You want your business to rank in multiple cities? You probably need location pages on your website.
We see scenarios all the time where a business wants to show up in search for multiple surrounding cities, but their website has just one generic homepage or about page. They might have added a list of cities to their site but not much else.
The result is a lack of visibility, which leads to missed opportunities, which leads to frustration.
A lot of business owners assume that once their site is live, it should show up anywhere the site says they offer services. But search engines aren’t that simple.
If you want to rank in multiple locations, your website has to prove you belong there, and one way to prove it is with location pages.
What Are Location Pages
A page on a website that is dedicated to highlighting that a business serves a specific city or location is referred to as a ‘location page’.
Think of it like this… When a search engine bot crawls a website, it is looking for context and relevance.
The homepage is like the front door. It’s about what a business does and who it does it for, broadly speaking.
Location pages go one step further and tell the bot very specifically that the business does what it does for a specific city or area by including very specific information (proof) the bot is looking for.
How Location Pages Help You Rank
Why can’t people (or search engine bots) just notice on my homepage, contact page, or in our footer that we serve multiple cities? How do location pages really make that much difference?
The context clues that a location page provides to the bot (and users/people) reinforce what you perceive to be obvious from a simple mention.
Location pages make it very clear that the business performs specific services in specific cities, which reinforces the relevance of the mention for users.
The technical elements included on a location page (which we’ll get into momentarily), give search engine bots concrete data points to correlate and prioritize for search rankings.
As an example, let’s say one HVAC business has a location page specifically detailing “HVAC repair in Easley, SC” with all the right elements on the page while another business simply mentions “Easley, SC” on their homepage. The business with a location-specific page will be considered more contextually relevant and will be prioritized higher in search rankings.
That’s why location pages are such a powerful tool. They help your website speak directly to each area you serve, using real place names and content that feels local.
What to Include on Each Location Page
A location page is meant to specifically tell search engines, and users/customers, that your business serves a specific city.
The elements on the location page should all serve the purpose of providing that context.
A map widget for the city is a very important context clue. Making sure this is properly implemented is also important.
The page should also use keywords strategically to mention [specific service]+[specific city]. For example, “remodeling in Greenville, SC” is better than the more generic “We serve the upstate” blanket statement.
The use of keywords should be contextually relevant in the page title, headings, and paragraphs of the page. Make the wording unique to each location page, too. Don’t just copy and paste from one page to the next and change the city names.
Contact details should also be included on each location page. If there’s a unique office address or unique phone number for each location, those are must-have details on the page.
One of the more advanced pieces of information to include in a location page is called schema markup (aka structured data), which is a way of coding the page to directly tell bots about relevant details.
It can also be very helpful for a location page to include recognizable photos from the area. Local landmarks or aerial views of a city tend to work well. Try to find or capture photos that appear authentically local, and avoid using standard stock photography.
Should You Have a Google Business Profile for Each Location?
If your business operates in multiple locations and each one has a physical address, you should absolutely consider creating a separate Google Business Profile (GBP) for each.
We’ve worked with businesses that use home office addresses in multiple cities to establish ‘service area’ businesses to increase their area of exposure online. With a valid address, this is a totally legitimate strategy.
Pro tip: Each profile should link to its corresponding locatino page on the website. That way, Google sees a clear connection between map listings and the content on your website.
The one-two punch of a fully optimized GBP plus a matching location page can do wonders for your visibility in each of the cities or areas your business serves.
Conclusion
For businesses that rely on being found in multiple service areas, one of the simplest ways to expand your visibility and reach more potential customers is by having specific location pages for the areas you serve.
A well-crafted location page shows search engines and potential customers that you’re truly part of the community. It’s a relatively small change that can have a major impact on your SEO performance.