Want to increase conversions or increase brand awareness among people in your area? Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can give you the edge you need to beat your competition. However, to get the most out of local SEO, you need the right combination of page-by-page SEO, link building, social media marketing, voice search optimization, and more.
Given many factors, it is not surprising that so many small businesses cannot take full advantage of their local SEO optimization. If you started SEO optimization but were still stuck and couldn't find anything in your local search, you might be making one of these common local SEO errors.
1. Do not know who your real local competitors are
Previously, a simple Google search of your competitors gave you all the information you need. Currently, Google takes into account so many aspects (location, personalization, juxtaposition of intentions, etc.) that you can find your pages in several positions by the same keyword, depending on the search language, location of the crawler or device or browser.
To find your real local competitors, do a Google search on each of the target keywords and fill out the table with the names of competitors that are part of the local Google Pack 3. You will need to repeat this process in all the places you want to take in the search. Once your list is complete, you will have a fairly clear idea of who your real local competitors are.
2. Search backlinks in the wrong places
Backlinks are one of the three main factors Google considers when ranking websites. However, to work, backlinks must be very relevant to your pages. Thus, if your link building strategy is aimed at obtaining referrals from large sites, Google might think that your pages do not have local relevance.
Looking for recommendations from your suppliers and business partners will be the best tactic. Look for local companies or organizations that can add value to your company and work with them to increase your reach. In addition, you can also get mentions of sponsoring local charities or clubs, especially if you are attending an event that falls into the online edition of your local newspaper.
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3. Non-responsive site
Most local searches today are done on mobile devices. To attract these active visitors, your site should be optimized for the convenience of users, which means an adaptive layout, a neat appearance and fast loading time.
When viewing the interface of your site, try putting yourself in the place of visitors. Is it easy to navigate the site and read your landing pages? Is a 10-step quest required to verify this? Do your completed forms adapt to any screen size? Make sure your visitors can quickly find what they are looking for, and add social sharing buttons to increase the reach of your products.
4. Neglecting NAP Quotes
Quotes are references to your company that contain the name, address, and phone number of your company — abbreviated as NAP. Such quotes are one of the main factors for local searches, so creating your quotes and ensuring that they contain consistent NAP information will greatly affect your Google ranking.
Make sure you include NAP links in all major directories and company listings, including Facebook, Apple Maps, and above all Google My Business (GMB). Placing information about your business on these sites will make it easier for potential customers to find your store, which will lead to increased sales and repeat customers.
5. Forget to optimize your images
Local search is not limited to text. Due to the mixed nature of the search results, users can see the results as images. So, what could be better than showing an attractive image in search results?
Since search engines cannot read images, you need to make sure that they can understand their content and relevance using the appropriate local search keywords in your alt tags, image names, and the text surrounding your images. Remember that the more these descriptions are related to the search keywords, the higher the likelihood that your images will appear on the results page.
Although local SEO is not so complicated, most small businesses are not able to take full advantage of its many advantages. This is good news for your business, as with these tips you will be more prepared than most of your competitors for a high ranking in Google local search results.
What are you waiting for? Fix your local SEO errors now and watch your business grow while your competitors wonder how you did it!
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