Do you or your client operate a business that offers the same service in a variety of different cities? When it comes to multi-location search engine optimization, this sort of company has unique needs. After all, you’ll want your sites to be found in search by potential customers in each city, while also maintaining a unified brand voice that speaks to the products or services offered. This requires a tailored strategy for each location, as well as a larger plan into which all the pieces fit neatly.
Importance of City Pages SEO
City pages SEO can be more important to a company’s multi-location rankings than you realize. Particularly in light of search engine algorithm changes, like the Google BERT update, users’ results are being increasingly tailored to what Google deems their needs to be. Even if a user doesn’t input a certain query, search engines are able to read between the lines and determine implied meanings, thus delivering improved results.
As such, if you want your client’s steakhouse to be found by hungry patrons in each Charleston, Columbia, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you’ll need to include keywords and content on each restaurant’s site (or each location’s page on a master corporate site) that will be searched by those users. For instance, “best reasonably priced steakhouse Charleston” is a great long-tail keyword to use for the location in that area.
Maybe visitors to the Myrtle Beach area are seeking something slightly different when it comes to their dining experience, however. Since the area is so popular with families on vacation, the use of “best steakhouses for families Myrtle Beach” could be a great choice. In Columbia, “best steakhouse Columbia business lunch” might be a high-ranked search keyword.
Whatever service or product is being sold, it’s essential to conduct keyword research specific to each location the business operates in to ensure valuable opportunities aren’t being missed.
Local Intent Matters
Believe it or not, 46% of all internet searches have local intent. This further underscores the importance of targeting your keywords to each business location. In addition, 71% of people search for a business location before they visit, even if they are already familiar with it. Make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for by ensuring each location comes up right away in their internet search.
Ideally, each of your client’s locations should have its own website or subpage. In addition, individual social media channels can help to establish backlinks and the location’s legitimacy in the eyes of search engines (and potential customers).
Furthermore, using Google My Business can prove beneficial to each brand location. This helpful dashboard allows companies to manage their Google listings all in one place. You’ll have access to everything from location information and contact details to photos and brand content. It’s important that this information be specific, accurate, and complete, and that it reflect positively on the location in question. Since Google pays GMB listings a good deal of attention, including this as part of a well-rounded SEO strategy is a smart move.
Identify Specific Competitors
One powerful tool in the arsenal of a good SEO manager is competitor analysis. By examining the content and short- and long-tail keywords your clients’ competitors are using on their own websites, and then by determining their effectiveness, you can get a good sense for your own strategy needs.
Of course, it’s never advised to mirror the competition too closely, and outright copying is absolutely forbidden. Not only that, copying too closely is likely to lower a site’s search ranking due to its lack of unique content. Google is particularly wise to this practice with the implementation of its BERT update, which rewards unique content that can’t be found elsewhere on the web.
Still, if another Charleston steakhouse is consistently getting top billing over your client’s in search results, it’s worth taking a look at what they’re doing well. Do they include a variety of location-specific keywords, both short and long? Do they have a blog or news section where they discuss which wines to pair with which dishes on their menu, or that their chef was recently featured on television? These sorts of value-adds help sites stand out, so take a leaf out of your successful competition’s book whenever possible.
Treat Each Location Individually
Since your client’s locations are all over the map, it’s important to think beyond just the geo-focused keywords you’ll use on their sites. Even the type of content you share could benefit from some tweaking. For instance, your Myrtle Beach steakhouse might not want to include as many news or blog pieces about cocktails and drink specials, since the area is known as a family-friendly vacation spot.
Along the same lines, if a celebrity stops by your client’s Charleston location for dinner, it’s okay to share that just on the corresponding website. You want to create a sense of community and specificity for each location, even though they’re all part of the same brand. By celebrating the individuality of each site, you help drawn in the customers in that area.
At the same time, it’s okay to maintain some similar content across company sites. For instance, if your client’s brand has recently begun selling its cheesecake in grocery stores nationally, you should share that on social media and websites for each location.
Rely on City Pages SEO Experts
At Galileo Tech Media, we understand the nuances of optimizing client sites across diverse locations. We also pride ourselves on our team’s ability to produce specific, scalable keyword-driven content and SEO-based strategies that will benefit brands, no matter how far apart their locations are.
It’s all too easy to fail when you rely too heavily on one overarching brand strategy. There are a variety of critical nuances that must be taken into consideration when dealing with multiple locations and one corporate identity. By entrusting your multi-location optimization strategy to a firm that specializes in just that, you can ensure superior service for your clients and the success of each of their locations.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can create hyper-focused city page SEO campaigns for your clients.