Today, more users are embracing search engines for finding information about local businesses. As a business proprietor, your priority must be to attract customers by optimising your website to rank high in local searches.
Local SEO strategies are an asset for brick and mortar businesses that help them produce the highest sales. Yet, it is imperative to avoid the following mistakes while looking to adopt SEO for your local business.
Failure to Use GMB
Overlooking Google My Business (GMB) is a serious mistake that can put your SEO strategy to peril. In fact, GMB is one of the top factors considered by Google’s algorithm for ranking websites. GMB is nothing but an online directory listing on local businesses that includes your business name, physical address, website address, email address, contact numbers, and other related information.
With a GMB listing, your business can appear in Google’s 3-pack, consisting of three GMB listings. When a prospective buyer searches for your business, he/she gets the benefit of seeing your website in organic search results and your GMB listing on the 3-pack as well.
Failure to Remove Duplicate Listings
It is sometimes possible that your business finds its reference twice on a local citation source. Did you think it is a good thing? Think again because search engines are allergic to duplicate content. This includes duplicate listings that will have the search engines mark them as spam.
Having more duplicate listings may even have you penalised because the search engines assume it to be a deliberate act. Hence, never ignore a duplicate entry and have it removed as soon as possible.
Inaccurate, Inconsistent, or Unavailable NAP Information
NAP indicates Name, Address, and Phone Number that forms the core matrices used by Google to rank your local business. NAP information must be prominently and publicly displayed and must also furnish consistent information.
Search engines check this NAP information against sites like the GMB page and local directories. Woking on your NAP will not only improve your rankings but also serve to bring about more conversions.
Low-Quality Content
Don’t expect the search engines to rank your business high when your website is cluttered with low-quality content. Search engines aim to deliver the greatest user experience and hence target only those sites with high-quality content. Therefore, make sure that your local SEO does not miss out on including content that works for your business.
Overusing or Neglecting Geo-Targeted Keywords
Geo-targeted keywords are necessary for search engines to identify your business. However, they must not be overused because of the risk of being branded as spam. Hence, ensure to use these words sparingly to avoid getting penalised by the search engines.
Neglecting the usage of geo-targeted words is not recommended either. This may restrict your website’s ranking in the search results and bring less traffic to your site.
Failing to Include Customer Reviews
SEO studies have shown that people tend to pick companies that are backed by customer reviews. Not featuring customer reviews may also make your site invisible in the search results. Hence, make concentrated efforts to get customers to leave behind reviews on your site.
Avoiding these local SEO mistakes can impeccably present your site to the customers. It also means more local contacts are likely to contact you for business, which lets you gain an edge over the competition.
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