In our industry we spend a lot of time trying to prevent electronic viruses. The recent COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak got me thinking about how the health and optimal function of your business Website is crucial during a global pandemic. As the virus continues to spread in the United States, we have seen many corporations restrict business travel and require that more meetings be held virtually through video conference and screen sharing. Let’s explore how your Website can be a tool for continued business success during this outbreak.

Less Foot Traffic Means More Website Traffic

Less and less people are venturing out to retail centers, trade shows and networking events. More employees are being asked to stay in the office or at home. This means that salespeople and prospective clients are going to rely heavily on electronic communications to buy and sell goods and services. It is crucial that your business be positioned highly through organic and paid efforts on search engines, social media and related Websites to capture the largest share of local internet traffic possible.    

Don’t Cut Your Web Advertising Budgets

It is tempting for business owners to freak out and immediately put all of your Web advertising on pause until the crisis subsides. This is probably the worst thing you can do for the future success of your business. You may notice that traffic on the roads during rush hour has become lighter, but that does not mean that internet traffic or search engine use has slowed. We expect internet search volume to increase as more communities ask businesses and schools to close their physical operations. If your business isn’t positioned to appear in the search results during this time, you may be damaging your sales numbers. Businesses have a great opportunity to capitalize on increased searches for their goods and services, but most will be too fearful to increase their online advertising budgets.     

Make Your Website More Accessible

You may not be able to go out and shake hands with prospects or meet in large groups for a networking event, but you can still engage prospective customers through your Website and other electronic communications. Many of our clients have added a Live Chat feature to their Websites. This allows site visitors to have a detailed conversation with your salespeople in real time. We also recommend that all websites have a clear call to action in the form of a phone number or online form placed prominently on every page. It is also crucial that every website be formatted properly on mobile devices.

If you are concerned about the health of your business during the COVID-19 outbreak, Contact Us to discuss the ways your can increase your Web traffic even while your foot traffic is decreasing.