25 Mar SEO Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making (Part one)
SEO Mistakes You Didn’t Know You Were Making (Part one)
Local SEO is quickly becoming the way people search. For the past couple of years, Google has been showing local results for many non-localized keywords. In addition, many local searches are being done on mobile devices by people looking to make a purchase in the near future. Moz released data showing that about 7 billion localized searches are performed each month, and I wouldn’t want to miss out on that massive opportunity for customer acquisition. It’s safe to assume, you don’t either.
1. NOT CREATING GOOGLE, BING AND YAHOO LISTINGS FOR EACH LOCATION.
The most common thing I see is people entering a broad service area into a single local listing. If you have a company with locations in St Louis Mo, O’Fallon, IL, and Fairview Heights, IL (these towns are neighbors) then you should have a listing specific to each location. It is more work, but it works more for you in return.
2. NOT ACTIVELY SEEKING REVIEWS FROM CLIENTS
Countless case studies have proven a relationship between the number of reviews and higher rankings. Just as you would run a promotion to gain likes on Facebook or followers on Twitter, you need to find ways to get reviews for your business. Clients can leave reviews on your Google+ pages and in several other local listings. You could offer a discount or special offer in return for an honest review. Most of the time simply asking will get you reviews so don’t be afraid to ask.
3. CHOOSING POOR KEYWORDS
Even if you nail every other aspect of your local marketing strategy, choosing the wrong keywords will set you up for failure. When you select your terms you need to find a perfect balance of traffic, intent and competition level. Long tail keywords are a good place to start your search.
4. FORGETTING COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
This should begin when you are looking for keywords and continue as your site improves in the rankings. Carefully studying what the top 5-10 competitors in your niche are doing will allow you to see what works, what common keywords are being targeted, and what types of backlinks are needed to rank for each term. Before you do anything, look at your competitors!