5 Local SEO Mistakes That Every Business Must Avoid

Key Insights

• Target geo-specific keywords instead of broad, generic ones to attract local customers.
• Optimize your website for mobile devices to improve user experience and search rankings.
• Pay close attention to customer reviews and respond promptly to enhance credibility and rankings.
• Ensure consistent Name, Address, and Phone (NAP) information across all online platforms.
• Focus on obtaining high-quality backlinks from reputable local sources to boost your local SEO.

Did you know that an astonishing 46% of all Google searches actually have a local intent? Yes! In almost half of all Google searches, users are looking for products or services in their immediate geographic area. That’s not it, there is even more to it! As much as 78% of location-based searches made on smartphones result in offline purchases.

There are a ton of stats we can throw at you, but we think you get the idea! Local SEO is mighty important if you want to make your business visible to local searchers. Businesses with a brick-and-mortar presence, in particular, can immensely benefit from local SEO.

However, in order to reap the benefits of local SEO, there are some key things that you need to get in order. Unfortunately, many businesses end up making some mistakes that derail their chances of success. Avoid the following 5 mistakes and set yourself up for success!

Local SEO Mistake #1 - Using Too Broad Keywords

When it comes to local SEO, one of the first steps that you need to take is to identify and target geo-specific keywords. As strange as it may sound, many businesses stumble at this most basic task. Keyword research can be a cumbersome process and many businesses lack the expertise to find the right keywords.

If you’re trying to capture a local audience, targeting generic and broad keywords is unlikely to yield any fruitful results even though these keywords have a high search volume. The main goal of brick-and-mortar stores is to attract local customers. Therefore, the keywords should be location-specific.

While geo-based keywords are less competitive, it is important to remember that you may still face a high level of competition, thanks to Google 3-pack. Apart from your actual location, you can always include a few nearby areas while finalizing your keywords. However, it’s advisable not to stray too far from your original location.

Here are some examples of too broad keywords:

• Italian restaurant
• Lunch
• Coffee
• Restaurant in the United States

Instead, you would want to focus on keywords like:

• Italian restaurant near me
• Italian restaurant in Manhattan
• Lunch near me
• Lunch restaurant in NYC
• Best coffee place in Manhattan
• When doing keyword research with your keyword tool of choice, make sure that you look for localized keywords and compare the keyword volume and keyword difficulty. You want to target the keywords with the highest volume and lowest difficulty possible.

Local SEO Mistake #2 - Not Optimizing Your Website for Smartphones

Over the last few years, smartphone searches have increased drastically. In fact, more searches come from smartphones than from desktops. Many people search for local businesses while on the move. Even when they are home, many people prefer using their smartphones rather than laptops. Therefore, optimizing your website for mobile devices is not an option anymore. It’s a necessity.

It’s true that many small businesses operate without a website. However, having a website comes with many benefits. It makes your business look credible and trustworthy. Plus, it acts as a source of information for your potential customers. However, considering the fact that a large number of searches are made on smartphones, your website won’t be of use if it is not mobile-optimized. Also, if your website is not mobile optimized, it is not likely to rank well, thanks to Google’s mobile-first indexing. Therefore, as a business owner, make sure that your website functions well on mobile devices.

Pay attention to:

• Fast loading speed
• Image optimization (nobody wants to use their mobile data on extremely long loading images with a big size)
• Easy navigation of your website with an easily accessible menu
• Readable text without zooming
• Responsive design
• Touch-friendly elements (e.g. buttons, links)

Ever wondered what the difference is between website SEO and local SEO? Let us tell you the differences and purpose!

Local SEO Mistake #3 - Not Paying Attention to Customer Reviews

If you wish to visit a new restaurant or want to book a hotel for your next vacation, what do you do? If you’re like most people, you check out Google reviews, right? Customer reviews play an immense role in the buying decision process and can literally be the deciding factor if a customer comes to your location or your competitor’s. 38% of consumers require at least a 4-star average rating when deciding for a business! The more reviews you collect in close collaboration with upping your service, the better your rating will become!

Customer reviews not just provide information to your potential customers but also help improve the organic rankings of your business. Moreover, it gives you a huge competitive advantage. Apart from Google, reviews on social media platforms and other websites such as Tripadvisor and Yelp also play an important role in shaping the buying decision of your potential customers. There is no harm in asking your customers to leave a review.

Not responding to negative reviews is one of the worst mistakes that businesses make while devising a local SEO strategy. Ignoring reviews of your customers gives the message that you’re not serious about resolving the concerns of your customers. In fact, 53% of consumers expect businesses to respond to their negative reviews within one week!

Did you know that 94% of local businesses that use reputation management tools see a return on investment? No wonder, since we have just learned how important customer reviews and engaging with them are!

Local SEO Mistake #4 - Inconsistent NAP Across the Web

Inconsistent NAP information is one of the most common mistakes that defeat the whole purpose of local SEO. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number of your business. There are several business directories where you need to mention the contact information of your business. However, many businesses make the mistake of providing wrong or inconsistent NAP information across various websites.

A consistent NAP is an important part of the local search algorithm of Google. Any conflicting information has a negative impact on your local rankings. Therefore, it is important to keep track of your local listings and keep them consistent and accurate.

The more local citations you have, the more likely it will get that you will end up with some inconsistent NAP information on one or another platform! With Obenan’s local listing technology, you automatically sync all your information across the available local directories, ensuring that all your business information is consistent and up to date at all times!

Local SEO Mistake #5 - Low-Quality Backlinks and Citations

While having an optimized Google Business profile is essential, another important factor is backlinks to your website from relevant (local) sources! Getting links from high authority websites has always been an integral part of SEO, and is also useful in improving the local ranking of your business. Unfortunately, many businesses make the mistake of not focusing enough on getting high-quality links.

To begin with, you can have your business listed in all local directories. However, gradually, you should focus on creating and publishing high-quality content on relevant websites. If done consistently, it will help you get the desired results and have a positive impact on the local ranking of your business.

What you should avoid at all costs is buying links in bulk from untrustworthy sources. This can not only lead to a penalty by Google but also can affect your credibility. Consequently, you will not only lose traffic and overall visibility but ultimately also customers!

Instead, focus on close collaboration with local newspapers, magazines, bloggers, or influencers from your geographic area and which are matching to your industry/niche. This allows you to gradually build a strong backlink profile instead of short-term success or even risky link placement.

The rule of thumb is to acquire natural, organic backlinks by providing content that offers added value to your website visitors and can add value to other people’s content. Hence, they will automatically start to link to your page! While this sounds very easy, it requires continuous effort and patience. Links can almost be seen as a currency as they are highly valuable when it comes to (local) SEO. Nevertheless, one link can already make a huge difference.

Discover how to double down your local search visibility with these 4 backlink strategies.

Recap

Local SEO can go a long way when it comes to making your business easily discoverable. Getting listed in Google 3-pack can significantly boost the traffic in your brick-and-mortar store. However, in order to make your local SEO strategy successful, make sure that you avoid the most common mistakes. Ensure that you are using the right keywords, have a mobile-friendly website, use a review management tool to guarantee review velocity and always-responded-to reviews, and foster relationships with local media outlets to gain high-quality backlinks.

You can make sure to avoid the common mistakes by using our Obenan Suite! Here you will have all local SEO tools you need to effortlessly and easily enhance your online visibility! Obenan does all the heavy lifting for you, saving you time effort and money in the process! Start attracting customers today!