10 Local SEO Myths

As a small business owner, you've heard all the buzz. You know you need an online presence to survive in today's tech-driven business world. Yet, online marketing remains a mystery for many small business owners. And even more daunting is local marketing. As confusing as it may be, many small business owners, much like yourself, often find themselves assuming they can tackle their local marketing SEO the same way national brands do.

What works for national brands, works not for your local small business looking to stand out from the local competition. It's difficult for any business owner to understand the difference between right and wrong when it comes to local SEO marketing, as most of the information available is unclear and contradictory. Let's break down some of the myths behind successful local business SEO.

• Link building is dead This myth is all over the place today and stems primarily from Google's attempts to curb unnatural links. Matt Cutts recently commented that people trying to build SEO should stop with guest posting. However, there is nothing wrong with publishing valuable content in the form of guest posts. There are even certain directories where every business should have a listing that are safe in Google's eyes.
• Applying for a business directory increases your SEO. Many local businesses feel their SEO improves when they claim their online business directories. Yes, it is advantageous to list your business, but it's not the sole reason for improved search engine optimisation. There are many other factors that play a role in SEO marketing.
• Social media does not help with search engine optimisation. Social media or social search is all the rage these days. Companies that have embraced social media benefit from improved SEO marketing. Social media creates natural backlinks when users share your website and information with others on sites like Facebook and Twitter. The most important thing is to post regularly, publish value-oriented content, and actively engage in conversations.
• Domain names with keywords It's best to focus on your company or brand name for your domain name. Adding keywords to your domain name typically offers no SEO support, at least not anymore. It's the other SEO marketing activities that will help to promote you and achieve higher search rankings.
• Mobile is the same as desktop Mobile search is key to local SEO marketing. The majority of searches made on a mobile device are for local services and products. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly can impact your rankings. If you haven't already considered a mobile platform for your business, you should.
• The content is not relevant It was once thought that link building was the only way to achieve successful search engine optimisation, but with changes to Google's algorithms, writing compelling content has become the preferred method in SEO marketing. As mentioned, link building remains relevant, but investing in value-driven content for websites, blog posts, and more will bring you and your website more high-quality links and leads.
• Local pages are not needed. You must at least include your city and state on your website to be considered in local search. Title tags, on-page citations and links should all clearly state where you are located. However, if you really want to improve your local SEO search queries, you should create a separate local landing page for each niche of your business. These local landing pages will rank you better for local search queries.
• All I need is basic SEO to rank high on Google Local. You should know your local competition. If your industry is saturated with businesses like yours, it can be difficult, but not impossible, to rank at the top of local search. You will need to invest heavily and consistently in various SEO efforts to make your business known to new customers and to improve your local search ranking.
• Photos and/or videos aren't important – Multimedia can be beneficial in improving your local search ranking. Images and videos are often displayed as mixed ads in Google Search. Therefore, these multimedia elements can provide additional opportunities to be found. If you think there is no way to incorporate photos or videos into your business marketing, think again. Let your imagination run wild – videos of workflows, photos of company events or other local events that relate to your service or product are excellent marketing material.
• Microsites and other domains I own will benefit my search engine optimisation (SEO) – There's no point in neglecting your search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engines are intelligent enough these days to know who a domain name is registered to, and setting up multiple domains and websites doesn't build your primary domain, it dilutes it. Furthermore, many companies have been penalised by Google for running microsites with duplicate content. Concentrate on building your primary website!

There are many SEO marketing strategies, some of which were once considered mainstream. It's difficult for a business owner to keep up with the ever-evolving SEO strategies and practices. However, knowing which myths exist and which don't can help you make more effective decisions for your SEO marketing campaigns. Whether you hire a professional for your SEO marketing or do it yourself, you should understand that SEO is about the overall experience for the user or searcher. Bearing this in mind will help you generate more leads and sales online. .