The search “apartments near me” took a nosedive as the spread of the coronavirus disrupts almost every aspect of American life. Now, instead of hunting for the next big move, people are searching for how to disinfect their homes, set up a home office, or create a new at-home workout routine. This switch in search topics related to housing reflects the overall shift in priorities this past week as businesses shut down offices, restaurants and bars go to take-out only, and students move to e-learning.
Whether it’s the warmer weather or the end of hibernation, people have demonstrated a strong interest in apartments for rent during this time of year. The period starting with spring and going into summer is referred to as “the renting season” in the industry. But COVID-19 (Coronavirus) has completely derailed the trend, forcing people into isolation, and drastically shifting renters’ priorities.
To get a clear image of this sudden change in renters’ behavior, we looked at Google Trends as well as traffic behavior on our website since the Coronavirus outbreak.
Search traffic dropped by 25% in one week