3 SEO Pitfalls Service-Based Businesses Should Avoid
Search engine optimization has become one of the most complicated aspects of having an online presence.
The variables that are key to getting your rank are constantly being updated and changed and there are many things that can go wrong.
Additionally, SEO for service-based businesses has goals that won’t necessarily be achieved through strategies created for other types of businesses. In this article, we’ll look at 3 mistakes to avoid when marketing your service-based business online.
Your business’s online presence will only help you if it’s aligned with the guidelines and expectations set by Google and any website you use to help rank your website.
Make sure you have all of this covered!
1.Google My Business
We previously reviewed the Google My Business service to let you know that you need to claim your business, mark your location on Google Maps, and complete everything. If you haven’t done it yet or even if you have and just want to review it, it’s important to get it right.
Make sure you have the exact correct location. Entering any location incorrectly will not only fool users, but Google will eventually find out. They will catch you through a user complaint or their own algorithm and you will lose your listing location in the SERP (search engine results page) if not the listing altogether.
Also make sure you have filled in the correct business type category. This is an element that is often overlooked and that some companies do not even touch. Make sure you have filled in your category, address and all other elements correctly and have great photos.
Google presents this information to users to help them find the right business, so misleading the user in any way with the wrong information will seriously affect your online marketing efforts and website ranking.
2. Don’t overdo it
You have your keywords (if you don’t check them, check this post) and you want Google to know you want to rank for them. That’s great and it’s definitely essential to have those keywords on your website in the copy and the various meta tags.
However, too much will raise a flag with Google. SEO has a big problem with fraud. There are too many scam agencies around the world who define themselves by their ability to abuse Google and fake ranking signals.
One technique that unfortunately worked years ago was keyword stuffing. However, that was a long time ago and now Google can clearly see when someone is exaggerating their relevance.
Use the keywords, but only enough to express it. Once you’ve established with your page that it’s about that topic, start looking at semantic variations. The copy should flow well and be easily readable, so write your copy first and then edit it for SEO terms.
It’s a good idea to limit the term to 3-5 instances depending on the length of the page. For service-based businesses that do business locally, this definitely applies to your location being served.
Don’t go overboard or Google will think you’re being dishonest.
3. Be consistent
Your NAP (name, address, phone number) must be the same on all listings. If you have multiple locations, make unique listings for each when you add your business to websites like yp.com, superpages.com, and Yelp.
If you only have one location, you just have to be very careful that each location listing has identical contact information. Please review this carefully as some websites may display items slightly differently and some fields may be filled in incorrectly.
Review them so you don’t send mixed signals to Google and users.
Don’t panic if you are guilty of any of these pitfalls. They are easy problems to fix and once you fix them properly, you will be in a better position to rank higher in Google. They will also help your users by giving them the correct information and in a way that doesn’t seem like you are misleading them in any way.
If you’ve done all of this correctly and are working to rank up, but find there’s too much to do or you can’t figure it all out, please let us know. Our SEO professionals will review your entire online presence, your goals, and use them to develop a strategy that works to get your website ranked for the terms you want it to rank for.