious about getting organic traffic to your COVID-19 write-up (not just through social networking sites), place something on your content that readers really care about.
Many have already waded through clusters of information talking about the novel coronavirus at length. But a quick Google search reveals which types of content rank higher than the rest.
Qualities of top-ranking pages:
1) Informative - extensive explanations of the disease and its pathogen and research comparing different approaches to containing the virus. 2) Data-driven - the presence of a tracker for monitoring number of cases and deaths per country/territory and other statistics; constant updates. 3) Related terms - use of two related or interchangeable terms such as COVID-19 and novel coronavirus.Sites like Bing (also a search engine) and World-o-Meters have shot up in the rankings for COVID-19 keywords. They perfectly embody the qualities listed above.
Help in Little Ways
Unlike frontliners from the medical field who are bravely confronting the virus, SEO specialists are in much safer zones. Still, anyone who hopes to contribute through informative content should use basic SEO principles to reach out to as many people as possible.
Additional resources:
(1) SEO Communities Think Algorithms Should be Paused at the Height of COVID-19
(2) 3 Handy SEO Hacks for Beginners From a Sincere SEO Company
(3) How the Right Use of Keywords Can Boost Your SEO Copywriting
