{"id":156,"date":"2020-03-25T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2020-03-25T14:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/organicdigital.co\/blog\/?p=156"},"modified":"2026-09-21T12:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T11:13:13","slug":"how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/","title":{"rendered":"How Coronavirus Impacted Search Trends and SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TL;DR:<\/strong> <br>COVID-19 caused dramatic changes in search demand across different industries, but those changes weren\u2019t necessarily caused by websites losing or gaining rankings. Using Google Search Console data from clients I was working with in March 2020, this article shows how impressions and clicks fell sharply in sectors such as travel and hospitality, remained relatively stable elsewhere, and increased for some products and services associated with staying at home. The broader SEO lesson is that sudden traffic changes can reflect changes in search demand, not just changes in rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Why_I_kept_this_COVID_search_data_as_a_case_study\" >Why I kept this COVID search data as a case study<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#How_COVID-19_changed_search_demand\" >How COVID-19 changed search demand<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Site_Losing_Impressions_And_Traffic\" >Site Losing Impressions And Traffic<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Fashion\" >Fashion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Travel\" >Travel<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Bars_Restaurants\" >Bars &amp; Restaurants<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Events_PR\" >Events &amp; PR<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Home_Improvements\" >Home Improvements<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Business_As_Usual\" >Business As Usual<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Financial_Compliance\" >Financial Compliance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Legislative_Compliance\" >Legislative Compliance<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Sexual_Health_Help_Advice\" >Sexual Health Help &amp; Advice<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Sites_Gaining_Impressions_and_Traffic\" >Sites Gaining Impressions and Traffic<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#In_The_Garden\" >In The Garden<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Eating_At_Home\" >Eating At Home<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#Passing_The_Time_At_Home\" >Passing The Time At Home<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/how-coronavirus-impacted-search-trends-seo\/#And_Finally\" >And Finally<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_I_kept_this_COVID_search_data_as_a_case_study\"><\/span>Why I kept this COVID search data as a case study<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The COVID-19 pandemic caused an extraordinary change in the way people searched online. Demand disappeared almost overnight in some industries, remained surprisingly stable in others, and increased dramatically for products and services associated with spending more time at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, I was managing SEO and website performance across clients in a wide range of industries, which gave me an unusual view of those changes through Google Search Console data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I originally published this article in March 2020, during the first weeks of the pandemic. Rather than rewriting it with hindsight, I&#8217;ve kept the original examples and observations below as a snapshot of what was happening to organic search demand at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interesting SEO lesson isn&#8217;t really about coronavirus itself. It&#8217;s that <strong>a sudden loss or increase in organic traffic doesn&#8217;t necessarily mean rankings have changed<\/strong>. Sometimes the number of people searching for the products or services you offer has changed instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_COVID-19_changed_search_demand\"><\/span>How COVID-19 changed search demand<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, I was working as a <a href=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/\">website optimisation consultant<\/a> across clients in a wide range of industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I monitored organic performance closely, including alerts for significant week-on-week traffic drops. Ordinarily, a sudden decline would prompt me to investigate rankings, technical problems, website changes or a potential Google update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In March 2020, those alerts started appearing across multiple websites at around the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The difference was that there wasn&#8217;t necessarily anything wrong with the websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Search behaviour itself was changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Google Search Console made that particularly visible because I could look at both <strong>impressions and clicks<\/strong>. If impressions suddenly fell across an otherwise stable website, that could indicate fewer searches taking place for the products or services it normally appeared for, rather than simply a loss of rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Conversely, some clients started receiving considerably more impressions as lockdown changed what people needed, bought and did at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The examples below show three broad patterns I saw across the sites I was working with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>industries losing search demand<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>industries where search demand remained relatively stable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>industries experiencing increased search demand<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the dramatic changes became visible around the middle of March 2020, as COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and restrictions began changing everyday behaviour around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The graphs below use Google Search Console impressions and clicks from the beginning of 2020 and were captured at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Site_Losing_Impressions_And_Traffic\"><\/span>Site Losing Impressions And Traffic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fashion\"><\/span>Fashion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fashion has seen varying rates of dips &#8211; the following 3 sites are all in the footwear sector:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image.png\" alt=\"fashion data\" class=\"wp-image-157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"251\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-1.png\" alt=\"impressions\" class=\"wp-image-158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-1.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-1-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-1-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-2.png\" alt=\"drops\" class=\"wp-image-159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-2.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-2-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-2-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the drops are more dramatic in fast fashion clothing as these clients demonstrate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"257\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-4.png\" alt=\"drop\" class=\"wp-image-161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-4.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-4-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-4-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-3.png\" alt=\"more drops\" class=\"wp-image-160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-3.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-3-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-3-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"251\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-5.png\" alt=\"further drops\" class=\"wp-image-162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-5.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-5-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-5-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From this, it looks like clothing isn&#8217;t the necessity it was &#8211; let&#8217;s face it, no one is going out, so no one needs a new outfit, but, you can still walk places, so people still need new shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Travel\"><\/span>Travel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a niche that has been badly hit &#8211; the following site is essentially a travel agent for luxury accommodation on The Algarve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-6.png\" alt=\"travel traffic\" class=\"wp-image-163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-6.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-6-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-6-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whilst this next client has a chain of hostels in large European cities &#8211; they tend to have strong year round traffic as young uns from around the globe (in particular from the Far East) plan their trips and book their accommodation &#8211; they&#8217;ve seen a downward trajectory since January when word of the virus first emerged globally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"253\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-7.png\" alt=\"drops in traffic\" class=\"wp-image-164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-7.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-7-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-7-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">in comparison, this was their visibility and traffic in the same period last year which was very consistent<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-8.png\" alt=\"static\" class=\"wp-image-165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-8.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-8-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-8-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve been working with this client for a number of years, and this is the first  time they&#8217;ve seen a year on year decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Basically, no one is currently planning a holiday any time soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bars_Restaurants\"><\/span>Bars &amp; Restaurants<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following is a distillery in Manchester that offers tours and tasting experiences, though they still sell spirits via their online shop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"253\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-9.png\" alt=\"hospitality traffic\" class=\"wp-image-166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-9.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-9-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-9-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, they also have a bar \/ restaurant that has bombed in terms of clicks and they had to close their doors prior to the official Government order:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-10.png\" alt=\"clicks gone\" class=\"wp-image-167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-10.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-10-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-10-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No surprise that people aren&#8217;t going out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next site is a wedding \/ events venue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-11.png\" alt=\"wedding events venue\" class=\"wp-image-168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-11.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-11-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-11-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Events_PR\"><\/span>Events &amp; PR<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following site is in events management, and it&#8217;s no surprise that they have seen a drop in traffic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-12.png\" alt=\"EVENTS &amp; PR\" class=\"wp-image-169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-12.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-12-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-12-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Home_Improvements\"><\/span>Home Improvements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With more time being spent at home, you&#8217;d think this would be a time to get some DIY done &#8211; well, maybe not quite (or maybe it&#8217;s not the weather for it) as this bathroom suppliers is anything to go by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-16.png\" alt=\"HOME IMPROVEMENTS\" class=\"wp-image-173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-16.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-16-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-16-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, this tile wholesalers has also seen a drop in interest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"251\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-17.png\" alt=\"drop in interest\" class=\"wp-image-174\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-17.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-17-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-17-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Business_As_Usual\"><\/span>Business As Usual<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For some niches, it&#8217;s like this whole thing hasn&#8217;t happened and life goes on as normal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Financial_Compliance\"><\/span>Financial Compliance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whilst the markets may have crashed, money still makes the world go round:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-13.png\" alt=\"FINANCIAL COMPLIANCE\" class=\"wp-image-170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-13.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-13-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-13-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legislative_Compliance\"><\/span>Legislative Compliance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I only have data since mid Feb, but looks like people are keen to continue playing by the rules<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"253\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-14.png\" alt=\"LEGISLATIVE COMPLIANCE\" class=\"wp-image-171\" style=\"width:580px;height:243px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-14.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-14-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-14-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sexual_Health_Help_Advice\"><\/span>Sexual Health Help &amp; Advice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The kids aren&#8217;t playing by the rules round here and are still roaming in gangs of an evening, I fully expect this to spike when all this is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-15.png\" alt=\"SEXUAL HEALTH HELP &amp; ADVICE\" class=\"wp-image-172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-15.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-15-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-15-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sites_Gaining_Impressions_and_Traffic\"><\/span>Sites Gaining Impressions and Traffic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite living in the midst of a global pandemic, life goes on, and these websites have all started to see a spike in both impressions and clicks now that people have realised that they are going to have to stay in for a while:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_The_Garden\"><\/span>In The Garden<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following site sells garden furniture, a place many of us will be, particulary if this good weather keeps up (sod&#8217;s law that the weather got nice post lockdown):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"253\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-18.png\" alt=\"IN THE GARDEN\" class=\"wp-image-175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-18.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-18-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-18-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next two sites both sell gardening supplies &#8211; plants, bulbs, pots etc:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"257\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-19.png\" alt=\"spike\" class=\"wp-image-176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-19.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-19-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-19-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"259\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-20.png\" alt=\"increase\" class=\"wp-image-177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-20.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-20-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-20-150x65.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whilst these guys sell artifical grass:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"255\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-21.png\" alt=\"grass\" class=\"wp-image-178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-21.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-21-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-21-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s good to know that whilst animals can&#8217;t catch or spread the virus (unless you eat them alive), people are still looking out for their pets, as this online pet shop shows us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"256\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-22.png\" alt=\"pets\" class=\"wp-image-179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-22.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-22-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-22-150x64.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Eating_At_Home\"><\/span>Eating At Home<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When in self isolation &#8211; folk look like they start to think about their eating habits &#8211; this site provides healthy meals prepared and delivered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-23.png\" alt=\"eating at home\" class=\"wp-image-180\" style=\"width:580px;height:244px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-23.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-23-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-23-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whilst this site has a wide range of healthy recipes for those on a budget, which started to see more impressions over the last few weeks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-24.png\" alt=\"budget\" class=\"wp-image-181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-24.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-24-300x127.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-24-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Passing_The_Time_At_Home\"><\/span>Passing The Time At Home<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This site sells sample packs for the budding music producer to use on their tracks and it looks like overthe last week, a few more people are planning to knock a few tunes out with little else to pass the time:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"253\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-26.png\" alt=\"at home\" class=\"wp-image-183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-26.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-26-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-26-150x63.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_Finally\"><\/span>And Finally<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;re probably all wondering, but my site&#8217;s been fine, I don&#8217;t get much traffic anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"602\" height=\"259\" src=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-25.png\" alt=\"organic traffic\" class=\"wp-image-182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-25.png 602w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-25-300x129.png 300w, https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/image-25-150x65.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve had a handful of clients ask me to pause activity for the foreseeable, which is more than understandable and I am more than happy to do, whilst as you can see from the above, there&#8217;s plenty that need to carry on as normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hopefully your website and\/or business hasn&#8217;t been too affected by all this &#8211; in any case, we will get through this, but it will be interesting to see which trends continue once this whole thing starts to clear up &#8211; I fully expect health and wellbeing sites to blossom moving forward, as this whole episode wakes many up to the fact they need to look after themselves for a longer, healthier life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See you on the other side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An analysis of recent organic performance across some of my client websites gives some interesting insights into how the Corona Virus is impacting everyday search trends<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/2458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/daveashworth.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}