By allowing you to target just the customers in your area, it\u2019s a quick and easy way to give information about your business to the people who are most likely to patronize it.<\/p>\n
But what if you have multiple locations in multiple cities?<\/p>\n
Is it possible to rank for keywords that target multiple cities without hurting your local SEO?<\/p>\n
Of course, it is.<\/p>\n
But before you go running off to tweak your site for local searches, there\u2019s one caveat: If you do it wrong, it can actually hurt you. So, it\u2019s important to ensure you do it correctly.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bit more complex than regular old search engine optimization, but never fear \u2013 we\u2019re here to guide you through the process.<\/p>\n
Follow the instructions below, and you\u2019ll rank in searches of all your locales before you know it. Ready to get started?<\/p>\n
Why Is Local SEO Important?<\/h2>\n
If local SEO can potentially \u201churt\u201d you, why do it at all? Here are two good reasons:<\/p>\n
Local SEO Attracts Foot Traffic<\/h3>\n
Imagine you\u2019re out of town for a cousin\u2019s wedding.<\/p>\n
On the night before the big day, you\u2019re in your hotel room when you crave a cheese pizza.<\/p>\n
You pick up your phone and Google \u2026 what?<\/p>\n
\u201cPizza?\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n
No, you\u2019re probably going to Google a location-specific keyword, like [best pizza in Louisville].<\/p>\n
When you get the results, you don\u2019t say, \u201cgood to know,\u201d and then head off to sleep.<\/p>\n
No. Instead, you take the action that drove the search in the first place. In other words, you pick up your phone and order the pizza.<\/p>\n
Or you get up, take a taxi, and dine out at that spectacular pizzeria.<\/p>\n
And you\u2019re not the only one doing this.<\/p>\n
In fact, every month, searchers visit 1.5 billion locations<\/a> related to their searches.<\/p>\n And you\u2019re not the one in a million person who\u2019s doing a local search, either.<\/p>\n Nearly 46%<\/a> of Google searches have local intent.<\/p>\n That\u2019s huge!<\/p>\n So, the next time you\u2019re thinking of skipping local SEO, think again.<\/p>\n It could actually be your ticket to getting that random out-on-vacation dude to check out your pizza place. (Or beauty salon. Or hardware store \u2013 you get the point.)<\/p>\n We\u2019re all well-informed on the SEO KPIs<\/a> you should track to rank on Google.<\/p>\n Two of these are:<\/p>\n With local SEO, you hit both of these birds with one stone. Note that it\u2019s based on the searcher\u2019s location distance\/relevance to the business.<\/p>\n Long ago, in the dark ages of SEO, city pages were used to stuff in local keywords to gain higher rankings on Google.<\/p>\n For example, you\u2019d create a page and write content on flower delivery.<\/p>\n Then, you\u2019d copy your content onto several different pages, each one with a different city in the keyword.<\/p>\n So, a page for [flower delivery in Louisville], [flower delivery in Newark], and [flower delivery in Shelbyville], each with the exact same content.<\/p>\n As tends to be the case, it didn\u2019t take long for Google to notice this spammy tactic.<\/p>\n When it rolled out its Panda Update<\/a>, it made sure to flag and penalize sites doing it.<\/p>\n So, city pages can hurt your SEO and penalize your site.<\/p>\n But not if you do them right<\/a>.<\/p>\n This brings us to\u2026<\/p>\n Remember, Google\u2019s mission<\/a> is to organize and deliver the most relevant and reliable information available to online searchers.<\/p>\n Its goal is to give people exactly what they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n This means if they can verify your business, you\u2019ll have a higher chance of ranking on the SERPs.<\/p>\n Enter Google Business Profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you register on Google Business Profile, you\u2019re confirming to Google exactly what you offer and where you\u2019re located.<\/p>\n In turn, Google will be confident about sharing your content with searchers.<\/p>\n The good news is Google Business Profile is free and easy to use.<\/p>\n Simply create an account, claim your business, and fill in as much information as possible about it.<\/p>\n Photos and customer reviews (plus replying to reviews) can also help you optimize your Google Business Profile account<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ever do a local search and get three featured suggestions from Google?<\/p>\n You know, like this.<\/p>\n Yes, these businesses are super lucky.<\/p>\n Chances are that searchers will pick one of them and look no further for their plumbing needs. Tough luck, everyone else.<\/p>\n Of course, this makes it extremely valuable to be one of the three listed in the Local Map Pack. And with the right techniques, you can be.<\/p>\n Here are three things you can do to increase your chances of making it to one of the three coveted slots:<\/p>\n Sign Up For Google Business Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n As discussed in the previous point, Google prioritizes sites it has verified<\/a>.<\/p>\n Give Google All Your Details<\/strong><\/p>\n Provide Google with all your information, including your company\u2019s name, address, phone number, and operating hours.<\/p>\n Photos and other media work splendidly, too. And remember, everyone loves images.<\/p>\n Leverage Your Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n The better your reviews<\/a>, the higher your chances of being featured on Google\u2019s Local Map Pack.<\/p>\n Did you know that tweaking your internal linking structure<\/a> will help boost your SEO?<\/p>\n Sure, external links pointing to your site are great.<\/p>\n But you don\u2019t control them. And getting them takes a bit of work<\/a>. If you can\u2019t get them yet, internal linking will help you:<\/p>\n All these will help you rank higher on Google and increase your chances of discovery by someone doing a local search.<\/p>\n NAP<\/a> stands for name, address, and phone number.<\/p>\n Generally, it stands for your business information online.<\/p>\n The first place you want your NAP on is your website.<\/p>\n A good rule of thumb is to put this information at the bottom of your homepage, which is where visitors expect to find it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also great to list your business information on online data aggregators.<\/p>\n These aggregators provide data to top sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Microsoft Bing.<\/p>\n Here are some of the big ones you shouldn\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n Listing your website on all the top aggregators sounds tedious, but it\u2019s worthwhile if you want to get a feature like this.<\/p>\n Important note:<\/strong> Make sure that your NAPs are consistent throughout the web.<\/p>\n One mistake can seriously hurt your chances of getting featured on Google\u2019s Local Map Pack or on sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor.<\/p>\n Sometimes called structured data or simply schema, schema markup on your website can significantly affect your local SEO results.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re not a developer, it can look intimidating.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry \u2013 it\u2019s not as difficult to use as you might think.<\/p>\n A collaboration between Google, Yahoo, Yandex, and Microsoft, Schema.org<\/a> was established in 2011 to establish a common vocabulary between search engines.<\/p>\n While it can be used to improve the appearance of your search result, help you appear for relevant queries, and increase visitor time spent on a page, Google has been very clear that it does not impact search rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, why are we talking about it here? Because it does improve the chances of your content being used for rich results, making you more eye-catching and improving click-through rates.<\/p>\n On top of that, the schema provides several different property options relevant to local SEO, allowing you to select relevant schema categories.<\/p>\n By selecting Schema.org\/bakery<\/a> for your cupcake shop, you\u2019re helping search engines better understand the topic of your website.<\/p>\n After you\u2019ve selected the right category, you need to select the sub-properties to ensure validation. This includes the business name, hours, the area served, etc.<\/p>\n The Schema.org\/areaServed<\/a> on the local landing page should always match the service areas set up in a Google Business Profile, AND your local landing page should mention those same towns in its on-page content.<\/p>\n For a full list of required and recommended schema properties and information on validating your structured data, read this article<\/a>. Using a plugin, you can also find more information about Schema markup for WordPress<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you wake up in the middle of the night to find your bathroom flooding with water from an exploded faucet, do you:<\/p>\n If it\u2019s 3 a.m., chances are you chose No. 2.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the thing.<\/p>\n People don\u2019t only choose their smartphones over their computers at 3 a.m.<\/p>\n They do it all the time.<\/p>\n Almost 59%<\/a> of all website traffic comes from a mobile device.<\/p>\n As usual, Google noticed and moved to mobile-first indexing.<\/p>\n All this means your site has to be optimized for mobile if you want to rank well on Google, especially for local SEO.<\/p>\n Here are six tips on making your website mobile-friendly:<\/p>\n If you want to name all the cities in a region you serve, just list them on the page \u2013 you don\u2019t need an individual page for each city to rank in most cases.<\/p>\n To make the pages different, write original content for each area or city.<\/p>\n Which means it\u2019s up to you.<\/p>\n You can simply list all the cities you serve on one page.<\/p>\n Or you can go ahead and create individual pages for each city.<\/p>\n When you take this step, make sure each page\u2019s content is unique.<\/p>\n And no, I don\u2019t mean simply changing the word \u201chand-wrestling\u201d to \u201carm-wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n You need to do extra research on your targeted location, then go ahead and write specific and helpful information for readers in the area.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an excellent example from 7th State Builders.<\/p>\n Adding information about a city or town is also a great way to build your client\u2019s confidence.<\/p>\n A OnePoll survey conducted on behalf of CG Roxane found 67% of people trust local businesses<\/a> \u2013 by identifying your understanding of the situations and issues in a locale, you\u2019re insinuating that you\u2019re local \u2013 even if you have multiple locations spread throughout the country.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll see how much you know their area and trust you to solve their area-specific problems.<\/p>\n Important note:<\/b> Ensure this information goes on all variations of your website.<\/p>\nLocal SEO Ranks You Higher On Google<\/h3>\n
\n
City Pages: Good Or Bad For SEO?<\/h2>\n
How Do I Optimize My Business For Multiple Locations On Google?<\/h2>\n
1. Use Google Business Profile<\/h3>\n
2. Get Into Google\u2019s Local Map Pack<\/h3>\n
![\"Get](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/how-to-target-multiple-cities-without-hurting-your-seo-via-sejournal-lorenbaker.png\")
Screenshot from search for [plumbing near Florida], Google, November 2022<\/span><\/div>\n3. Build Your Internal Linking Structure<\/h3>\n
\n
4. Build Your NAP Citations<\/h3>\n
![\"Build](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/how-to-target-multiple-cities-without-hurting-your-seo-via-sejournal-lorenbaker-1.png\")
Screenshot from allweekplumbing.com, November 2022<\/span><\/div>\n![\"Build](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/how-to-target-multiple-cities-without-hurting-your-seo-via-sejournal-lorenbaker-2.png\")
Screenshot from Trip Advisor, November 2022<\/span><\/div>\n5. Use Schema Markup<\/h3>\n
6. Optimize Your Site For Mobile<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"global](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/how-to-target-multiple-cities-without-hurting-your-seo-via-sejournal-lorenbaker-3.png\")
Screenshot from Statista, November 2022<\/span><\/div>\n\n
Bonus Tip: Make Your Most Important City Pages Unique<\/h3>\n
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![\"Unique](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/how-to-target-multiple-cities-without-hurting-your-seo-via-sejournal-lorenbaker-4.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n