The economy shut down almost overnight when the COVID-19 pandemic started to hit the country. It’s been months now since the initial shutdown occurred and people and companies have adjusted to being under quarantine. As coronavirus cases have begun to wane across the country, many governments are beginning to talk about opening the economy back up.

But what exactly does this entail and what does it mean for your SEO? The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how people use the Internet and social media and how companies communicate with their customers. Will everything return to how it was before the pandemic, or will there be a new normal?

The short answer is that we don’t know yet.

What Will Reopening After the COVID-19 Pandemic Look Like?

Reopening will be different depending on the location. Some states are easing restrictions already while others are maintaining their shutdown orders. If your company is in an area that is starting to open back up, it’s important to maintain the safety measures that will prevent a recurrence of coronavirus cases in your area. This will also help your staff and customers feel more comfortable visiting your business.

What Does Reopening Mean for Websites?

Just as the COVID-19 pandemic affected which industries were regularly searched, reopening will likely have a similar effect. Some industries, like travel and real estate, that saw decreases in visits during the pandemic, may begin to see a turnaround in their site visits. Other industries that have seen an increase due to the pandemic may see a return to normal, pre-pandemic numbers of site visits.

How Did the Pandemic Change SEO?

The pandemic was an ideal opportunity for companies to reexamine their old content. Especially for companies that were shut down due to the pandemic, it was a great time to go through older content and make sure that it met current SEO guidelines. Thin content should have been expanded and updated as necessary. You’re looking to show expertise, authority, and trustworthiness on all content on your website as well as providing the best possible user experience. These are the factors that Google is looking for in its rankings.

How Will Reopening Change SEO?

With your existing content improved, your website will be better prepared for the economy reopening as the coronavirus pandemic eases. Google issued an update in May to its core algorithm, but it didn’t require SEO changes on the part of websites. It primarily affected how well Google’s algorithm can understand searchers’ intent and now offers more results for products and services instead of primarily information.

Your SEO strategy shouldn’t need to change for the reopening unless your website already had areas in which it needed to approve. However, the reopening may drive your choice of content topics and what you choose to post on social media. It’s important to pay attention to what your customers are doing. Depending on your industry, your customers’ searches may not be affected by the reopening, but they may have. Keep an eye on your rankings and your visits as reopening occurs to see if any adjustments need to be made to your content.