Why organic SEO might be your best option during high inflation

In today’s digital-first world, the connection between a consumer and a brand is constantly evolving, mainly due to the rise of search engines and, more recently, user-generated content (UGC) on social media. Search engines and social platforms make virtually any information in the world readily available to users.

Now, recovering from a global pandemic and being on the brink of another likely recession are hardly the ideal economic conditions imagined. Advertisers are still keen to expand their reach through paid media, but the inflated prices aren’t delivering the same results as they did a year ago, even as investment increases.

A more sustainable alternative to combat the situation brands are currently in is investing in organic resources, including organic social, and considering initiatives that generate long-term earnings. This can help alleviate the need to spend large sums of money on paid media. Brands can reap long-term benefits by capturing an increase in online traffic and will be in a much better position when things get back to normal. Simply put, consolidating your brand into overall organic assets is always a smart idea.

And while investing in organic means you can’t check every Google search or every time your name is mentioned on social media, you Power start building your brand and earn a positive reputation by sticking to some organic best practices.

Consider what “Even people ask” (PAA)

To get the most out of their content, brands should create copy that answers the most frequently asked questions online. The PAA in a Google search or FAQs on other websites are great places to get ideas. Content that answers these questions in a real way not only attracts consumers to brand-owned media (website, blog, social media, e-commerce site), but also offers them valuable information and that’s a great way to build brand loyalty.

For example, consider how a brand that sells summer clothes can approach this. It would be smart to explore the PAA questions that are shown when looking for “beautiful summer dresses”, such as “what makes a summer dress flattering?” or “what are the latest trends in summer clothes?” This brand should devote time and money to creating content such as articles that directly answer these questions. This will make it easier for people to find you on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Make the most of the latest social media features

Social media is constantly evolving, so being open to making changes before moving forward is critical to success in an organic reach. Finding out what works best for you and your audience can be done in a number of ways, from varying the length of your posts to experimenting with different types of images.

And with each new update comes a tremendous opportunity to be one of the first to adopt and establish itself as the brand that first embraced the changes.

Organic social media can seem to scream into space at times, so doing something unique to stand out is more important than ever. Consider testing and experimenting with ever-changing social features, from Instagram Reels and Twitter’s new “Notes” option, this will allow your audience to engage with your brand in new ways and increase social reach.

Thought leadership can accomplish what cannot be paid for

Thought leadership pieces, especially article writing, are central to these organic initiatives. Reliability of content affects a company’s SEO visibility. As a result, businesses should arm themselves with a diverse set of thought leaders and focus on increasing their online inventory of useful content.

This is especially true when inflation is high, as it is right now. Provide your consumers and followers with useful information that can help them make the most of your goods or services in their daily life. Help your consumers spend their money wisely. This will strengthen your relationship with them in the long run.

Organic and international markets

More opportunities may be available for brands with a presence in more markets. For example, fashion retail brands believe that Italy and the Netherlands are particularly attractive markets with higher per capita market revenue but smaller total audience size. This means less competition but more overall spending. While market share in these regions is likely to be small, the potential for development using approaches that could be abused in more established markets is considerable. You can gain an advantage over the competition by being the first to identify untapped markets with a high volume of general traffic.

A brand’s content strategy must be comprehensive and adaptable if it is to expand its reach across the globe. International content marketing requires a more in-depth discussion of the brand’s entire business plan in each international region in addition to normal organic tactics. For example, it is crucial to create localized content as each region has its own unique set of idioms, dialects and subtleties.

It is possible that these initiatives will not have measurable returns right away. But it’s wise to invest in long-term initiatives that will help brands get out of this time of financial hardship when consumer spending is poised to rebound.

Tom Mansell is Director of Organic Performance at the award-winning global agency Croud. Tom is responsible for the UK SEO team and overall strategy, delivering bespoke and collaborative organic search campaigns for a wide range of clients. Tom has over 10 years of client and agency experience, working in verticals including automotive, finance, retail and FMCG.

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