Mike Vannington
Member
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2019
- Messages
- 50
- Reaction score
- 18
This is about a previous client, my first, when I first became aware of LSEO. I was self-taught, highly-motivated, etc... but in retrospect think I might have either made mistakes, or should have done things differently. This question is an attempt to learn the lessons of the past, in order to prevent making them in the future, etc...
So, it started out doing computer repair for a small, but well-established medical practice (two doctors). Once they decided they both liked and trusted me, they started talking about web site issues they were having with a smaller, new business they were just starting. The new business was laser hair removal. They had a small room located inside the medium-sized, standalone medical practice, and wanted to generate some income doing LHR. So they formed an LLC independent of the main practice, hired a web desigher to do a (cheap, crappy Word Press website), and also to "SEO" the website (they paid 4 figures for this). Only no results, and they asked me if I knew anything. I said no, but wanted to research as I saw possibilities for myself to diversivy my skills, and maybe make a business of it.
So I learned about NAP, NAP consistency, etc... but one thing I never thought to consider is that the address of the main business was "interfering" with the address of the new business. So "Medical Practice" was located at 123 Main Street, and "New Laser Business" was also located at 123 Main Street. At the time it never occurred to me, but in retrospect I wonder if failing to designate the new business with a "Suite 100" appended to the "123 Main Street" address might have hurt them in the SERPs.
If so, then the next question I have is how to go about doing this. If a business in a similar situation wants a "standalone" address, separate and distinct from one that shares the same "root" address, is this something they would arrange with the Post Office? I'm thinking "Yes", and it would be necessary to do this before doing anything else, such as modifying the documents on file with the government for the LLC, tax records and all those other "high trust" data sources that Google uses. I didn't do any of that. All the government document's addresses were exactly the same between the Medical Practice and the New Laser Business. Now I wonder if this wasn't a critical error, and what the result might have been had I pushed to create a "suite 100" style address.
Despite this, by the time I was "done", the business listed well in the Google Local "7 pack" and floated between #3 and #4 against some very stiff local competition (state wide franchises, with obviously paid professional LSEO, both local and organic, and they were using blackhat/greyhat techniques and I did not). It's a hot keyword, so to accomplish what I did against that level of competition is encouraging to me. I did SOMETHING right. It also occurs to me that doing the "suite 100" thing might have actually hurt them, so if that's your opinion, don't be afraid to express it, because I'm prepared for that possibility already.
So, it started out doing computer repair for a small, but well-established medical practice (two doctors). Once they decided they both liked and trusted me, they started talking about web site issues they were having with a smaller, new business they were just starting. The new business was laser hair removal. They had a small room located inside the medium-sized, standalone medical practice, and wanted to generate some income doing LHR. So they formed an LLC independent of the main practice, hired a web desigher to do a (cheap, crappy Word Press website), and also to "SEO" the website (they paid 4 figures for this). Only no results, and they asked me if I knew anything. I said no, but wanted to research as I saw possibilities for myself to diversivy my skills, and maybe make a business of it.
So I learned about NAP, NAP consistency, etc... but one thing I never thought to consider is that the address of the main business was "interfering" with the address of the new business. So "Medical Practice" was located at 123 Main Street, and "New Laser Business" was also located at 123 Main Street. At the time it never occurred to me, but in retrospect I wonder if failing to designate the new business with a "Suite 100" appended to the "123 Main Street" address might have hurt them in the SERPs.
If so, then the next question I have is how to go about doing this. If a business in a similar situation wants a "standalone" address, separate and distinct from one that shares the same "root" address, is this something they would arrange with the Post Office? I'm thinking "Yes", and it would be necessary to do this before doing anything else, such as modifying the documents on file with the government for the LLC, tax records and all those other "high trust" data sources that Google uses. I didn't do any of that. All the government document's addresses were exactly the same between the Medical Practice and the New Laser Business. Now I wonder if this wasn't a critical error, and what the result might have been had I pushed to create a "suite 100" style address.
Despite this, by the time I was "done", the business listed well in the Google Local "7 pack" and floated between #3 and #4 against some very stiff local competition (state wide franchises, with obviously paid professional LSEO, both local and organic, and they were using blackhat/greyhat techniques and I did not). It's a hot keyword, so to accomplish what I did against that level of competition is encouraging to me. I did SOMETHING right. It also occurs to me that doing the "suite 100" thing might have actually hurt them, so if that's your opinion, don't be afraid to express it, because I'm prepared for that possibility already.
