SEO Tips April 1st 2020 Update

We’ve documented industries we see going up and down in the second section of our coronavirus marketing insights post, based on data from our @seoClarity client base https://www.seoclarity.net/blog/industry-insights-coronavirus …https://twitter.com/rustybrick/status/1243139263119704065 …

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Google Announcements

Pause your business online in Google Search

If you need to pause your business as several business owners have done, Google has released a dos and don’t list to help you. In essence, update your website to reflect these changes, limit site functionality and keep your users informed. Google does not recommend disabling your whole site. There are FAQs and other considerations in the blog post, so read it before making this big change.

Google Webmasters

 Do you need to hit pause on your online business for some time? We just published some do’s and don’t’s to help you with maintaining your site’s presence in search. Check it out! https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2020/03/how-to-pause-your-business-online-in.html …

Google Ads posted tips on how to navigate your Google Ads search ads campaigns through the COVID-19 outbreak

Google has come out with a lot of ideas to help you adapt to the dynamic market. Barry has done a great job at summarizing them all into this post, but here are some that stood out to us. Thoroughly review your assets. You need to consider the relevance and frankly the appropriateness of your assets given the current market situation. Consider your text and tone during this time. Communicate business changes. We’ve mentioned this before, but if you have reduced or changed hours, let your customers know. If your delivery or shipping has changed, communicate this. Be prepared to adapt. You may need to adjust, pause or stop your ad practices. Make adjustments to your targets if necessary, consider using new tools, and pay attention to the local market and your customer’s mindsets.

SEO Tips

Here’s what you should do if you’re reducing your website’s functionality during COVID-19

Before this Reddit post got the attention of Gary Illyes (which sparked the dos and don’ts blog post which was released just days later), the same OP from Reddit posed the question on Twitter to ask some SEOs for their expertise on whether a site should be maintained or not. Glenn Gabe was quick to respond saying that the domain in this example was smart to keep their site up and running and flash a COVID-19 message on-site. By keeping the site online and generally undisturbed, it helps to preserve a lot of the SEO that has been done over the years.

Alex Harford@AlexHarford

@Marie_Haynes@glenngabe@JohnMu Any thoughts on companies taking websites down long-term due to coronavirus? If budget, best to keep site up & clear top bar saying trading paused? Toolstation 200 OK, cross-site holding page. Obv 503 best for only a day. https://www.screencast.com/t/V7bfcIhzxlK

Glenn Gabe@glenngabe

Good to see toolstation update their site and NOT replace all of their content with just a message. Smart move. 🙂 That would have caused big problems long-term. Here’s how they are currently handling it. Message at the top now: https://glennga.be/2JgzLCB

Cool concept: How to do free, roll-your-own SEO A/B Testing With Google Tag Manager.

Tools Needed: • Google Tag Manager • Google Analytics + Google Search Console • Google Sheets + Distilled’s Causal Impact tool + Some technical know-how via

@Portent

https://portent.com/blog/seo/seo-a-b-testing-with-google-tag-manager.htm…

How to improve Website Speed. 

I’ve worked with site speed a lot but never wrote about it until now! I hope this helps SEOs understand speed better and what their options are to improve their site. Check it out on the

@ahrefs

How to Improve Page Speed from Start to Finish (Advanced Guide)

Patrick Stox explains how page speed works, and what actions to take for your site.