15 Local SEO Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - Search Engine Journal

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Local SEO is the leading driver of organic traffic for local businesses. And with around 5 billion searches per day, Google search is the place to get your business found by people searching for products or services like yours.

But optimizing for local search isn’t always a simple task.

It takes keyword research, on-page optimization, and much more to turn your website into a local traffic-generating machine. Even the savviest of SEO professionals make mistakes along the way.

Here, you’ll learn about the 15 most common local SEO mistakes and find simple tips to help you avoid them when optimizing your website or listings.

15 Common Local SEO Mistakes Businesses Make

1. Unlocalized Keyword Targets.
2. No Customer Reviews.
3. Inconsistent NAPW Data.
4. No Directory Profiles.
5. No Google My Business Listing.
6. Ignoring Negative Reviews.
7. No Backlinks.
8. Website Not Optimized for Mobile.
9. Poor Quality Website Content.
10. Duplicate Listings.
11. No Contact Information on Website.
12. Poor Image Optimization.
13. Keyword Stuffing.
14. Unoptimized Blog Content.
15. Poor Technical SEO.

1. Unlocalized Keyword Targets

One of the most common mistakes we see when it comes to SEO is targeting broad, unspecific keywords.

While all of us would love to rank # for [best lawyer], this keyword is not specific...

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