I recently had the honor of meeting with a prospective client who owns a long-standing plumbing business in the Waukesha area. They contacted me because they recently had their website redeveloped and are facing problems with their search results rankings. We set up a meeting time and I performed a multi-pronged analysis of their SEO and Local Search parameters to discuss with them.
After performing the analysis it turned out that not only was their website SEO in disarray, but their local search SEO has some pretty serious problems as well. It turns out that the marketing company who did the redevelopment of their website had little or no expertise in setting parameters for titles, descriptions and keywords, where applicable. Further, their listings in local search had multiple addresses, phone numbers, and duplicate listings at other geographical locations where the business does not exist. Fortunately for this business hope is not lost, and through the help of a seasoned internet marketer their website can regain its ranking and authority.
I find this story rather sad because this company likely paid a lot of money for their new website and they deserved to have it done correctly! I also find it appalling that there are web development businesses out there who perform poorly with either no conscience or the requisite knowledge and skill to at least retain, or even improve a businesses internet real estate value.
This case should be a warning to all businesses who are considering redevelopment of their website and/or SEO for their business.
Please, do some research.
Check the credibility of local web development companies to make certain they know what they are doing.
Have them show you live examples of their work and search rankings for current or past clients.