As online consumer behaviour becomes the norm for everyone right now, what are we seeing trending in search and SEO? Is COVID-19 still having a big effect on trending topics as we move into weeks 3-4 of #StayAtHome?

Unsurprisingly, searches for toilet paper, hand sanitiser, masks and other health equipment has gone up. With supermarkets and pharmacies’ stocks running low, consumers are turning to e-commerce to ship the goods they need. Think eBay and Amazon, as well as smaller specialty sites such as Thankyou, Sensori (who have really ramped up their ads on Instagram), and even Mecca has hand sanitiser!

Searches for information regarding health and wellbeing is up 17%. Of course, many people are wondering about virus symptoms, nutrition tips, techniques on home-based health practices and other prevention methods.

Travel searches are down 46% as is to be expected. Most enquiries relate to cancellations and refunds. But as restrictions and quarantines begin to lift in the coming months, what will we see? Are we going to start seeing more frequent searches for potential savings on holidays when borders are no longer shuttered?

News publishers are the big winners in search trends recently, with the public desperate for updates on the continually changing landscape. Many news publisher sites are taking advantage of live streams to compete with traditional TV channels.

Since our last update to clients (get in touch to get our updates!), food and recipe related searches are maintaining their trending status, up 22%. Consumers are looking for locally harvested produce and locally produced pantry items to boost local economies (up 157%), and searches for imported goods stores are up too by a staggering 172%! Can’t get in the way of people’s cravings for real deal ramen noodles, we guess!

Due to the self-isolation guidelines, consumers are searching less for out-of-home activities and experiences, as well as exercise classes and outdoor events. Many organisations are compensating for lack of direct consumer attention by using social media to host live events. This is unlikely to stop as long as we are restricted to our homes in the same way. Many consumers are proactively taking charge of alternatives with a 162% in searches for fitness equipment.

While we may be under some kind of restriction by Q4, it is worth strategising for this period now. It isn’t the time to hold back on marketing. Brands need to stay relevant and present in the public scope. This is a learning opportunity! If this is the worst case scenario (or the worst we’ve dealt with so far), then you’ll find the next crisis a little easier to manage.

Info sourced from here.