Navigating a very challenging economy, whether you are a contractor or construction business owner, is a tough job. And you may find yourself cutting some of your company expenses. It is very tempting to slash your marketing budget just to find balance. Apparently, it is such a huge mistake.
If you scale down your marketing efforts, you are hurting your client base’s growth and maintenance. According to research, one strategy that can help weather economic depressions and downturns is SEO or Search Engine Optimization.
In this blog post, find out why SEO is the most suitable during a recession and how it works. Also, we provide some expert tips that will guide you on leveraging SEO during the toughest periods.
Why SEO Does Well during Economic Downturns?
Here are some core reasons why Search Engine Optimization is a recession-proof digital marketing strategy.
1. SEO helps to save marketing costs
One of the biggest benefits of SEO is that it can save you on marketing and advertising costs. Unlike paid advertising, which usually requires you to pay for every click and impression, SEO is a more cost-effective way to attract and increase traffic to your construction website. This can be particularly useful, especially during a recession when budgets are becoming so tight.
By investing in SEO during a tough period like the economic recession, you can retain your market share and continue driving traffic with your relevant keywords without paying for every click. So yes, SEO can save you big time.
2. SEO allows you to reach a wider audience
Another big reason SEO is a recession-proof digital marketing tactic is that it can help you reach a broader audience online. When you rank higher in the SERPs, your site will become more visible to a wider group of people. They can be people looking for the services and products you offer and people who may not have known your construction business before.
3. SEO helps you adapt to ever-changing consumer behavior
During recessions, the behavior of consumers significantly shifts as they become more aware of their spending. This is where SEO can help you adapt to such changes by simply allowing you to optimize your construction website and its content. In this strategy, you should focus more on relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience uses to search for your services or products.
By being in tune with these changes, you can guarantee that your website remains useful, valuable, and relevant to your main audience, even during economic downturns.
4. SEO helps in building trust and credibility
In addition to boosting your brand awareness, widening your reach, and increasing your visibility, SEO can also help you build strong trust and credibility with your audience. When your construction website ranks high in the SERPs, it sends a message to your potential clients that you are a trusted business and a reliable source of information.
This helps you stand out from the rest of your competitors, gives you the edge, and, most importantly, establishes trust with your audience, leading to strong customer loyalty and more sales.
5. SEO is doable even with limited assets
While SEO usually focuses on creating optimized content for search, it can also be useful in driving traffic to your underperforming assets. These assets can be whitepapers, webinars, or even e-books that you previously used to attract more leads.
So, by simply leveraging SEO effectively, you can take advantage of your underperforming assets or content and repurpose them during periods of recession. Even during an economic downturn, your efforts in this area continue to drive traffic and lead to your construction website.
How to Leverage SEO during a Recession?
Of course, this blog will not be complete without giving tips on taking advantage of SEO, especially during a recession. Here are some SEO best practices you can follow.
1. Evaluate your current search engine ranking and keywords
Take a closer look at your present search engine rankings to better understand where you stand regarding visibility. Tools like Google Analytics (GA) can help you track your website traffic and collect data on your keyword performance. Make sure to determine the sources of traffic, the web pages that receive the most visits, and the keywords that drive more traffic to your site.
If you opt for local SEO, you should focus on evaluating the performance of your website in the local search results. Doing everything will give you a clearer idea of the keywords you should target while updating your keyword list and creating fresh content that aims for maximum visibility.
2. Increase long-tail keyword usage
Apparently, more and more people today are using voice-activated search. So, this only means that search queries are becoming more and more conversational and longer. For instance, instead of searching for “Construction Company,” people may search “Where can I find the best construction business near me?”
To reflect on this ever-changing trend, optimizing all of your content for long-tail keywords is crucial. Including relevant long-tail keywords in any of your content increases the chances of your content appearing in search results.
3. Review and update your content regularly
Search engines love fresh and high-quality content. Make sure you review all the content you put out on your website and update this content regularly. This significantly helps in boosting your search engine rankings.
Your content should be optimized for SEO, have the right keywords, and provide valuable insights to your site visitors. Create blogs, articles, and other pages, making them informative and engaging for your audience.
Committing to a consistent content schedule can help you maintain content production and strengthen your SEO efforts.
4. Retain your existing customers
SEO is an effective lead acquisition tool and can help your existing customers (post-conversion) stay as part of your customer base.
When you shift your focus on your existing customers, it leads to cheaper marketing costs. Most of your existing customers already know who you are and what you offer and already have a great impression of your construction business. So, always reach your customers after every transaction or negotiation they have with you.
Your customer’s satisfaction with the services you offer matters the most.
5. Analyze your competitors
Understanding and analyzing your competitors is another way to stick out during a recession. Know them better, what they are currently up to? What are they offering? What strategies have they been using lately? How can you prove that you are way better than any of them?
A competitor analysis can help you answer these questions and carry out the changes to your SEO strategy. For example, if one of your competitors shares downloadable guides or industry insights, you can do the same. Make sure to tweak it and add your spin to make it more unique.
6. Monitor your campaigns consistently
Part of SEO is tracking and monitoring your campaigns to ensure your strategy performs well. During a recession, you can rely on some free tools you can access, like Google Analytics. It’s the tool we mentioned earlier in this blog.
Just recently, this year, Google Analytics 4 is replacing universal analytics. So, make sure to switch to GA4 as early as possible. Upgraded tools like GA4 can help you track your entire SEO campaign. In fact, the reports you generate from this tool allow you to see conversions, traffic, and even customer demographics.
Complementary Marketing Strategies You Can Leverage During a Recession
While SEO has long been proven to be worth investing in during a recession, there are many ways you can power it up. Apparently, various complementary marketing strategies are best combined with SEO. They are as follows:
1. Integrated Digital Marketing
Organic digital marketing is a cost-effective way to reach and engage your target construction clients during a recession. With an integrated approach across multiple channels like social media, your brand can get the most out of your limited budget.
2. Personalization
During a recession, people are expected to be more selective and well-informed in their purchasing decisions. With a personalized marketing campaign, your construction business can stand out and show that your company values your target audience.
3. Double down on value ads
During an economic recession, your customer and target audience will become more focused on getting value in exchange for the money they spend. This is where your construction company can highlight the significant value of its services and products. You can offer promotions and discounts to attract and retain your target customers.
4. Customer loyalty program
Customer loyalty programs can help your construction company retain your existing customer base and even expand it. This type of program encourages repeat purchases even during a recession.
Weather Economic Storms with ConstructionMarketing.io
Do not let a bad economic recession deter you. Instead, turn to other ways and leverage the power of Search Engine Optimization to navigate these challenging times – and then come out stronger on the other side. Always remember that the success of your construction business rests on your ability to welcome change and adapt new strategies, and most importantly if you ask for the professional help from the best SEO experts!
ConstructionMarketing.io is a leading full-service digital marketing agency trusted by many contractors, subcontractors, and construction business leaders. We offer a range of marketing solutions tailored to our client’s exact needs, all exceptional and results-oriented – from SEO, Website Development, social media, PPC, Content Marketing, and more.
Our SEO services are top-tier. In fact, our agency is renowned for its link-building and comprehensive keyword research capabilities – a must-have for your SEO strategy. With our expertise and innovative approach to Search engine optimization and digital marketing, we can help you grow your brand and increase your overall revenue and profit.
Contact us today for more information. Also, we offer a free consultation!