It is said that in times of crisis companies should drastically cut costs in order to survive. That’s why advertising agencies, SEO experts and online marketing companies generally tremble before such economic phases. Because they are usually the very first ones to have the red pencil cut hard. The only question is whether you as a company are really doing yourself a favor by doing this? Because less marketing usually goes hand in hand with an additional drop in sales. Savings foxes thus saw at the branch on which they sit. Perhaps such phases are even a way to gain additional market share with a little cleverness. We look at all options.
SEO in times of crisis – when to save money?
Whether it makes more sense to save on SEO in times of crisis or even to expand it is a decision that cannot be made across the board. It is more a kind of game with the existing circumstances and the probabilities.
With the current circumstances because in the first instance it depends on what meaning SEO currently has for you. If you are already number 1, 2 or 3 in Google, then it would be deadly to save here. If you lose your good ranking, then it is guaranteed that your sales via the Internet will drop even more. For online shops the end would be as good as sealed. However, if the Internet plays only a minor role in generating sales, then you will not suffer any damage if you cut back your budget.
SEO in times of crisis – when more is better?
Now it is getting speculative and the right approach always requires a thorough analysis first. There are industries that profit in a crisis. In the financial crisis it was real estate. In the Covid 19 crisis, for example, it’s online retailers and delivery services: Amazon, DPD, DHL – they all massively increased their turnover.
What perhaps not everyone would expect is that in times of lockdowns, many people have obviously turned their attention to the stock market and passive income. Online brokers are recording growing numbers of securities account openings. Of course, this also increases the demand for financial information and stock market tips. On this portal for stock exchange letters DACH the demand has definitely increased massively. A press release of the operator mentions a figure of over 50%.
If you and your company are among the beneficiaries of a crisis, then more advertising is a good solution. Firstly, because your income could rise above average again. Also, because your competitors might do it and you might lose touch. Just to prevent this, additional marketing is important.
But even if your sales are at the same level as before, additional spending in SEO, SEA and online marketing could still make sense. It’s quite possible that your competitors have run into financial difficulties. Maybe you can overtake them in the top positions. This would move you forward because your competitors would no longer have the resources to regain their place. As you can see, this requires a high degree of strategy and deliberation. But there are really good reasons, especially in bad times, to expand activities at the most important revenue sources.