For small and medium businesses, creating a rich website is the best way to ensure sustainable growth. It allows you to reach a wider audience, but leading them towards your website is an entirely different story. People who search for queries on browsers only ever scroll through the first page results, leaving no time to look at the second page.
Simply put, if your website doesn’t show up on the first page of search results, you will have little to no chances of attracting new customers. This is especially true if you’re a local business, looking to gain a better digital presence.
You’ll want to invest in local search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns, as this ensures your web pages are valuable enough to earn top rankings. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. The digital landscape is always changing, making errors and mistakes difficult to avoid.
To help you navigate properly through your local SEO campaigns, we’ve gathered all the most common mistakes to avoid at all costs:
Mistake #1: Setting Up Google My Business Pages In Random Locations
Google My Business has always been a powerful tool for local businesses, which allows them to rank in various cities once customers begin searching online. Unfortunately, blackhat practices have begun cropping up, including setting up locations without active stores or offices. This has led to thousands of empty business listings, all done to only help with rankings.
Due to this, however, Google now comes with a strict set of guidelines businesses need to follow, and compliance could mean better ranks for local searches. Anything less can hurt your website’s chances of success, so make sure to only list consistent business information.
Mistake #2: Failing to invest in an SSL Certificate
SSL certificates are essentially security methods responsible for encrypting your data, especially when being transferred over a server. These certificates are made to protect your business and client information, including credit card information, passwords, usernames, and so much more.
It also keeps your website away from cyberattackers and scammers, keeping your website from suffering from downtime. More importantly, however, having an SSL Certificate signals algorithms that you’re one to trust—thereby sending users your merry way.
Mistake #3: Publishing poor quality content
In the world of SEO, content remains king. It’s the digital currency you need to be investing in, especially if you wish to earn better rankings. Doing so allows you to consistently drive quality traffic to your pages, but you’ll want to constantly publish quality content only. Bear in mind that search engine algorithms can detect content anomalies, and any blackhat practices will be heavily penalized.
Creating a consistent and quality blog also allows you to become a thought leader in your community, which will then prompt prospective readers to get to know your business better. They’ll want to learn new information, receive answers for their queries, and overall experience your business—make sure to give them only the best.
The Bottom Line
The local search scene is constantly subject to change, making it difficult to keep up with demand and trends. You’ll need to put in considerable effort and consistency, as anything less can cause your rankings to come tumbling down. That said, make sure to keep these common mistakes in mind—and avoid them at all costs!
If you’re on the hunt for local SEO services, Voice SEOPRO has you covered. We are committed to helping you keep up with the latest trends, ensuring that your content remains consistent, updated, and at its finest. Sign up with us today!
