In terms of visibility online, there is no ‘one SEO fits all business types plan’. Versus throwing money at a moving search engine results landscape and hoping that something sticks, it is best and most cost effective to get the fundamentals right first. Then measure and go forward with what proves to work. Some of the competition is going to be there, but most competitors fail to execute on even the most obvious requirements. Here is a list of the most common business web presence SEO mistakes the average company fails to manage online – at the cost of leads & new business. Where are you on these?

Common Business Web Presence And SEO Mistakes

1. A lack of detailed pages for each service offered:

The fact is, Google’s algorithm indexes and ranks pages based upon what it sees as subject specific content worthy of human consumption. One page with a list of services ruins any chance of competing for the qualified traffic searching for those very services.

2. A lack of a commitment to content, in general:

Google’s algorithm also seeks new timely information and so it likes websites that produce it. A website with no blog or timely news coverage for ‘question & answer topics’ the target market is searching … it fails to help Google to recommend that website.

3. A lack of mobile friendly content:

Hard to believe it today, but we still see it everywhere. Upwards of 50% of all people search from their phones and business owners ought to know that search engines do NOT want to recommend non mobile friendly content.

4. No geographic specificity:

Google believes a local business is the better local search result. For the business demonstrating location authority when Google looks for local answers, this is the low hanging fruit. Get established locally first, then build outward and conquer the rest of the world … or maybe just another town, a county or a state.

5. Incomplete contact information:

Hours of operation, for example, matter to Google when ranking a local web presence. Many fail to show hours with their contact information and are, at certain times, ignored in search results because of it. Note: and no. 7 explains, this information is also cross referenced against local listings, so you need to have it all accurate & consistent.

6. Incomplete Google My Business Tools:

Google favors certain types of content generated with its’ tools. Once verified and properly executed, these Google My Business tools ( especially when aligned with a primary website for accurate consistent information ) will matter a great deal.

7. Inaccurate search & directory listings:

Never to say they will outrank a content rich website, but consumers visit search and directory listing websites. Search engines crawl them as a highly weighted signal, seen as an information accuracy cross- reference (vs website and other listings). Listings consistent with a primary website presence for accurate contact information matters. In the end it doesn’t really matter if people find your business through yours or listing websites like Yelp, Yahoo, CitySearch, Topix or Google.

8. Sending reviews to the wrong place:

Google still rules for search; Google favors its own tools and local reviews published on Google map listings are prioritized in their Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS). Good reviews are hard to get, be smart and send them to where they are going to be seen the most by far = your Google listing.

9. Failure to leverage basic web page meta tag techniques:

Search engine crawlers ignore some, but PRIORITIZE other meta tags. There’s even a tag not used in competitive ranking, but that still serves as a tactical means for driving lots of traffic.

10. Failure to leverage basic web page link opportunities & techniques:

Search engines crawl & evaluate all links, including a) to other relevant pages on the website, b) that link off website to supporting information and c) that come in from other important websites. Do NOT fail to leverage these different links, for instance c) inbound links from trusted search & listing sites and/or industry associations the business is a part of.

11. Website solution choice:

Many website solutions limit fundamental tools, support or worse, trap the user’s web presence in its’ host environment. Why allow someone else to own the links, bookmarks, social likes, shares and the content keywords indexing a website accumulates over time? Cheap or free is likely serving someone other than you first; it rarely, if ever, is the best route. Business owners should own and control a website they can forever rely upon and grow.

12. Host solution choice:

The cheapest host solution is almost always shared, limits bandwidth, loads slow and offers minimal security at best. And good luck with any service.

13. A lack of management:

In this day and age, a serious business likely needs web presence and digital assets management. If assets aren’t managed in support of one another, any web presence will inevitably become a regrettable waste of time, effort and resources.

In Summary Of These Common Business Web Presence SEO Mistakes

There is no ‘one web presence SEO fits all business plan’. It’s why it is always best to start with the fundamentals, to measure performance & competition and then assess whether or not it’s’ enough to drive leads. Getting the fundamentals right not only saves money versus throwing it at a moving landscape, but sets a benchmark for determining whether or not a program can thrive in ongoing maintenance mode or if it needs expansion.

Ask us about our affordable hands- on SEO ( see: https://www.kineticknowledge.com ), including what canbe fundamentals based only programs and also overall digital assets management options. Let us help you get organized, drive leads and save money!

What Kind Of Digital Advertising Do You Pursue? 

Are you a business owner that doesn’t do too much advertising? Maybe you rely on the ‘word of mouth’ method? If so, a growing number of businesses are turning to the raw power of customer reviews. It’s not only to demonstrate their local presence in a way that mimics good old ‘word of mouth’, but search engines like Google will reward it! For example, what could be better for business than a prospective client seeing other happy business owners singing your praise out in the open? Right!? If you agree – do us a favor: go to Google.com and type in the name of your business plus town & state. It’s likely you will be able to pull up your Google local listing on the right sidebar, even if you haven’t done a thing to locally verify and competitively optimize it. Now look at how many reviews there are for your business?

80% of consumers say they research a business, product or brand online FIRST, before purchasing; however,  90% of consumers say that online reviews influence their buying decisions. So 80% of consumers are looking for businesses just like yours online AND 90% of them are including your online reviews in their decision about buying from you. Google reviews also play a significant role in your local search engine rankings (website content ranks better when reviews reinforce the brand). Folks, if you’re not set up to ask for good client reviews you are missing a huge opportunity!

Faking Reviews Qualify By Law As ‘False Advertising’ 

There’s one small catch: your Google reviews have to be real and genuine. They must come from real customers who have frequented your business or experienced your product or service. You cannot pay people to write fake reviews for your business online, although you will find companies out there offering to do just that. Companies have done this before, and are now paying the price. NY Attorney General Schneiderman just announced that 19 companies, some local businesses and some SEO and/or marketing firms, that will pay fines of up to $350,000 for their role in soliciting and writing fake online reviews. It’s also known as ‘Astroturfing’, and it qualifies under the law as false advertising! Here’s part of what Schneiderman had to say in a recent press release:

“Consumers rely on reviews from their peers to make daily purchasing decisions on anything from food and clothing to recreation and sightseeing. This investigation into large-scale, intentional deceit across the Internet tells us that we should approach online reviews with caution. And companies that continue to engage in these practices should take note: “Astroturfing” is the 21st century’s version of false advertising, and prosecutors have many tools at their disposal to put an end to it.”

Online reviews are deemed so powerful, so necessary for any business small or large, that the act of writing or having fake reviews written for a company resulted in legal action and culminated in multiple companies paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

How Do You Manage Getting Good Reviews?

If you’re going to stick with your trusted word of mouth advertising strategy- you must get into the digital age.  Develop and execute a plan that targets your satisfied customers and asks them to write reviews for your business online. Here are some tips to do that:

1)     Create an email template to send to a satisfied client after they leave your business.  The template should thank them for their patronage and ask them to leave an online review.

2)     Make it easy for them. Set up a reviews page, from it provide a direct link to your Google+ local account where they can easily leave the review. Don’t expect people to fish around online trying to find it. If you don’t know how to find it, ask us.

3)     Develop a way to follow up with customers to see if they leave a review or send a gentle reminder to do so. Consider creating a spreadsheet to help you track this. Again, if you need help with that, ask us.

4)     Set a goal for yourself to obtain a certain amount of reviews each month. You can track this in the spreadsheet.

5)     And don’t forget, there are a series of other Local SEO factors that (combined with good Reviews) can really make things explode for your business!

Online reviews musts become a component of your local SEO strategy along with locally targeted content development, social media management, consistent listing citations and more. If you would like help putting together ideas for setup and a monthly plan for your locally targeted online success, give us a call at 732-722-5915 for an overview of your website’s content, a plan for gathering great reviews, a look at how citations are seen by the search engines and all the local SEO elements that matter.

About Kinetic Knowledge

Based in Monmouth County, NJ, Kinetic Knowledge is a full service digital marketing agency offering custom website design, SEO / Local SEO, social media management, ghost writing, graphic design, print advertising design, e-commerce and custom app solutions. Visit us online at www.kineticknowledge.com