SEO? The First Marketing Reflex During The COVID-19 Period

In times of crisis like this, continuing to invest in SEO is an important issue for many companies in a wide range of sectors. This emerges from a study by the American company Conductor, which specializes in digital marketing.

How is marketing managed in the crisis?
Conductor surveyed 317 companies to find out how marketing was handled in this time of crisis. Of the various sectors examined, 24% came from B2B, 12% from retail, 11% from healthcare, 10% from the media and the rest comprised the automotive, tourism, financial services and manufacturing sectors.

We have to realize that while the marketing budget is shrinking, the goals are still the same. In many sectors, budgets remain stable or decrease only slightly. However, the marketing budget has dropped considerably in 20% of the respondents.

Marketing budget corona crisis referenceur
Given the evolution of the Covid 19 situation due to what do you plan to do with your marketing budget?

Regarding the marketing goals, 68% indicated that they remained the same (32%) or increased (36%) during this period. However, given the corona virus crisis, various companies suspect that it will be more difficult to reach. In fact, 86% said their marketing goals would be more difficult to achieve this year.

SEO, the main channel
To achieve his goals, of course, different channels are necessary. Of course search engine optimization (SEO) continues to play an important role and for this reason Conductor asked the respondents whether SEO would gain or lose importance in this crisis. The results are clear: 63% said SEO would become more important, either easy (34%) or strong (29%). On the other hand, only 5% said that the importance of SEO would decrease.

SEO was the most efficient channel for 66% of those surveyed in 2019. This is followed by SEA (Google Ads campaigns) and emailing, both with 50%. This proves that we should not let up on our SEO efforts during these difficult times and should continue to invest in them.

Efficient channels Corona Crisis Referenceur
What were your best online channels in 2019?

66%: Search engine optimization (SEO)
50%: Google Ads Campaigns (SEA)
50%: mailing
36%: content marketing
26%: online advertising
18%: advertising space in the media
14%: social networks
11%: web seminar
8%: affiliate marketing
4%: influencers in the marketing world
3%: subscriptions
3%: SMS
2%: push notifications
1%: Messages in one application
The various companies were also asked about the effects of such a global recession. The budget cut is the number one option for 58% of respondents. Investments in search engine optimization are in second place, which proves its importance for the respondents (34%).

Marketing influence corona crisis referenceur
How does a global recession affect your marketing strategy?

58%: we will cut our budget
34%: we will invest more specifically in low-price channels such as SEO
29%: we will raise the bar for return on investment.
28%: We will invest less in expensive channels like the media
25%: we will reduce the size of our team / marketing staff
23%: we will invest more in digital marketing
Conclusions of this survey
This study shows that SEO plays a very important role in corporate marketing. SEO is the most effective channel and other research shows it. For Patrick Reinhart, Vice President of Conductor, investing in SEO will bring significant benefits once the crisis is overcome.

You get it: if you invest in SEO, the return on your business will be beneficial!