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7 Common Local Search Mistakes You Might Be Making

August 31, 2020

Are you doing everything, yet your search engine ranking is not going up? You might be using the right keywords, doing the appropriate SEO, but there are times when all these things don't add up, and you end up being at the end of SERP. 

Well, this could be a result of small and unnoticeable mistakes you didn't know about. Many SEO mistakes don't seem big but have a significant impact on your brand's reputation. The reality is that a mistake in SEO is a mistake, and you cannot categorize it as large or small. A minuscule misstep within the search engine optimization field can create a domino effect that could bring your marketing campaign crashing down.

The primary question that involves in mind is why we need to be bothered with local search engine optimization? You have to hassle with it as it accelerates enterprise growth. Whether you are in a small, mid-length or company-stage commercial enterprise, in case you want to help nearby clients, you have to avoid these mistakes. 

1. Not Entering The Correct Listing Information

The most desirable information will be the name, address, and phone number if someone is looking for a reputable website. So make sure these are updated regularly. Make sure you have a common name on all of the search engine’s business directories so that the customers are not confused about your name or address.

You can even change or update it easily by logging into your profile and clicking the settings button. Just update the necessary information, and your profile will be updated within a day or two.

Make sure to list yourself on a reputable online directory, such as Haystack Magnet. 

2. Not Categorizing The Listing 

Always make sure that your profession is categorized correctly on the search engines. If your profession is categorized incorrectly, you will be attracting different traffic not intended for your business. Hence your business will be in peril. So make sure to choose the right category.
You can alter the category in the settings tab and attract the right customers.

3. Avoid The Consequences When Relocating

Never close your Google listing when relocating to a different place, as this will impact your business negatively. 

You should always change the address to a new location rather than creating a fresh one. This process takes time, and you should start this process about two months before relocating to a new location. Update all other directories as well to maintain your rankings.

4. Not Focusing on Reviews 

Focus on reviews as well. It is a fact that good reviews can attract customers, while bad or no reviews tend to repel them.

It would be best if you encouraged reviews on your listing to attract more customers to your location. You can focus on some tips like replying to the reviews or using signs in your office. You can even prepare the staff to better respond to the reviewers. This makes your business look authentic.

5. Not Optimizing The Images

Your online directory should have the latest and high-quality images so that the customers are attracted to your business. No one like old photos; so make it a point to update your business photos regularly 

6. Not Having A Separate Landing Page For Each Store 

If you have more than one store, you need to have a separate web page for each location. It will enable your target audience to find you easily. 

Not having a separate webpage for every location will make it difficult for entire local customers. Moreover, if your pages keyword rich, you can easily be found across search engines. It even increases the chances of people visiting your local store and buying from you. 

7. Broken, Bad-Quality And Irrelevant Links 

Building an engaging website is not enough when it comes to search engine rankings. It would help if you had high-quality links from relevant websites. As Google uses links in its ranking algorithm, it has become essential to have various links from the suitable websites that can increase your brand visibility. 

Apart from listing yourself in Google My Business, make sure to invest in certain high-quality links if you want to augment your search ranking. 

For this, start by listing your brand in a reputable online directory such as Haystack Magnet. It will help you in laying a foundation for links and provide citations. 

Further, pay heed to the quality of your content. Promoting and publishing quality and great content is the only way to earn useful links. 

Conclusion 

Those were some of the common mistakes you might be making that could affect your search engine rankings. Now you know what the mistakes are, make sure to put some efforts to avoid them. Moreover, along with the above mistakes, most marketers make one mistake not to optimize their website for mobile. 

In today’s digitization era, most of your audience and visitors are looking for you on their mobile phones. If they don’t find your website optimized according to their device, they won’t think before hopping on to the next mobile-optimized website. 

Start by building a responsive website, and you are already halfway to your desired search engine ranking.