Since going digital is the norm nowadays, having an online presence can make or break your business. The tricky part for companies in the digital space is that there are also other businesses in it, meaning everyone is competing for visibility to rank high enough on search results. There are many ways to increase visibility in search results, but perhaps the most effective way is search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO involves keyword research to find the relevant keywords that a business can use for its website. While highly beneficial, there are still some things that can go wrong with SEO. Luckily, a more targeted kind of SEO—local SEO—can help. Local SEO involves targeting a specific geographic location, hence the name.

This article lists down five of the most common mistakes you must avoid if you’re doing local SEO for your business. Read on below to learn more.

#1 – Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is a prevalent problem in local business websites. Keywords are required to rank high on search engine results pages (SERPs), but using those keywords too much will alert Google’s site crawlers because it’s seen as a red flag. The most common place where local businesses stuff their keywords is in the website’s footer, which isn’t recommended because it looks weird to Google and users alike.

#2 – Not Having a Google My Business(GMB) Profile

Having a Google My Business (GMB) profile is vital to a business’s SEO efforts because it lets them know their chances of ranking locally and how to increase those chances. Having a GMB profile gives you access to the Google Map Pack, allowing prospective customers to know about your location. In short, not having a GMB profile means little to no ranking in search results at all.

#3 – Having a GMB Profile, but without an Address

One of the few requirements of setting up a GMB profile is a physical storefront. Without it, Google can’t verify your address. However, there’s another approach you can take. If you provide services to other places other than your immediate location, you can build location landing pages on your website. Doing so will notify Google and users that you’re in those areas.

#4 – Location Landing Pages with Duplicate Content 

Many website owners copy and paste the same content from one page to another, with the only difference being the location stated if they also offer their services elsewhere. We cannot stress it enough that you must not do this because Google hates duplicate content. If you put the same content across different pages, Google will flag your website and pull it out of search results, making it harder to find your website online.

#5 – Missing Important Information

Any local business must have a “Contact Us” page because users visit this to get contact information. In turn, a positive user experience is built. Having contact information on a website also helps Google verify your GMB listing, which helps with local SEO.

Contact information isn’t just the only thing that’s often missing because categories can also be overlooked as well. These categories are like the Yellow Pages because you can rank better if you have more sections that you advertise in. The categories you need to include on your website must be relevant, or else Google might pull it from ranking.

Conclusion

Local SEO is an intricate process. It may be complicated, but you need to comply with Google’s rules if you want to succeed in your efforts. You will rank on search engine results better, which translates to business growth and sales.

Local SEO Pro offers local SEO services for any business. We believe that every business must use any available methods to thrive in the digital space. Local SEO will do the trick because it targets a smaller area, making it easier for prospective customers to find you. Simply go to our website to register!