Small business mistakes on Google
Not having a website
– representation of your business on the WHOLE internet, maintain or at least functional- first thing people see when they search you through Google (largest search engine)Common excuses for not having a website:-Don’t know how to build websites-Too expensive-Too much maintenanceHow to fix this?-Think of a website as having windows in your brick-n-mortar, it is a Must!
Not having an optimized website
-on-site optimization
Information on website and the internet inaccurate-poor search results-may not show up in more vague search resultsI.E. “Vegan restaurants in NYC” where Local SEO gets competitive-website is too fancy/crapWebsite is trying to do too much, it may look fancy, but the functionality of the site is not good or the website is total crap and that causes it to not be functional
Not optimizing GMB
-highly recommended to set up your GMB-Google indexes your site, setting up GMB furthers verifies that your site and business is real (if your business is your site)-Can also set up a website through GMB
Not taking advantage of Social Media/lack of presence
-Using social media ineffectively – needs weekly maintenance, check 3-5 times a week-Choosing the wrong social media platform (Facebook/GMB a must!)-Too many social media platforms-Ignoring bad reviews/good reviews
No citations
-Inconsistent information on the internet
-Not listed on other online directories such as Yelp!, Bing Places, and Angie’s List.
-Social media also counts as citations