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We’ve seen a lot of channel wars online since the COVID-19 outbreak, companies and people trying to push the value of the channels they specialise in. There are some good points but a lot of the time the answer isn’t that simple.

One of the arguments is ‘turn your PPC off/down and invest in the long-term strategy of SEO so your rankings are strong when this blows over’. I totally get this argument; but if you drop your SEO and lose rankings you can’t just switch it back on when the world wakes up. However, this is too simple a solution for many of the businesses we work with.

Yes, the world has gone into hibernation, but people are still buying so switching off your PPC is effectively switching off sales. The preferred option is to tighten up those campaigns, pause anything on a higher CPA/CPL and really drill down into what is still working.

The other thing to consider is awareness. The world is working from home, more people are browsing, maybe not buying, but they are browsing. You still need to be there in those moments and no SEO strategy covers it all.

I would personally look at where SEO is performing well and potentially stop paid activity on these terms. Then look at your SEO gaps and switch PPC on here. Adopt a fully balanced strategy between the two to ensure you’re capturing as much of the market as possible, whilst efficiently managing spend.

Also its worth noting that whilst the market has shifted but it isn’t gone. The questions people are asking about products and services have changed dramatically in the last 2 weeks. What are these questions? Do you have content? Can you target them through your paid media? This for me is a must action that needs to happen now.

There is no right answer on channel during this period, it’s about your customers and serving them based on their new habits, concerns and questions.

These are challenging times, but there are opportunities amongst the chaos. You need to take action so that you’re in the strongest position possible when the world wakes up.