Top 5 Local SEO Mistakes: What You Should Avoid
If you’re running a local business, it’s time to make sure you’re not making the same mistakes that most other businesses are. It can be difficult to find all of the information about what you should do and what you shouldn’t do when it comes to SEO. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the top 5 mistakes that many people make in regards to optimizing their site for search engines.
It is quite easy to make local SEO mistakes that may cause your site to suffer, or even worse – get penalized by Google. You’ll want to follow some of the best practices for local business owners in order to avoid these common pitfalls and make sure you rank high in local searches.
If you have multiple locations across the country, it’s time for a re-org! Duplicate listings needlessly dilute ranking power while giving no benefit whatsoever.
Top 5 Local SEO Mistakes To Avoid
If you don’t know your way around, it is very easy to get lost and go down the wrong path with local SEO. Here are the top five local SEO mistakes to avoid:
Mistake 1: Ignoring Your Physical Location
The first local SEO mistake that many businesses make is trying to implement too much of a “one size fits all” type strategy. In other words, they try and optimize their site for search engines in the same way across the board without considering their specific business or location. This approach often ends up hurting local rankings more than helping them because it’s not targeted enough.
Instead, you should include local keywords on your website like common phrases unique to your area as well as geotargeting information using Google My Business which will help ensure that you rank higher in local searches based on where people are searching from around town or abroad!
However, there are also some things that can hurt local rankings so be sure what keywords are you going to include in your local SEO strategy. For example, if you’re a restaurant chain and all of the restaurants have similar menus then they’ll compete against each other.
Mistake 2: Not Setting up Your Google My Business Account
Being on Google My Business is a free and easy way for local businesses to get noticed by customers. It is one of the most common SEO mistakes people make. It’s been shown that when people search “Best local restaurants” or “Bakery Near Me”, your local business could show up in the top three spots if you have an active account!
This means more traffic and potential new customers which can lead to higher revenue. The first step of setting it up is creating a profile page for your company with all your contact information including address, phone number as well as hours of operation. Make sure this data has maximum visibility choose the option where Google will automatically update these details whenever they change.
Your business could get a lot more attention if it starts popping up in the first three spots also known as the Google 3 Pack.
Mistake 3: Ignoring Citations and Reviews
In the digital marketing world, local SEO is all about local citations. As a result, it’s important to make sure that your local listings are consistent and up-to-date across the web. Curate reviews from sites like TripAdvisor (or Yelp) or even Google My Business Reviews.
These reviews will improve your standing both in the online world and in the physical world, this means your local business listing will be more visible.
Mistake 4: Not using the new Google My Business tools
The way people search has changed, and so have local SEO practices! The introduction of the new Google My-Business features means that businesses can now take advantage of mobile optimization to make sure their listings are easy to find on smaller screens. Make sure you’re taking full advantage of all these useful tools from your dashboard and provide a link to your website.”
“Local digital marketing is a lot like politics – if you don’t show up in person or work harder than your competition, then it’s going to be really tough for anyone else to know who you are.”
Mistake 5: Not Following The SEO Requirements
One of the local SEO mistakes that you should avoid is not following the search engine optimization requirements. This can be a common mistake because it’s easy to forget about when there are other marketing efforts being taken care of, such as local print advertising or social media marketing. In order for your business to show up in local searches on Google Maps, Yelp, and other popular directories, then it has to meet certain requirements set by each site.
For example:
- The keywords that you use need to match those on your website.
- You have an active web address (domain name) registered with Google My Business.
- Your listing needs at least one updated photo within the last six months.
- You should have Google maps in your website’s footer.
- Proper Keyword research is a must
- No keyword stuffing in your content
- Only high-quality content should be uploaded
- Your website should be Mobile friendly
If any of these things don’t apply to your business, or if you’re confused then get in touch with an SEO expert.
There are a lot of factors that go into Local SEO for small businesses and it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the information. Digital Engage is here to help! We provide local SEO services in Tennessee, so give us a call or contact us online today if you want your business to dominate its market.
