Need help with sites that keep tanking in the local pack - any thoughts appreciated

[jrseaman]

Hi all,

I've been an SEO for a long time, but I haven't messed with local as a regular thing and I'm finding that it's not.... the same. I need to understand what's happening with my client's sites. I have two client sites (same client, two companies): Champion Appliance Care and Dryer Doctors
I use BrightLocal to keep track of rankings, and I'm seeing really volatile movements, but I can't see WHY they're so volatile. I'm used to seeing changes, but they're normally small. These are... it's like every map pack is a swing state that can't make up its mind.

One concern I have is Call Rail. I'm unfamiliar with how Call Rail works with NAP, and wonder if that might be part of the problem. Even though I have Call Rail and the main number in GBP, BrightLocal flags citations as being incorrect with the phone number, so I'm curious. I also don't know how Google looks at that. My client is using Call Rail for GBP as well as on the site.

I know there are some things on the site that need to be fixed. For instance, bringing up the local signals and optimizing on-page better. -And, we don't have much content beyond the service pages. We're building on that. I think I have a solid plan moving forward:

Update GBP:
Add posts
Add Q/A
Ensure services are correct
Get/Answer Reviews

Update Website:
Add helpful, related content (example for dryer repair article: "how to tell if I need to replace my dryer")
Create local pages
Make sure all the pages are properly interlinked
On-page

Update Link Profile:
Build out local links/citations
Build out industry links/citations


Questions:
1. Is there anything NOT on the list that I could be doing?
2. Looking at the sites and GBP, can you tell me what I'm missing?
3. Is volatility normal for the local pack or is it indicative of big issues?
4. What other information can I provide? Screenshots?
5. Should I just hang up my hat and go flip burgers?


Thank you!

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Can you confirm the businesses website? I Wasn't sure of the geo so I couldn't confirm which specific business you are referring to.

 

[jrseaman]

Yes, thank you:

Champion Appliance Care
Champion's Main GBP (there are three locations)

Dryer Doctors
Dryer Doctors Main GBP (there are two locations)

 

[JS Girard]

I haven't looked at it in super details but there's a very noticeable plateau-ing of new reviews (nothing new in the last two months, and with one exception it pushes to four for Dryer Doctors). Sterling Sky recently demonstrated that a steady trickle of reviews is exactly as important as the sheer number of them.

 

[keyserholiday]

The two business profiles are filtering each other out because you are using the same categories for both locations. For Dryer Doctors, remove the Appliance Repair Service and Washer and Dryer repair service.

 

[jrseaman]

Thanks @keyserholiday and @JS Girard
I've removed the additional categories from Dryer Doctors. The owner and I had already talked about that, so I'm glad to have an additional vote for it!

 

[keyserholiday]

Happy to help.

 

[jrseaman]

Hi guys! Sadly, I'm back.

Dryer Doctor: 2 locations for GBP, second location is new, main location has only been active for a year or so
Champion Appliance Care: 3 locations for GBP, two established, one has only been active for a year or so.

Pages optimized? check
Local landing pages? check (for champion, 3 location pages. For dryer doctors, none yet)
Organic local ranking? check (we're in the top 5 for several key terms we're aiming for with Champion, getting closer with Dryer Doctors overall)
Reviews? check (client is pushing for them, and we're starting to see them trickle in)

Local pack ranking? Forget about it. We were improving at the beginning of March, although slowly. Now, very little improvement, very few clicks to site, very few calls, etc. etc.

Question: Would someone be willing to do a local audit for me for trade, or is there a trustworthy checklist or walkthrough that I can use for an audit? We're getting beat out of the pack by a guy that has a crap site with very little content, very few pages, no optimization, like 3 backlinks, and NOTHING but steady reviews.

One of the unknowns for me is Call Rail. I can't help but wonder if it's set up right, but I've never used Call Rail, and I know company sites can't always be trusted when they say it doesn't mess up SEO.

Also, does hyper zip code geo-fencing help or hurt? One of our locations is set up with servicing 20 zip codes.

Any feedback, pointers, and tips would be very welcome. Thank you!


Dryer Doctor:
Desktop traffic has declined by 1K over the reporting period (Jan to now compared to previous period)
Mobile has improved by 11K
Tablet has improved by about 300

Champion:
Desktop traffic has improved by 66K
Mobile has improved by 24.5K
Tablet has improved by about 400

Aside from the additional screenshots below, is there any more information I can provide to you? Client says if he's in the local pack (vs local finder) he doesn't have to worry about anything else. Phones ring off the hook. Doesn't matter if he's in organic or not.



Bright Local, most recent pull (april 10th)

Dryer Doctor GSC performance, from January til now, compared to previous period:

Dryer Doctor GA performance, same time period

Dryer Doctor GBP performance, main Dryer Doctor:

Dryer Doctor GDP Performance, Second Location (New in January/ Feb)

Champion GSC performance, same time period

Champion GA performance, same time period

Champion GBP performance, main location (Odana)

Champion GBP performance, second location (Middleton)

Champion GBP performance, third location (Toban)

 

[keyserholiday]

I ran a few citation scans using Yext for Champion and saw a mismatch of telephone numbers. While NAP is dead, it can't help when the three locations have several citations using the same telephone number. The Middletown location is in the same building as another appliance repair business profile. I recommend getting the $20 per month citation service from Semrush. They are reselling Yext, but it will help to fix those citations. This should help you to move in the right direction.