The 2019 Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) has impacted millions of small businesses in the U.S. and across the globe. Many states have ordered businesses to shut down or work remotely. During these troubling times, communication is crucial.
Below is a list of our recommendations to effectively communicate to your customers with any changes to your business:
COVID-19 Notice on Your Website
We highly suggest adding a notice on your website that is prominently located near the header or via a pop-up. Preferably, the notice should be visible on any page of your website, considering visitors might not always land on your home page. If you decide to present the notice with a pop-up, you should include the option to close the notice so it doesn’t reappear as they navigate your website.
Social Media Updates
The fastest way to reach your customers is to post updates to your social media channels. This includes Facebook Pages, Twitter, LinkedIn Pages, and any other networks. Followers of your business will likely see your post in their feed.
You may also want to alter your business hours if they are subject to change.
Business Profile – Google & Bing
If you do not have social media channels for your business, at the minimum, we recommend verifying your business with Google My Business and Bing Places. When someone searches for your business on Google or Bing, your Business Profile may show in the search results.
Similar to social media, you have control over the content that appears in your Business Profile. There is a section titled (Updates from …) which will display you latest post. This is a good way to communicate news or updates to anyone who searches for your business.
DO NOT DISABLE YOUR WEBSITE!
Update: March 27, 2020
“As a last resort, you may decide to disable the whole website. This is an extreme measure that should only be taken for a very short period of time (a few days at most), as it will otherwise have significant effects on the website in Search, even when implemented properly.”
Source: https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2020/03/how-to-pause-your-business-online-in.html
We always recommend following Google’s guidelines for website optimization, SEO, best practices, and other suggestions; after all, they’re #1. Today, Google publicly announced that a website should only be disabled under extreme measures. If a website is disabled for an extended period of time, your website could lose organic rankings which can be detrimental to your online presence, now and in the future.
Need Assistance? We Can Help..
Kingsbury Web is committed to providing you with the best support possible during this uncertain time. We can help you get a notice published promptly, especially considering news is changing every day.
Don’t hesitate to contact us. Please stay safe.
