A powerful way to drive traffic to local businesses is to attract more local users. Did you know that around 80% of local searches made on mobile devices result in offline sales? Local searchers are an untapped pool of potential customers if your site is not optimised for local queries.
The tricky part about local search optimisation is that you can end up with ineffective strategies. Are you making the most common mistakes? What are the most common mistakes made in local search optimisation, and how can you avoid them?
Below are just a few of them that you must avoid at all costs.
In order for your business to have the greatest visibility and reputation on the Internet, you should list it on multiple local directories, such as the industry-specific business directory Google My Business. Only by listing your business in multiple directories will users be able to find you and do business with you.
The good news is that it’s not too late to get started, and you only have to complete a few steps to get listed on Google My Business in a snap.
One of the most damaging mistakes you can make when trying to attract local customers is not having a mobile-optimised website. We’ve already spoken about how Google is transitioning to mobile-first for search results and that now more customers use their phones to search for the services they need rather than their computers. This means that not having a mobile-friendly website will cause you to lose a huge chunk of your customer base.
Work with your developers to ensure that your website is easy to navigate on all devices and also easy to load. Your site should allow your customers to find the information they want quickly when they are searching on the go.
One of the worst local SEO mistakes you could make is not providing contact information on your website. Customers won’t be able to reach you easily if they can’t find your contact information. It will also damage your business’s credibility.
Be sure to double-check that your contact information, including your address, email, phone number, etc., is easy to find on your website. If you list your business on multiple platforms, you should use the same name and contact information.
A website that is keyword-optimised too much may make your page look unnatural and out of place. Your customers may bounce off your site thanks to over-optimisation, and search engines will notice and demote your ranking as a result. Always keep your customers in mind when you write content for a website to remember what to do. Use keywords naturally in place of complete sentences.
A website that only talks about what you want to sell are a boring website. Give the customer their problems and their options to solve those problems. Make your customers need you, and they will choose you.
Social media can be a great way to connect with potential customers, especially if you have an active and engaging community. As your followers and subscribers grow, consider building a social following that mirrors your email list. Get them to opt-in, and make sure you give them a good reason to do so.
Overall, these are just a few of the most common local SEO mistakes. Be sure you avoid them all to get the best results from your local SEO campaign in the long run.
If you are looking for a great SEO agency in Australia that may help with your search engine optimisation tasks, look no further than our expertise here at Hurricane Digital. We are a new-age local business-focused marketing agency based in Brisbane. Call us today and let us tend to your company’s SEO strategies in no time!
