When 2020 came to an end, it left behind a year full of struggles, not just personally but in the business world. The normal as we knew it seemed a long forlorn dream. But with 2021 in full effect, the hope of new beginnings and learning from the past year has been a foolproof strategy since the start of the year.
COVID-19 ensured that there were multiple quarantines throughout the year, which led to inconsistency in businesses, both small and large empires. The former was unable to cope while the latter could afford the setbacks. In any case, however, one thing that became apparent after a year of trial and error is the need for businesses to have a strong online presence.
The business model that is said to work best will involve a good amount of knowledge for online workings. It is vital to become accessible through an online presence, as the future for buying and selling products or services is through online shopping.
Remote Work is the New Normal
Much as we’d like to hope, the virus still has the world by the collar. There are deaths and new strains being discovered. In 2021 and beyond, we need to be ready to continue work from home, and it is likely that most businesses will have to choose that option. Around 42% of the U.S workforce works from home, according to a study done in 2020 at Stanford University.
Financial Focus Will Shift to Profit Building
This year proved to be a test for businesses and a transition phase from traditional business models to something that is versatile enough to work in multiple situations. After the losses have been recovered, and they gain back their footing, 2021 and beyond will see businesses focusing on profitability. You will see them focusing on automating administrative tasks, consolidating software systems, renegotiating vendor contracts, and outsourcing services that might be too tedious.
SEO Changes and UX
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to have long or short-term effects on SEO. You will now be unable to overlook User Experience (UX) as it is key to designing digital experiences and customer journeys from the user’s perspective. According to a Google Webmaster blog, google now factors “UX signals” into its rankings. Thus, keeping your page rankings up in 2021 will mean ensuring that you consider UX just as important.
It would seem smart to start preparing for what the year 2021 brings us. Regardless of how your business fared in 2020, it is essential to set yourself up for success, evaluate what has been working and what needs discarding.
If you’re looking for advice or services to help you become better acquainted with improving your business’s online presence, visit our website City Insight to see what services can best help you. Happy New Year!
