The Best SEO Strategies for Business Verticals During COVID-19

A woman works for her SMB on a laptop.

Boostability services a lot of small business types, and we know just how hard the COVID-19 pandemic has hit our SMB clients. In a recent webinar, we covered several different verticals and explained basic SEO strategies you can use to find success even when the markets seem uncertain.

Read below for certain industries where we know SEO works well, and how you can help your clients within these industries.

 

Child Care, Preschool, and Day Care

With so many industries asking their employees to work from home, day care solutions were thrown for a loop. As many states begin to reopen and parents return to work, child care, preschool, and day care centers will need a few new solutions to operate effectively.

The SEO Strategy

Local SEO is going to be critical. Parents choose child care facilities based on location, which means emphasizing your local SEO influence is the way to secure your customer base. 

Google My Business is an invaluable tool, and its content features should be your new best friend. Make sure your hours and business descriptions are updated with COVID-19 information.

Emphasize your COVID-19 response through short-term content. In other words, focus more on immediate needs rather than “evergreen content.” The coronavirus response won’t be top of mind forever, but for right now, it should be. Let customers know how you’re adapting, and the precautions you’re taking to keep the children, their families, and your staff safe and healthy.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Placing limitations on exposure is the most important thing child care facilities can do during COVID-19. This could include limiting:

  • Child intake care options, such as closing off areas of your facility or the number of children you can care for at one time.
  • Child exchange processes by requiring care providers to escort children in and out, rather than asking parents to accompany their child(ren).
  • Outside materials, such as games and toys from home, or leaving shoes near the front door.
  • Indoor time, if weather permits.

If you still run on limited hours or are closed entirely, you can provide other resources that can be picked up and taken home.

 

Tattoo and Piercing Artists

Tattoo and piercing parlors are growing in popularity, especially among millennials. In 2018, the industry was raking in around $3 billion dollars every year, with no signs of stopping.

The SEO Strategy

Perform a website audit to determine how your clients are currently using the site, and where it needs improvement. Focus specifically on functionality, paying specific attention to the gallery of your work, the calendar for booking appointments, and other communication avenues with potential clients.

Earn backlinks from other businesses in the industry. You can do this by creating shareable content and strategic partnerships with other local artists. Pair this with social media exploration. Consider visual platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram Live, or Pinterest. Cultivate relationships online that will translate to in-person relationships in the future.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Require designs to be submitted beforehand, and ask that clients pre-pay. Stagger your sessions to allow ample time to clean and sanitize your stations between clients. If your clients are comfortable and give consent, live stream tattoo and piercing sessions on Instagram or film them for Facebook or Tik Tok. You can also host a contest or raffle for a free or discounted session once your hours and operations return to normal.

 

Gyms and Dance Studios

Gyms and dance studios were some of the first places to close during the initial phases of the pandemic, as they encourage lots of interaction and potential for infection. Some states are allowing re-openings, while others are remaining closed for the time being.

The SEO Strategy

Like we mentioned earlier, ensure your Google My Business listings are up to date, especially if you have multiple locations. This should include new hours of operation, COVID-19 responses, and updates for patrons.

You should also be expanding your social media outreach with workout videos, educational guides, and home workout ideas. Host and promote these videos on your own site where possible.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Keep things virtual where possible, so offer online sessions and training with teachers and trainers. Ensure your patrons have the right equipment to do their usual workouts from home by offering sanitized equipment to rent for at-home exercise.

If you’re looking to up engagement, online group classes and themed workouts can be fun. If you’re able to open, follow social distancing policies as outlined by your health department.

 

Print, Graphics, and Label Companies

Driving through town on essential errands, you’re sure to have seen several flyers and posters indicating businesses are open or running on abbreviated hours. Print, graphic, and label companies are behind them. If you run or work for a business that provides these, here’s how to keep up with the demand.

The SEO Strategy

Keywords are at the heart of every good SEO strategy, and now is the time re-evaluate them. Determine if search trends have shifted in your industry (they most likely have), and which intent-driven key words you should be trying to rank for.

A website audit is a good companion activity to this. Review your site architecture and internal link structure. Which pages are the easiest to access? Are they the ones your readers need the most? While you’re at it, make sure your page loading speed is optimized, and you have samples of your recent work to encourage clients to book with you.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Print and graphic companies should engage in regular e-commerce. Online review sessions for working drafts and planning meetings are a good way to ensure work is done well while maintaining a safe distance. Advertise social distancing signage, and create strategic partnerships with local businesses.

 

Country Clubs and Private Membership Locations

Exclusivity may slow the spread of COVID-19, but it won’t stop it. Here’s how you maintain an aura of prestige even when you can’t allow members to come visit your facilities in person.

The SEO Strategy

We’ll say it again—a website audit is an essential part of success in the current market. Take this time to do an image refresh. Without patrons, you can take photos of your grounds and buildings without large amounts of people. You should also list a calendar of your reopening time frame. Augment this website redo with a refreshed GMB profile.

Social media is a great way to reach your clientele. Create videos that detail why membership with you is so special. Consider providing a “Get to Know Us” series with your staff.

The Social Distancing Strategy

If your doors are still closed, consider extending memberships without charge or at a discounted rate to make up for the lack of access to facilities. Host virtual meet ups, classes, or social gatherings to encourage membership to retain a small slice of normalcy.

If your doors are open to the public, take advantage of outdoor space if you have it, and offer an event that promotes social distancing. (Think a drive-in movie.) Require reservations for activities to promote social distancing.

 

City and Bus Tours

Tourism has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with airlines shuttering flights and Airbnbs being turned into longer-term rentals. If you run tours for your local city or tourist attraction, here are some ways to manage the change in social distancing policies.

The SEO Strategy

Content creation will be one of the best ways to reach your consumer audience. And you don’t have to do it all yourself. Team up with local experts to write educational pieces about your area. This can help Google with its EAT algorithm.

If patrons can’t join you on tours, create a virtual version that people can download or stream online. Infographics about the significant places on your tours can act as educational materials for students working from home and encourage people to see the sites in person when public policy allows it.

The Social Distancing Strategy

If your city is allowing small groups to get together, consider hosting single family unit tours. You can advertise this experience as a private one, making the event feel exclusive even though its required to be so. Limit tours if you can include more than single families in your group, and only use open-top vehicles if you’re using transportation other than walking.

 

Pawn Shops & Thrift Stores

For a business model that relies on interacting with customers and their personal things, the pandemic has effectively shut that down. But with the right kind of forethought and strategy, you can still bring in revenue and cultivate your consumer base while you’re operating this way.

The SEO Strategy

Perform a website audit to determine what you currently have in your inventory, as well as a schedule for selling that includes both an option where you can accept new merchandise and one where you cannot. If you don’t already, create an e-commerce section of your website so people can purchase items online.

Start organizing your content into “content clusters,” with one large main piece of content that is supported by smaller ones. Focus on image and video footage of your shop. It’s your inventory that makes you special, so showcase it. Make sure your GMB profile is also updated to let people know if you’re still accepting pawn options and if your store is open to patrons.

The Social Distancing Strategy

If you can’t met in person, host virtual auctions. Facebook and Instagram Live are great venues for this. You could create “mystery boxes,” where patrons pledge a certain amount of money and receive a box with items that add or exceed that value, like a subscription box, but with more intrigue!

If you can’t meet customers face to face, facilitate yard sale groups with delivery or contact-less pickup, and offer gift cards and discounted shopping if it’s feasible.

 

Custom Apparel and Print Shops

Here at Boostability, we’re big fans of custom tee shirts. These kinds of custom deliverables can benefit from using a lot of the same techniques we’ve outlined above.

The SEO Strategy

Apart from the usual suggestions—a website audit, and amplified social media presence—creating a partner marketing strategy will be key to success. Reach out to local businesses for partnership opportunities. Your city most likely has a task force for COVID-19 responses, and tee shirts and custom prints can be a big part of the relief efforts.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Again, you’ll need similar approaches like we’ve mentioned before. This includes a robust e-commerce platform if you don’t have one already, and free contactless delivery. Encourage customers to purchase gift cards to preserve cash, and offer buy-one, get-one specials if you’re able to encourage larger orders.

 

Pressure Washing and Exterior Cleaning

Keeping things clean is more important than ever, and that goes for the outside of things as well as the inside. Here’s how to make the most of the booming cleaning industry right now.

The SEO Strategy

Promote your response efforts through every avenue possible, including your website, Google My Business, and social media. Use the right keywords when you do. Search trends are shifting towards “sanitation” and “cleanliness,” so consider including those trends in your content.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Pressure washing videos in particular are popular on social media. Live broadcasting sessions is a good way to create content while also getting the job done. Make sure your clients understand cleaning and sanitation needs. If you have the manpower, volunteer your services for front line workers and other essential businesses. You can help your community and raise your brand awareness at the same time.

 

Custom and Production Machining

Create custom products can be a tough market no matter the underlying circumstances. But that’s especially true during the current crunch on resources and available workers. Here’s how to still make it work.

The SEO Strategy

The biggest thing you can do for your SEO strategy is to highlight your expertise. Do this through content creation, volunteer activity and educational pieces to host on your site. Create education pieces to be “evergreen content,” or content that will always be relevant and useful, for your website. In order to complement that, anticipate differences in users understanding and offer unique, exclusive content to supplement your wide variety of consumers.

The Social Distancing Strategy

Apart from the things we’ve already discussed, consider facilitating virtual machining classes or tutorials. Reach out to see if your facilities can help manufacture critical supplies and look for ways to connect your supply chain to people in need and learn more about our white label SEO program.

 

Get started with Boostability’s award-winning SEO.

If you want the best in the business behind your SEO efforts, contact us today to get started. We’ve helped more small businesses than anyone else get found online by the people who matter. You should be next.

If you’re not ready to take that leap just yet, use our free website submission tool to see what kinds of improvements you can start making now on your website! It will give you a list of action items so you know where to start.

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