Tips to avoid substandard local SEO practices

Do you know that 46% of all Google searches are local? So, if you do not spend adequate resources and time on developing Local Search Engine Optimization for your business, you could miss a lucky chance every time a person shops products or hires services online. Basically, Local SEO in Kansas City is not much different from organic SEO, but has an additional geographical component. But if you want to succeed in your local ranking, best keep away from certain bad Local SEO practices that are given here,

• Establishing GMB listings at unqualified locations

There are plenty of fake business listings in Google where virtual offices, homes of family members or other addresses that have no active business activities are used to improve the local rankings in the nearby cities. However, consistent Name, Address and phone number (NAP) is very essential and by adding false business listing (which is highly against the Google guidelines) you could severely damage your local visibility.

• Not keeping a distinct phone number for each business entity

You may have to pay extra to add separate phone lines to all your business locations rather than just having a shared business number. But Digital marketing agencies in Kansas City urge their clients to have unique numbers for each business locations as it would not only avoid stumbling blocks in the local business listings but also help in analyzing the traffic to your website.

• Adding keywords to the listings

As per rules, it is very important to use your actual business name in the listings. When you add additional information like keywords (no matter how great it sounds)  for building your brand, it would simply be considered as breaching the guidelines, which could get you into trouble. Though it may not be a serious offense, the risks are not just worth it.

• Placing your business page under the wrong category

When choosing your primary category, it is best to opt for a specific category over general groups. If a hair coloring expert chooses “hair salon” over “hair coloring service”, then his/her website may not rank high in the hair coloring category. SEO companies in Kansas City usually recommend being extremely specific about your business and limit yourself to one or two categories.

• Duplicating the contents on different location pages

In order to sustain the top position in regards to location based enquiries, it might be tempting to try using the same content for location-specific pages by making little changes in the address. However, this would lead to bad user experience and decline in your ranking.

In a nutshell, it is best to follow the Google guidelines fervently and try to keep the listings as organic as possible.