Last updated May 14, 2020

In this unprecedented time, we would like to keep updating this page as a living resource of information that is important for SEOs to know in regards to COVID-19. These resources can be found in our weekly newsletter alongside Marie's analysis of the changes to search in relation to the pandemic. 

Important dates to note

March 10-11, 2020: At this time Donald Trump announced a travel ban to those travelling to the US from Europe. Also, the NBA made the decision to shut down their season. While there was some suspicion in the SEO community that this was a Google update, we believe the changes seen were more likely due to worldwide changes in search patterns. The travel ban, combined with the loss of the NBA season made the whole Coronavirus situation much more real to most people and greatly affected how they live their lives.

March 23, 2020: Many sites saw traffic changes starting on this date. We had initially suspected this was due to a Google update. While it is still a possibility, most of our clients who saw drastic Google organic traffic changes also saw similar changes in Bing which makes a Google update less likely to be the cause. March 23 was a Monday, the start of a week of much devastating news in the world. On this date, Britain closed all of their non-essential shops and a day later, the entire country of India was placed on lockdown.

CNN’s global COVID timeline - A good timeline for worldwide events

 

How is COVID-19 affecting businesses?

Each week, we have been running a Twitter poll to ask our followers whether the Coronavirus is impacting their organic traffic. Here is the most recent poll:

Previous polls:

More in Episode 127 of SNYCU

See the results summarized in Episode 126 of SNYCU

Discussed in Episode #125

Discussed in Episode #124

 

Other sources discussing the effects of the virus: 

GMB information

Making sense of your data

Ideas to help businesses during a pandemic 

Resources for those who are out of of job 

  • Resume feedback and job search help:

MHC Note: Every week we post job openings in our newsletter. We will continue to add as many as possible for those in the digital marketing industry. 

Free resources/learning opportunities: 

Encouraging stories of businesses adapting during this crisis

 

Other important news relating to SEO and COVID-19

 

A recap of all the major COVID-19 announcements from Google in recent weeks 

With several new announcements coming our way over the last few weeks, Google has posted a recap thread on Twitter. Here is our brief version of the updates:

 

Additional Google Resources: