In today’s unpredictable economic landscape, strategic resource allocation is paramount for businesses of all sizes. At Digital Neighbor, we fully comprehend the pressing concerns and uncertainties that arise in challenging economic times, and that is why we are committed to delivering accurate and up-to-date information to our readers, backed by extensive research and industry expertise in SEO.
Hearing the word “recession” tossed around can make anyone nervous. As a business owner, you may worry about a drop in sales. Some companies go into panic mode and start cutting costs left and right, including their marketing budget.
Should you do the same? Or better asked – does SEO still work in a recession and stay a priority?
How Effective Is SEO Marketing in a Recession?
Search engine optimization (SEO) has always been one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers online, even in a weak economy. Nothing can stop people from browsing online for products, services, and business solutions. Considering that over 75% of smartphone users visit a business after an online search, and 28% make a purchase, SEO should always be a priority for your business — recession or no recession.
Why Do Some Businesses Cut Their Marketing Budget During Economic Downturns?
It’s normal to want to trim your company’s expenses if sales slow. The problem is that some businesses cut costs in the wrong places. It’s never a good idea to get rid of tools that are driving your business’s revenue.
Can you imagine a construction business ditching all of its equipment? True, the company wouldn’t have to worry about loan payments, but it wouldn’t make any profits, either.
Cutting SEO hurts your business financially instead of helping. You need marketing in a recession to bring in customers and generate revenue.
Why Is SEO a Smart Investment During a Recession?
Put simply, search optimization delivers results, even when the going gets rough. It can help you save money and make money.
Brings in New Customers
A recession doesn’t mean your business stops. It just means you need to look harder — or smarter — to find the people with purchasing intent. That’s exactly what SEO is for! With the right keywords, you attract your target audience, find valuable leads and keep sales going strong.
Adapts to Your Budget
SEO is one of the most budget-friendly marketing avenues for business owners. Search-optimized content can reach hundreds or thousands of potential customers. Inbound marketing, like SEO, is more cost-effective than TV ads and other conventional advertising.
Helps Your Business Stand Out as Trustworthy
In a recession, people tend to choose brands they trust. High-quality SEO services provide professional content that impresses visitors and builds an excellent online reputation. With less competition around, your business can shine.
Maintains a Good Relationship With Your Clients
A solid customer base is vital for any company’s financial health. Local SEO keeps you connected with clients searching for reliable answers, solutions, and products. Whether you run a construction company, retail store, or manufacturing business, a good relationship with your clients is essential for success.
Keeps Your Search Momentum Going After the Recession
Good SEO is like a freight train. It takes your website time to build up speed, but once you get going, you’re unstoppable. Marketing in a recession keeps that tremendous momentum going.
On the other hand, competitors who cut their marketing budgets have to start over from scratch.
How Can You Maximize SEO Benefits and Minimize Costs During a Recession?
SEO still works in a recession, but you need to do it right. Follow these tips to maximize your return on investment.
Set Clear Objectives
Careful planning helps your SEO in two ways: you get better results and achieve objectives more quickly. Instead of spending time and money on countless keywords, you can focus on the ones that deliver the most significant return on investment.
SEO sprints are a new way businesses are streamlining their online search efforts. These short-term marketing campaigns can improve your search ranking for specific keywords in a matter of days or weeks, not months.
Prioritize What Works
In a normal economy, experimentation is a good thing. You can toss part of your marketing budget at innovations such as videos or infographics. During a recession, it’s better to reduce costs by sticking with proven strategies. Look at your highest-performing web pages, landing pages, and blog articles, and follow the same format with new content.
Narrow Your Target Audience
Follow the 80-20 rule. This principle says that 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers. During a downturn, it makes sense to prioritize marketing to your primary audience. That way, your advertising dollars attract the people who are most likely to make a purchase.
To understand, imagine that your sales normally were split the following way:
- Ages 18-24 represent 10% of total sales
- Ages 25-34 represent 15% of total sales
- Ages 35-49 represent 30% of total sales
- Ages 50-65+ represent 45% of total sales
In this scenario, there are potential clients of every age, but you need to focus on adults aged 35-65. To narrow your budget further, you could prioritize SEO for the 50-65+ demographic.
Use Multipurpose Content
A great way to save money on marketing in a recession is to choose content that works in multiple channels simultaneously. Search-optimized blog articles can support email, social media, and print media marketing. One 1,200-word article can give you snippets for a dozen social media posts.
Plan Ahead
Cutting marketing in a recession is short-sighted. Downturns are tough, but they don’t last forever. In fact, many recessions are over in less than a year. Savvy entrepreneurs take a long view when making business decisions.
Your SEO strategy should position you to take advantage of increased demand once the recession ends. That way, your business can rake in profits while other businesses are still rebuilding their marketing foundations.
Seize Search Opportunities
Far from being time to cut your SEO efforts, economic downturns are the perfect time to establish keyword dominance. Why? If other businesses make the mistake of pausing their marketing, you have less competition! Your company can snatch up valuable opportunities even with a smaller marketing budget.
Never Stop Your SEO Efforts
Don’t fall for the cost-cutting fallacy when it comes to marketing. Protect your business during a downturn by using SEO wisely. Focus on marketing avenues that deliver the best ROI and take advantage of the opportunity to boost your search rankings.
Does SEO still work in a recession? Absolutely. You could even say that search marketing is recession-proof. Choose time-tested SEO strategies that deliver results, generate revenue, and adapt to your budget.
Our friendly team of digital experts loves rolling up their sleeves to help you optimize your SEO to drive measurable results. Give us a call today to find out how we can help you recession-proof your business with SEO!
