It's all too easy to screw up your own SEO, and if you've hired somebody else to do it for you, that doubles the pain when they also make these sorts of mistakes. (You just paid for it!)

Whether do it yourself or hire your SEO out, you need to be aware of what not only just doesn't work, but also what may indeed be counter-productive, and damage you even more.

Let's have a look at 5 SEO mistakes that are easy to make and often hard to undo.

5 SEO mistakes to avoid no matter what!

Misusing keywords and anchor text – Today the Google algorithm has wised up to the point where it can sniff out attempts to game the rankings with keyword manipulation from a mile away. The best practice today is to use keywords naturally on your pages, utilizing related keywords and synonyms, and diversifying your anchor text accordingly, using natural combinations, naked URLs, and some generic terms like “click here”.

Avoid using Tags – The primary reason you'll need to avoid the use of tags is that they automatically create a duplicate content issue for you. Use categories instead. And if you use a tag cloud you've only compounded the problem by using valuable front page real estate as well.

Don't use Flash – In the quest for some stunning visual effect, many designers are tempted (or forced) to use Flash. The harm done to your SEO and mobile can make it very unwise to do this.

Not optimizing for Mobile – Since more than half of all web users now get here via a mobile device, you must make sure you recognize and account for this. Google also now devalues unresponsive pages in search with the label that your page “May not work on your device”.

Poor internal linking – The spate of recent Google updates has made this one of the last bastions of effective on-site SEO that really works well. Strive to make your site user friendly in this respect, and this is one area to not be shy about using keywords. (With prudence and diversity, naturally!)

Handling your local listings can be a pain if you do not have a strategy. There are lots of moving parts, and even a fairly small mistake can cause problems that can cost you in a rather costly way.

In lots of ways, managing your local listings is more work than a website serving around the world. You have to make certain all your information is appropriate for each place and this can be tough. Let's examine a few of the basics for good local listing management.

Getting the basics of your local listings in order

Right here are a few of the basics you have to look after before trying to be a local superstar.

• The most vital element of handling your local listings is to ensure that your NAP information, that is your business' name, address and phone contact, (together with all your other data) is right across all areas and platforms.

• Often times local companies make the error of not having a phone contact number on their profiles. Don't be that person! Even if it is just a voice mail, be sure your clients and leads can reach you.

• Make sure to completely fill out any profiles which contain your details. This is an easy method to obtain information out there about your company, and the more you can notify readers, the better shot you'll contend getting that new lead.

Taking local listings a step beyond

As soon as your basics are covered, make certain you are taking advantage from all the terrific sites and opportunities that are readily available to local businesses. Numerous of them are free to use, and others have a modest fee. Here's a few to get you started.

• See to it you are indexed in major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing.

• Take a peek at sites like Infogroup, Acxiom, Localeze, and Factual. These collectors provide data to mobile business and search engines alike, and are really helpful in extending your reach and exposure.

• Yelp, Yext, Foursquare and Facebook have a great deal of authority when it comes to local company. Great testimonials on these can boost your business in a short time.

• Tools like Bright Local, Moz Local or Whitespark are really convenient when it pertains to keeping track of citations and tracking your progress. You'll wish to get one of these to help gather more and better citations that can give your company a boost.

Best Web Marketer is now offering local display advertising for local businesses. To know more about this service, please visit BWM Local page.

Local search had actually been spared much volatility considering that the Hummingbird upgrade last fall, but that's all changed now with the arrival of the Google Pigeon upgrade.

Focused on improving local search engine result and tying local results more carefully to basic web ranking signals, Pigeon is still being weighted as to its effects on local sites. A few of the more obvious changes are kept in mind below, however in general, first impressions are indicating that large brands and sites that are not real regional websites are not faring also.

Let's have a look at 3 methods Google Pigeon is seemingly affecting local search, and what if anything there is to do about it.

3 Initial effects Pigeon is carrying local search

Strong brand directories are winning – Directories like Yelp, TripAdvisor and Yellowpages.com are seeing an as much as 10 percent boost in traffic and positions, often showing up numerous times for a local search.

Smaller sized map radius – The view revealed by Maps is now oftentimes much smaller, minimizing the variety of businesses discovered in an area, and as a result opening the door for even more directory lead to order to have something to show at all. This makes it bothersome for locations just outside the precise search location to be seen as a choice in a surrounding area search.

Phasing out of the 7 pack – Far less local search terms are taking advantage of the increased visibility of the 7-pack. While bigger search terms still reveal this, a lot of now show a 3-pack with a lowered map radius, or nothing at all. The real world traffic loss professionals are reporting that a local company not showing up any longer in the map pack is losing 16 percent a month. Rather considerable.

As the Pigeon upgrade plays out and the dust settles, and goes through a few incarnations, it's going to be more clear what the long lasting impact is going to be for your local search engine result. Today, ensuring you are optimizing your local directory listings for all they're worth seems your finest line of defense.

It may seem to you, as it does to many, that whenever we turn our heads around there's a brand-new local initiative from Google. Now it's called Google My Business, and prior before I get snarkier, allow me to say that it looks as though this one is very helpful.

Google My Business appears like it's extremely beneficial and an authentic help to your local company. The mission to bring everything under one roofing is a very long time coming, however seems to be worth the wait.

Basically Google+ is now the platform, and all else focuses on this.

5 Ways Google My Business Will Work for Your Local Business

1. GMB enables you to easily update your info from one location – Once you assert your listing on Google My Business, you'll be able to update anything you want concerning your company or online presence. You likewise have the ability to include pictures as well as virtual tours if you want, thus making it easy for individuals to get a real understanding of your location.

2. Get in touch with your customers through Google+ – You can speak with fans and consumers straight through your company's Google+ page, sharing content, and information. You can even begin and perform a Hangout on air.

3. Handle customer reviews – This one is the most discussed function: the capability to see, respond and handle evaluations on Google from one centralized location. Be certain you have a plan for managing your client's evaluations, excellent or bad, and be certain any individual who will be publishing to this page understands exactly what you want to do.

4. Run your company on the go – Using the Android and iOS apps, you can access any part of the Google My Business platform anywhere you are as long as you have your internet connection.

5. Client Insights – Another cool feature. GMB reveals you a number of beneficial statistics, such as where your customers are driving from. This will certainly work when preparing brand-new campaigns. Another plus is that you can quickly integrate your Google Analytics account into GMB. This is likewise true for Google AdWords.

Photo Credit: infocux Technologies/Flickr

It's sometimes challenging to know what exactly to do when you're trying to get your site ranked in the search engines. You'll hear a lot of advice, some of it actually good, but how do you know what to listen to and what not?

Unfortunately there's no easy answer. Most of the SEO advice you see comes with a price tag, that is, someone wishing to sell you something. SEO is one of those things that morph as time passes, and there's no certainty that what worked a year ago has any chance of doing anything for you now. Worse, it could hurt you.

So instead of raise the white flag of surrender, let's look at 5 SEO services we know no longer work, so you aren't tempted to spend any of your precious marketing budget on them.

5 SEO Services to Skip

1. Anything starting with Y – Specifically, Yelp, Yext and the YellowPages. We'll give Yahoo a pass for the time being. These companies all wish to help you get a more robust presence in local search, but the reality is they are having a tough time remaining legitimate themselves. Get listings and reviews the old fashioned way – earn them!

2. Avoid search engine submission services – You can do this on your own, and the thing is is you really don't need to. The search engines, especially Google, prefer to find your pages by themselves. Just focus on creating great content, and announcing it via your social media platforms, and the hard work is done. Not so hard, right, and it was free.

3. Don't spin your content and shoot it out all over the web – One time someone thought that since a little content was good, a lot would be better. Doesn't work that way. This was the basis for the recent Google Penguin update that purged the internet of many sites containing duplicate and spun content.

4. Don't build link farms – Farms are great, for food. Thinking you will game Google by building linkwheels and site pyramids is a fools game. This did work for a time, but that was a long time ago.

5. Don't buy links – Google knows if you purchase links, and the best you will achieve from that is that they won't do you any good; the worst, well, you won't be able to find your site in Google. Enough reason? Thought so.