Local shops website been smashed

[AussieLocalSEOGuy]

This is for a local paint supplies shop and it has a DR of 0.1 <--- not 1 but 0.1

The Ur ranking is just as shocking.

Why was it so bad?

The website had noindex turned on for years.
The shop moved address but didn't update their GMB and was marked as permanently closed.

Both of those problems have been resolved for a couple months now and GMB is working good for traffic.

But the SEO/organic results is extremely weak.

Wondering if any been thru something like this before? Any streamlined fixes for the DR / UR?

The business itself is a great shop, customer service , etc but a disaster online.

 

[tazarbm]

I'm not good at local SEO so I wouldn't know what to say if you had any GBP related issues other than the fact that citations (NAPs) are good. That's what I keep hearing from people doing local SEO so I remembered this detail

But on the organic SEO part, if the site lacks backlinks it's normal for its DR / UR to be low since Ahrefs calculates the DR / UR scores based on the number and quality of backlinks a site has. So, you shouldn't be surprised that these metrics are low if your site lacks (good) backlinks

This being said, these metrics also don't matter too much either... at least not when we talk about rankings as Google doesn't give a rat's ass about 3rd party metrics when assessing and ranking pages.

And the problems you're having with organic traffic are most likely because of poor / lack of SEO. Unfortunately, without a proper audit of your site we won't be able to recommend any course of action, but - generally speaking - good content + good topical authority + good backlinks = traffic + $$$. Generally speaking

These few guides might point you in the right direction (at least on the topical authority and link building aspects, for everything else there is the entire BHW for you to search and ask questions on):
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/seo-siloing-2023-the-last-siloing-guide-youll-ever-need.1502244/https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/guide-how-many-links-per-day-week-or-month-should-i-build.1502403/

 

[AussieLocalSEOGuy]

Thanks for the tips.

Nap - looks to have second phone number listed on website showing in side bar on mobile browser different from GMB. Although the main GMB number also present on websites contact page. Might have to remove the second one from side bar in case Google considers that the primary.

Would content/SEO be a problem if the businesses own (very unique) name doesn't even appear until 6th organic spot? Seems like Google really doesn't like the domain, if it can't rank 1 for itself. This is a very low competition niche, marine paint supplies.

Had a look through the info @tazarbm posted I'm not seeing much different to what I've done regarding content.
I built out a pretty extensive content hub for the business. This was the second time I did this for owners other shop (a service business) and scored exceptional Google rankings across the board. Used same sort of content hub structure for the troubled one with its own unique content.

The other shop with great rankings has DR 11 compared to near 0. This seems to be the main difference between the two websites. If it's not that and not content/SEO, any thing else that could be diagnosed?
Is there any type of Google weight on a website available? To find out if they don't like it. Search console and GMB console not giving anything clear.

 

[AussieLocalSEOGuy]

After doing all this, the website is indexed. but still, the pages are heavily reduced in rankings. Even Googling the shops own distinct 3 word business name still doesn't appear until like 7th spot.
Everything in google search console looks ok, but for the home page, is this normal?

I have submitted the sitemaps when it says none.
Is that route on teh referring page normal?

 

[Henry IV]

Is the domain an EMD?

 

[MKSKS]

This is for a local paint supplies shop and it has a DR of 0.1 <--- not 1 but 0.1

The Ur ranking is just as shocking.

Why was it so bad?

That's an indication that the quality of the linking websites as per ahrefs algorithm is bad.

But the SEO/organic results is extremely weak.

That's probably because the website doesn't have enough content and the weak link profile.

Any streamlined fixes for the DR / UR?

Build only industry relevant backlinks.
Work on branding build brand pages and profiles across all social media platforms, post regular content on them and engage with your audience (most important).
Citations are important here.
Consistent NAP data across the internet.
Make use of as many review platforms as possible, this will boost your online branding a lot.
Schema markup helps relevant to your business industry/niche.
Since you already have a GMB check if it can be optimized further.
Don't ignore YouTube, Reddit, Quora & Pinterest.
Also look through the PAA questions that are relevant to your industry customer queries and create a FAQ, Knowledgebase, Or simple create blogposts addressing these.

The business itself is a great shop, customer service , etc but a disaster online.

That's common with most local businesses that don't invest time and money on their online branding.

 

[NeedMyLink]

Rebuilding DA and UR is a slow process, especially after such mishaps. Start by ensuring the site's on-page SEO is on point: metadata, headers, content quality, and keyword optimization. Next, build quality backlinks through local directories, partnerships, and perhaps some local PR or community involvement. Content marketing can also help, like blog posts about paint tips or local DIY projects.