4 Reasons Why Local SEO Fails And Tips

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4 Reasons Why Local SEO Fails And Tips

Local SEO is, in theory, the preferred way to market your local business online. Indeed, it is designed to maximize your visibility within your geographic area so that customers who search for your services can see your brand in their SERP – Search Engine Result Pages. According to Google, almost half of searches have local intent. Search terms such as “near me” or “in [location]” typically accompany a query that has a purchase intent. Because the search engine assumes that the user prefers to see a list of local businesses, it is indispensable for your SEO strategy to tackle location-based campaigns. However, local SEO can be a delicate art to master. Therefore, some local businesses struggle to boost their visibility in their area despite adding the relevant location-based keywords.

#1. You’re not doing on-page SEO right

The first and most common mistake that affect your local SEO results is on-page factors. Indeed, small consulting businesses can be tempted to build up their website using a template layout on a DIY platform such as WordPress or Wix.com. While these platforms can be useful to create exciting and engaging websites, they sometimes lack the appropriate on-page SEO factors for specialist businesses. What does on-page SEO mean? Expert Ignite Digital provides full on-page audit services, https://ignitedigital.com/vancouver-search-engine-optimization-seo/, that are designed to check the rank-ability of the page. Indeed, to be crawled and indexed by search engines, your pages need the right balance of SEO content – text and other media – but also crawler-friendly HTML, as search engines access the code of the page. When the HTML code fails to meet SEO standards, your site can’t secure top rankings in the SERP. 

#2. You’re not joining the local directories

Local directories serve only one purpose; they make your business visible to local users. Additionally, search engines also crawl directories as part of local searches. As a small business, you can gain a lot of visibility by setting up your local presence on Google My Business, which links to Google Maps. Local searches utilize Google Maps data to filter the most appropriate results. Additionally, business directories also include a local section, which helps search engines to organize SERP.

#3. You don’t use online reviews

Search engines are built to answer the queries of users in the best possible way. As a result, a variety of factors are considered as part of the ranking process. While your location plays a significant role, so do your reputation. Businesses that fail to gather feedback from their customers are unlikely to rank among the top positions. While it can be challenging to encourage online reviews, you should make it a strategic priority with these tips, https://www.articulatemarketing.com/blog/encourage-online-reviews. Making the reviewing process as pain-free as possible for your customers can, along with an incentive, boost your online reputation. 

#4. Your content is too spammy

Lastly, local SEO requires your content to mention your geographic area. However, you can’t build your presence on city-specific content only. Your site needs to present helpful and useful content to your visitors. There are only so many pages you can fill with “therapist in San Francisco” type of keywords. You also need content pages that are not just a long series of location keywords. 

 

Local SEO strategies are crucial to boost your visibility. However, they can’t be successful without getting your generic SEO activities right in the first place.