7 Local SEO Mistakes Northampton Businesses Shouldn’t Make

Optimising your website for local searches is one of the best strategies that you can use to get your Northampton business out there. Research showed that 80% of local searches usually end up in a conversion, and almost half of all Google searches are for local businesses. By making your site more Local SEO-friendly, you can increase both foot and web traffic, attract more potential clients, and boost your profits. 

Local SEO Mistakes You Should Avoid

It can be easy to make mistakes when optimising your website for local search engines, especially if you’re not familiar with SEO. Fortunately, we’ve compiled some of the most common blunders businesses often make when optimising their sites for local search. Make sure to avoid these mistakes so you can make the most of the opportunities local search can offer your business. 

1. Not including your contact details in online forms

Most businesses use web-based contact forms because they make it easier for visitors to contact them. Usually powered by PHP and HTML, these online forms enable your visitors to create and send emails to you directly from your website. Indeed, these contact forms provide you and your visitors with maximum convenience. They don’t hurt your search rankings, either. However, the downside is they do not help increase your search rankings.

Instead of relying solely on web-based contact forms, what you can also do is include your contact details in text form. In doing so, search engines will be able to crawl them. For instance, when Google’s search bots crawl your text-formatted phone number, they will link it to your location. In return, this will help improve your local search rankings. 

2. Displaying freephone number on your site

Freephone or toll-free numbers use generic area codes that aren’t connected to a specific location. As such, when you list a freephone number on your website, Google won’t be able to associate the phone number with your location. Therefore, if you want to make your website more local search-friendly, consider using a phone number with Northampton’s area code. 

3. No Google My Business Page

Failing to take advantage of Google My Business (GMB) is one of the biggest local SEO mistakes you’ll ever make as a business owner. GMB primarily functions as an online directory of local businesses. Creating a listing that showcases the name and contact details of your business helps improve not only your local search rankings but also your online visibility.

When a prospect looks up your business on Google, they could see your GMB listing on top of the search result page for relevant local searches. At the same time, your website could also appear on organic search result pages. 

4. Having inconsistent NAPs

Search engines, such as Google, like consistent business names, addresses, and phone numbers (NAP) so they can provide users with accurate information about local businesses. As such, you should never make the mistake of using different NAPs on your website and online listings. Otherwise, search engines won’t know which of your contact details is correct. Also, it could create confusion amongst your target audience. 

5. Not using local keywords

To boost your local search rankings, make sure to incorporate location-targeted keywords in your webpages and content. For instance, if you’re offering plumbing services in and around Northampton, you should consider incorporating the keywords “Northampton plumbing services” in your web content.

Using local keywords can make your web content more accurate and relevant. However, make sure that you don’t put too many of these keywords in your content. Otherwise, Google will flag your content as spam and give your website a penalty. Use such local keywords sparingly. 

6. No web content

Speaking of web content, make sure that your business website has quality content. Otherwise, Google’s search bots won’t be able to crawl your site and rank it appropriately. When writing content, however, ensure that it is of good quality. Always remember that search engines want to provide users with the best result and experience possible. As such, you are more likely to appear on top of search results if you have excellent web content. 

7. Not optimising your site for mobile devices

Failing to optimise your site for mobile device is one of the most crucial local SEO mistakes you should avoid. More than 50% of online searches are done on mobile devices. Also, a significant number of users who performed mobile searches ended up visiting a store within the same day.

If your website isn’t optimised for mobile devices, you could miss a lot of opportunities to attract potential customers or even make a sale. What’s more, your local search ranking could suffer because mobile-friendliness is a vital Google ranking factor. For this reason, you must ensure that your website is compatible with all devices and will be rendered accurately regardless of screen size. 

Stop Making Rookie Mistakes

Local SEO is a great help for businesses that focus on attracting the attention of regional customers. However, it can be easy to make mistakes when optimising your site, particularly if you have limited knowledge of the best optimisation techniques.

For this reason, it certainly helps to seek professional help. At Springhill Marketing, our team of SEO specialists will make sure that your website is optimised for local search engines so you can attract the attention of your target customers. With our expert knowledge, there’s no need to make SEO mistakes that could put the reputation of your Northampton business at risk. Contact us today and let us show you what we can do.