Local SEO is a touchy subject in marketing, with many people convinced they are experts in the field.
However, we tell you that this optimization technique is not more straightforward than it seems. And even the most talented optimizers can make mistakes.
Reason: In today's digital age, information is abundant and easily accessible. One consequence of this "information overload" is that many may feel a sense of urgency to rank higher on Google searches without thoroughly learning about the Local SEO process.
Below are a few common mistakes that have been seen time and again in Local SEO.
Many small business owners don't realize the importance or impact of claiming their local listings and how it can affect their ranking and visibility.
If a company doesn't claim their local listings, they will not be able to control what information their business shows up on the map. Also, they can't access other essential functions such as editing (business information about themselves) or adding new photos.
Not claiming your business also has some other consequences. For example, many consumers are looking for local businesses to buy from.
When your business isn't claimed, customers will see it as not having anything worth buying or that the business is closed. Claiming listings will show customers that your company is active and thriving.
Tip: Customers are more likely to purchase products when they know that people are behind them, ready to help with any issues.
Here’s a screenshot of how you can claim your local listing:
Since the introduction of Google My Business, small businesses that want to stay competitive in their local market take extra time and effort to claim their profiles.
The Reason: A GMB account is a free service from Google that enables businesses to add information about their organization on Google Search and Maps services. In addition, having a profile will enable potential customers to find one on Google search.
The consequences of not claiming a Google My Business profile include:
Factsheet: 76% of people visit a brick-and-mortar store within 24 hours after making a local search on their mobile phone.
Claim my GMB profile now!
Here’s how your GMB listing will appear in response to search queries:
As technology advances, small businesses worldwide are adapting quickly to stay competitive. One way that they are staying competitive is by creating localized content. However, not every business realizes the importance of this process.
Not having localized content will result in a lack of customer satisfaction and personal touch.
One must understand that the small businesses in the United States are struggling to compete with the larger corporations that span across borders.
While the biggies have maintained a global audience due to their easy access to international markets, the smaller ones haven't been as fortunate.
One way to bypass this lull is by curating localized content. Many small businesses have found that they can sell more products on websites with localized content.
For example, take a look at how Chris Knight Creations of Chicago make use of their product description to insert localized keywords such as "Chief Illini," "Local pick up," and "Chicago-themed."
You can use Google’s autofill feature to come up with ideas to write local content:
Having inconsistent records of Name, Address, and Phone number on online listings leads to lost revenue and time spent working on customer service issues, distrust, disrupted workflow, etc.
Also, when customers are making a purchasing decision, they need to be confident that the seller is verified and reliable. It is common sense that inconsistent information will lead to confusion among customers.
Potential buyers may be less likely to purchase from a seller with inconsistent information because they may not feel confident contacting the seller for support purposes.
Tips:
Here’s a screenshot of Yext:
Online listings for local businesses are a valuable resource for many reasons.
They provide information to customers about their location, hours, services offered, and more. While these benefits are well-known, the consequences of having duplicate listings are not well understood.
Multiple listings can confuse potential customers and cause them to leave the site.
If a customer finds your business through a duplicate listing, you may be less likely to get their business because they may think they are getting the wrong information.
Also, duplicate listings may invite poor reviews, leading to missed opportunities for new customers and the like.
Tips:
Here’s a screenshot of Moz detecting duplicate listings:
With more than 5,43,000 new businesses opening every month in the U.S., it's hard to stand out from the crowd of competitors.
One of the best ways to do this is to have a good Google My Business profile so that your website can be found on Google searches. However, many companies don't know how to optimize their Google My Business profile or what exactly they should include.
To do this, you'll need a few different pieces of information about your company and your customers.
For example, you should have the following attributes addressed:
Here’s an example of a half-baked GMB profile:
Read: Get to Know 15 Incredible Features of Google Maps
Most people believe that focusing on broad keywords is the way to go for SEO. That may not be the case for small and medium-sized businesses, and they must know why.
This can be attributed to how many more local businesses will rank higher on searches for those words.
For example, if someone needs a new pair of running shoes, they might type in "running shoes for men" into Google. This is an example of a broad keyword.
The searcher may buy online or from a retail store. But if someone searches for a "running shoe store in Austin, TX," you can safely assume that the person is inclined to try a few shoes in person.
You can use Keyword Tool to research local keywords:
Read: 15 Best Keyword Research Tools Used By Top SEO Companies
Most people base their decision to purchase a product or service from a company based on reviews. Whether it is a restaurant, movie, or even a hotel, the visibility of customer opinions partially determines your Local SEO's success.
Also, many people rely on platforms such as Yelp, Manta, TripAdvisor, and Google reviews for reviews on local businesses. This is because websites like these are extremely reputable and trustworthy.
However, it's not always the case that a business has plenty of reviews on these platforms. Say that your small business doesn't have enough online reviews; they may have decreased SEO rankings.
Tip: No one wants to take the time to share their opinion on every product or service they interact with. Hence, it is wise to ask for reviews from your customers. Use a tool like Mailchimp to send post-purchase emails seeking reviews.
Here’s a screenshot of Mailchimp’s features for sending post-purchase emails requesting reviews:
It doesn't matter if you're a restaurant, doctor's office, or grocery store. Potential customers searching by location need to know that your location is available and you're open for business.
Whenever people turn to an online search engine for local queries, they prioritize results based on their physical location.
This means that if somebody lives in Arlington, Virginia, and wants to restore their car, they are more likely to go with an auto service that has a page dedicated to Arlington.
Look at how Hardcorehotrods optimized their pages for many Washington locations, including Arlington.
Bear in mind that the information on a location page should include the following
Additionally, the page can include a map and directions to the business.
Here’s an example of a location page:
Small businesses need to track their website's SEO metrics to gauge the effectiveness of their online marketing campaigns and make necessary adjustments.
Important metrics include website traffic, organic search traffic, and keyword rankings. Small businesses risk wasting time and money on ineffective marketing campaigns without tracking these metrics.
Small businesses can use free and paid tools to track their SEO performance, including Google Analytics, Moz, and SEMRush.
You can track various SEO metrics to help measure the success of an SEO campaign. Some of the most important metrics include:
Here’s a screenshot of Google Analytics:
Many don't realize that their backlinks' "quality" and "proximity" partially determine how high they rank on search engines.
Businesses without a robust network of links from websites geographically close to them may not see any improvement in ranking on Google.
Many small businesses are under the impression that local backlinks are not important, but they are. Google loves to rank sites with better backlinks than low-quality sites with few or no links.
Tips:
Here’s an example of a website providing a local backlink:
Search engines such as Google look at content and inbound links when ranking websites in their results and social media presence. Company A has a great blog and an extensive network of inbound links from other websites but does not have a social media presence.
Meanwhile, assume that Company B excels in all three facets. The latter has a slight edge over the former in SERPs.
Please understand that many factors contribute to a website's ranking on search engines. Social media presence (shares, likes, comments, and links) is just one of these factors. This, in turn, increases the website's authority and relevance in the eyes of search engines.
Tips:
Here’s a screenshot of an Instagram ad:
The Internet is vast with countless sites, blogs, and forums. Today's small business owners are smart enough to understand that investing in online marketing is paramount for their success. But many of them fail to make sure that their website is mobile-friendly.
Google had long back announced that it was changing its search algorithm to favor mobile-friendly sites.
You can attribute the changes to increased mobile use for online searches.
For example, mobile searches now make up 68.1% of all search traffic, which continues to rise. If you're not making your site mobile-friendly, you're missing out on an important market part.
Elements of a mobile-friendly website
You can use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool to check if your website is optimized for mobile phones:
It can be tempting to think that a blog is only for big companies with big budgets to get their message out. But, in reality, blogging can substantially impact small businesses.
Not only is blogging free (If you have a passion for writing) and easy to set up, but it also helps local SEO.
Every time you publish a post online, search engines such as Google will crawl your content and add it to their index. A blog is an integral part of building a brand, increasing visibility, and attracting new customers.
Some small businesses understand the relevance of blogging in creating a more personal connection with their audience. First, the blog needs to be optimized with keywords about your business or services to be found by Google.
Next, you should post localized content that is relevant and valuable to your customers to create quality organic links.
Tips:
You can use this tool to come up with blog topic ideas:
Low page speeds affect the user experience and hurt a small business's website ranking.
The loading time is now a confirmed ranking signal for Google search results. In addition, studies have shown that when it comes to page speed, people expect pages to load in two seconds or less.
If your website is not loading quickly, you could be losing business to your competitors.
For small businesses, this can be detrimental, as potential customers may go to a competitor's website if they experience slow page speeds.
There are a few ways to improve your website's page speed.
You can evaluate the page speed of your website using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool:
Brice has been handling marketing projects for more than 12 years and he is providing consulting services on SEO, Social Media and PPC. He has a huge expertise in working at large corporations including Accenture Interactive & PwC Digital Services.
Site Speed Impact on Local Business
Google Maps for Local Business
Tips to Partner With Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Boost Offline Sales for Local Biz
How Google BERT Affect Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Local SEO Benefits for Ecommerce
Wordpress Local SEO Best Practices
Local SEO Mistakes Plumbers Make
Tips to Build Authority Using Local SEO
Tips to Rank Higher in Google Maps
Tips to Optimize Category Tag Pages
Technical SEO for Local Business
Tips to Get More Visibility for Gmb
Niching Down Benefits for Local SEO
Local SEO Fixes to Boost Rankings
GMB Optimization for Small Businesses
Boost Audience Engagement With Local Email Marketing
Tips to Use SEO Ppc for Local Business
Tips to Optimize Small Business for Local SEO
Local SEO Mistakes Law Websites Do
Enterprise Local SEO Challenges
Local SEO Mistakes Contractors Make
Customer Engagement Strategies for Local Biz
Optimize for Local SEO Without a Website
Tips to Build Local Engagement
How Bad Customer Reviews Affects Local SEO
Small Business Local SEO Mistakes
Brice has been handling marketing projects for more than 12 years and he is providing consulting services on SEO, Social Media and PPC. He has a huge expertise in working at large corporations including Accenture Interactive & PwC Digital Services.
Site Speed Impact on Local Business
Google Maps for Local Business
Tips to Partner With Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Boost Offline Sales for Local Biz
How Google BERT Affect Local Businesses
Boost Local Rankings Using Cdn
Local SEO Benefits for Ecommerce
Wordpress Local SEO Best Practices
Local SEO Mistakes Plumbers Make
Tips to Build Authority Using Local SEO
Tips to Rank Higher in Google Maps
Tips to Optimize Category Tag Pages
Technical SEO for Local Business
Tips to Get More Visibility for Gmb
Niching Down Benefits for Local SEO
Local SEO Fixes to Boost Rankings
GMB Optimization for Small Businesses
Boost Audience Engagement With Local Email Marketing
Tips to Use SEO Ppc for Local Business
Tips to Optimize Small Business for Local SEO
Local SEO Mistakes Law Websites Do
Enterprise Local SEO Challenges
Local SEO Mistakes Contractors Make
Customer Engagement Strategies for Local Biz
Optimize for Local SEO Without a Website
Tips to Build Local Engagement
How Bad Customer Reviews Affects Local SEO
Small Business Local SEO Mistakes