Completely lost Google Local rankings for main keywords
-
Hi there,
Our website, petmedicalcenter.com, used to rank very well in Google in the local section - usually within the top 3 spots for 8 or so keywords. Then last fall our rankings started to diminish. We would rank really well for a few days and then would be no where to be found in the local section - this cycle kept going for a few months. Now, within the last few weeks our website is nowhere to be found in local for our usual keywords.
After a few years of success with SEO, I know the landscape is really starting to change. My problem is that I don't even know where to start to try and get us back on to the top spots. I know this question is rather broad, but I am really at a loss here. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
http://www.petmedicalcenter.com
Main Keywords: veterinarian las vegas, vets in las vegas, veterinarians las vegas, las vegas veterinarians, vet las vegas
Thank you for your help!
Brant
-
Brant - You are welcome. Check this out:
http://searchengineland.com/google-scraper-tool-185532
Seems like that may be totally relevant for you right at this moment!
-
Hi Miriam!
Your list is awesome and am starting to comb through it now. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!
Brant
-
Yep - that could certainly be hurting. Duplicate content of this type can definitely harm Google's ability to trust your data. I think you've uncovered a big piece of the puzzle. Hopefully, you can also take a look at the list of other issues mentioned in my reply.
-
To add, yes maybe if you put Las Vegas, NV as there is also a Las Vegas New Mexico might help
-
Thanks again for taking a quick look! I found that there is a website - justinchina.co.uk - that has copied our entire website - images, content, template, everything. All the links on the site point to our real site - so I am not sure the purpose of it. Do you think that this could be hurting our rankings on Google?
-
Might be a little spammy in your title tag with "Las Vegas"
-
Hi BCB1121,
Troubleshooting local ranking failures and fluctuations typically requires several hours of work. As I can't offer to do this within the space of the forum, I'd like to share a simple list with you of things I initially check for:
1. Violations on the Google+ Local page
2. Duplicate Google+ Local listings, including old listings, main listings, partner listings, etc.
3. NAP consistency issues across the Internet
4. Thin or duplicate content on the website
5. Known bugs or penalties reported in the Google And Your Business Forum that date from around the time you saw rankings change
6. An inequality of reviews (competitors have more than you)
7. Location of business in respect to the local business cluster (are you near the cluster or far from it)
8. Resolution of the Google MAP changing from search to search so that some businesses are showing when the resolution is broader and some are falling out when it narrows (learned this one from Linda Buquet!)
9. Are you standing still while competitors are moving aggressively forward with their marketing?
10. Sheer citation count of your business vs. competitors.
These are good places to begin your research. Hope this helps!
-
Hi Ruben,
I only looked over a half dozen pages quickly and couldn't see anything that stuck out, such as empty pages, thin content, spammy use of keywords, etc.
The pages appeared to be a decent length and didn't seem to be trying too hard.
That said, I would need to do a complete scan of the site to check for other issues that you can't just see with the eye, such as duplication and canonicalization, spelling, plagiarism (I'm sure there is none).
-Andy
-
Andy,
Quick follow-up: When you wrote "just a cursory glance at your site would suggest this" what jumped out at you? (I'd like to have better 'first glance' skills, but I really don't even know what to look for until I run the site through OSE or something like that). Is there some specific icon/layout/spacing, etc that made you think "Penguin" that you would suggest people to look out for?
Best,
Ruben
-
Of course Brant - And the link profile is in a bit of a poor state I'm afraid. Lots of random directories and non-related site links.
Before I would even suggest looking at other possible on-page issues, I would get this link profile cleaned up. There is no doubt that some of these links will be hampering efforts.
-Andy
-
Hi Andy,
Thanks for your help! This has really been stressing me out so it is nice to have another pair of eyes looking at it. If you wouldn't mind taking a quick scan I would really appreciate it!
Brant
-
Hi Brant,
I see a lot of this and I am going to guess Penguin (bad link profile) over Panda. Just a cursory glance at your site would suggest this, although I reserve the right to change my mind if I was to spend any time looking at this
Happy to run a quick scan and give you a better idea if you wish?
-Andy
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Why is a Google Listing Showing Up in a Different Town Than Its Address?
I have a client who runs a dental office on the outskirts of Racine, WI. His address specifically shows up as being in Racine, however, his GMB profile has always showed with the category of "Dentist in Mount Pleasant, WI" displaying below the photos. (Mount Pleasant is the next town over and his office straddles the line between the two towns in Google's overlay map of the town.) Obviously this is frustrating and I'm concerned that his location is hurting his ability to rank in the larger, more populous town of Racine. Have any other SEOs ever encountered this? And if so, how have you approached the issue? Location pages? Mentions of the location more often on the pages? tsLvH2B
Local Listings | | formandfunctionagency1 -
Google My Business - two locations but same name and phone
Hello, I manage SEO for an orthopaedic practice and I'm wondering what to do about their GMB listings. They have two locations, but I'm starting to think we shouldn't have separate GMB pages for the two locations because of the advice about other GMB questions I've been reading on this forum. I read a helpful response that said you must ensure the following if you want to create separate GMB listings: Unique name Unique address (even if only a suite / office number) Unique phone number Clearly different categories on Google My Business I can only ensure one of those - unique address. The business has the same name, phone number, and categories at both addresses. What should I do about this? I would think it's important to list both addresses so that patients can be guided to the appropriate location, but is there a way to do that with just one GMB listing? Thank you, Susannah
Local Listings | | SusannahK.Noel0 -
SEO Google local listings
Hello We've recently started a campaign for a local business, and now the domain authority and the number of links to the site are equal if not more to all local major competitors (bar one) and organic rankings for relevant terms are increasing well... However we still do not appear in the google local listings, despite having a verified location business account - fully set up and active and linked to the website. Does anyone have any advice for increasing local rankings? Thanks in advance kind mozzers
Local Listings | | wearehappymedia0 -
Moz Local is saying a 800 is not okay...does it really negatively impact citations/rankings?
So I was considering using Moz Local to help improve the visibility of one of my clients who is trying to improve their local SEO (they only have one business location). When I submitted my existing client's listing there was an automated popup that read: Sorry, we're unable to update this listing right now Toll-free number detected Many of the partners to which Moz Local submits your data do not accept toll-free lines as primary phone numbers. Choosing a local phone number may also be better for rankings and increase the number of calls you get from local search customers. Is is true that having a "local phone number" can result in better rankings? Is there any articles/studies/evidence to support this? Also are there any discounts out there for first time Moz Local users?
Local Listings | | RosemaryB0 -
Rankings on Google local search
Hi, I have been experiencing different rankings while searching with Google local site such as on: google.com.mt > English interface google.com.mt > native language interface but still searching in English. The search phrase is always in English. Also in both occasions the SERPs would contain English listings. There would be no Local/Map listings that affect results order. What is the solution to increase visibility on both English interface and native language interface? Thanks! Conrad
Local Listings | | conalt0 -
How is this Ge Factory Service ranking like this?
Recently I was doing some research on "appliance repair" for a new client and I ran into some listings that are ranking locally on the 1st page without barely any backlinks or citations. I am wondering how they are doing this. I under stand since they are a GE company maybe this is why but there is not even no backlinks from the GE main site. This Ge Factory website is a pr0 so how is it ranking hundreds of listings without almost any citations?After searching Google I found over 10k listings for "GE Factory Service". How are they doing this? As I understand only Franchise listings are allowed to be posted Nationwide. After investigation I came to the conclusion that GE does not offer any Franchise Opportunities for their repair service. So isn't this in violation of the terms and conditions? These listings all have the address hidden since these are not storefronts. I have checked many listings and they are ranking for most cities I search including:Atlanta, San Diego, Dallas, Tucson,phoenix.Does anyone have any ideas how these listings with virtually no SEO? Any feedback is appreciated thanks
Local Listings | | bajaseo0 -
Is there a way to get your local SERP by zipcode?
I have multiple stores across various zipcodes and i'm having difficulty trying to provide an average Positioning on SERP by region. I do know that your SERP varies by region because different areas use different vernaculars. Does anyone know of a way that I can provide a SERP for keywords/terms by county or zip code?
Local Listings | | rpaiva0 -
Opt out from certain Google properties - what's the downside?
Hi Moz Community! I manage a site where we want to have a support phone number for certain cases, but not for it to be front and centre for all our customers. At the moment, most of our unwanted call volume comes through the number showing up in SERPs due. We haven't included it in any of our listings, but it seems that Google has included it due to its presence on our site. We are now considering using the "Opt out from certain Google properties" tool on Google Webmasters but are concerned that by not playing by Google's rules that we may face some sort of penalty. https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/opt-out Does anyone have any experience of using this tool or any thoughts on potential risks to our search rankings? Thank you!
Local Listings | | HireSpace0