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
-
Bad Google Reviews - Should I Remove the Map From My Website?
I have a Google map on a website. Currently, there are only two 1-star reviews — which show next to the company name on the map. We added the map for local SEO reasons, but I’m thinking I should take it down because customer experience supersedes local SEO. Why boost search rankings if the content will drive people away from converting? So basically, customer experience > local SEO. Question: Do you all agree, or do any of you have any evidence that I should leave it? For example, it’s below the fold, so it isn’t the first thing they see, and we really need to boost their local SEO.
Local Listings | | BlueCorona1 -
I have 2 locations and 6+ Google Business pages... How can I combine the duplicates without losing maps rankings?
I have 2 locations and 6+ different Google Business pages due to a company merger and automatic page creation. Some of the GMB even pages rank in maps above the ones we use for certain terms and most bring traffic to my site, but I know the dupes are hurting our maps rankings. Is there a way I can consolidate these pages by combining them? Or am I better off just biting the bullet and deleting the pages I don't want to use?
Local Listings | | formandfunctionagency0 -
LOCAL (city of 500k) Keyword Research - am I just wasting my time?
I have tried numerous tools, my team of freelancers, (fiver I admit) and a couple people from Upwork and still not getting a GOOD response to - How much search volume is there for "home builders" JUST in WIchita, KS (for example) I get local results like that are challenging because a lot of them show no search volume. Am I missing something? Can recommend a resource? I would be really grateful! 🙂 I am trying to figure out a nice long (ideally) list of keywords for 'plumbers, wichita ks', 'dentist, wichita ks' - Local service businesses and everything I try shows next to nothing. Thanks for ANY advice! 🙂 Matthew
Local Listings | | Mrupp441 -
Business Name Change and Local Listings
Hi, I'm working with a local bakery. We're going to change the name, rebuilt the site and branding, change to a new domain. My question is: Is it better to do all the local listings now, then go and update the name and website when we launch, or is it better to wait until the new site launches? Also, we're merging the catering brand into the new brand, what should I do with the old profiles from the catering business? There are 7 good reviews on various platforms (Facebook, Yelp, Google) Thanks!
Local Listings | | MichaelGregory0 -
The Local Stack Rollout - A New Day In Local
Hey There, all my fellow Local SEOs! Yesterday morning, I was searching for a car wash and was really puzzled to see my search return snack pack-style results, given that I wasn't looking for a restaurant, hotel or an entertainment venue. Sure enough, what I had run into was the rollout of Google's latest local SERPs, which for the sake of clarity, let's call the Local Stack. This is happening in multiple countries and across thousands of keywords and your local clients (or your local business) are likely to be affected by it, so I thought I'd post a heads-up here. Good Reading: http://blumenthals.com/blog/2015/08/06/7-pack-becoming-3-pack-with-mobile-like-snak-pack-rollout/ http://blumenthals.com/blog/2015/08/07/thoughts-about-the-new-local-stack-display/comment-page-1/#comment-859275 http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-local-important/35481-goodbye-7-packs-only-3-packs-no-phone-address-all-local-results.html http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-local-important/35515-new-local-3-stack-local-pro-opinions-roundup-change-rocked-our-world.html That last one has a bunch more great links in it. In June, I wrote a post here on Moz itemizing my concerns about the Snack Pack and its impacts on the hospitality/entertainment industries. Now, these same concerns are coming to me local-search-wide, with the rollout of the Local Stack. My early days key points from looking at the new Local Stack: No phone numbers without clicking through to Local Finder, which I consider to be really poor usability, given the invention of the cell phone and the way we use it call businesses. No links to the Google+ Local page, meaning that consultants like ourselves may have a really hard time explaining the value of creating a Google listing when so few SERPs will now actually lead to that listing. 3 chances to rank when your city has dozens or even hundreds or businesses in a single industry seems next-to-impossible. It's not a good reflection of the diversity of the business scene in the real world. There aren't 3 Italian restaurants in San Francisco or 3 lawyers in Boston. There are scores of them. Google's Local Stack is a poor reflection of the real world, in my view, and makes every city look like a one horse town. On the other hand, the baldness of the Local Stack is making the 'more' link at the bottom of it really jump out at me, and if you click through, up to 20 businesses will show with the Local Finder. So, I'm a bit torn on this. Are the 4 businesses that just fell out of prominence with the removal of the 7 pack worse off or are 13 businesses now jumping for joy because they are in a sort of pack today that they weren't in 2 days ago? I guess this depends on how willing consumers are to click that 'more' link. Given the meagerness of the Local Stack, organic is likely a great deal more important now for every local business, but I'm concerned by SERPs I'm looking at which are mainly taken up by directories rather than any actual local business websites. So, those are some first thoughts from me and I would totally love to hear yours on this thread as you are trying to assess how you see this impacting your clients or your business. It's definitely a new day in Local!
Local Listings | | MiriamEllis4 -
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 -
Google Map Disappeared
We had a client call and report that the information in the right-hand map of the SERp for their company name was presenting inaccurate information. I immediately reported the issue through Google and two days later it was fixed and the information was appearing correctly! The following week, we created a Google My Business page for the same client to help boost their presence. Now, when typing in the same general query as we did for the previous-mentioned work, the map is not showing up at all! The map does appear when I type the company name with city and state, but not only the company name as before. The listing has been verified with the Google postcard code, etc. Any insight or work arounds on this would be immensely appreciated!!
Local Listings | | BehrDesign0 -
How to get listed on Google My Business without any physical location ..?
I want to know the process to get listing on Google my business. I have a website, domain email ID, address all information, but Google is asking for Storefront photo. So, please suggestion me the process to get listing on Google Local Business without any storefront. Thank you.
Local Listings | | 1akal0