How to boost your local search rankings with SEO location pages
Key takeaways
- SEO location pages help businesses improve their rankings in local searches.
- Effective location pages provide valuable information about your client’s business and the surrounding area.
- Optimizing location pages for SEO requires careful attention to keywords and meta tags.
Ranking well on search engines is one of the primary reasons businesses hire digital marketers, and being able to help your clients improve their local search rankings is what makes you successful at what you do. That's why it's important to incorporate SEO location pages in your marketing strategy to provide potential consumers with location-specific info about your client's business, as well as to help your client reach a local audience.
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Localized landing pages can be complex but once you know how to create them, it'll feel like second nature. They require several key elements, including local flavor, unique copy, and relevant keywords and meta tags.
Before you start developing local SEO landing pages for your clients, take a few minutes to learn more about the elements of an effective local SEO page that delivers the best results.
Understanding SEO location pages
If you're looking to improve your client's local SEO, then you should be familiar with SEO location pages. Local SEO city landing pages and state/province pages provide information about your client's business while including localized content that makes the brand feel familiar to the reader while helping Google/Google Maps and other search engines pick up on local keywords and rank your client’s local listing higher in SERPs.
SEO location pages aren't just a simple listing of your client's business address and phone number. They also provide valuable information about their products and services while incorporating information about the surrounding area to create a familiar, local vibe for readers. Creating high-quality, informative local SEO pages can help your client improve their odds of achieving a higher rank on local search engine results pages (SERPs).
Purpose of SEO location pages
SEO location pages provide search engines with accurate, relevant information about your client's business location and the goods or services they sell there. They're designed to help search engines understand where the business is located and help consumers find it when conducting relevant searches.
Essentially, SEO location pages help potential customers find your client's business online. When someone initiates a search for a business like there's in a specific location, their SEO landing page can appear in search results and provide that person with the information they need to get in touch with the business.
How SEO location pages work
SEO location pages provide search engines with important business details that help it list your client's information in results pages accurately. The information it uses might include the business name, location address, phone number, and hours of operation, as well as a brief, keyword-rich description of the goods or services offered.
Optimizing these pages is critical if you want your client's business to rank high. You should include relevant keywords in page titles, headings, and content, and other elements like high-quality pictures and videos that showcase the business.
Search engines crawl these SEO pages to determine how relevant the page is to specific search queries, so it's important to keep the page copy relevant and accurate.
Location pages vs. geo pages
While SEO location pages and geo pages may seem similar, there are some key differences between the two. While geo pages target specific geographic areas, SEO location pages help search engines find accurate information about your client's business location and the services offered there.
Geo pages are usually used by businesses that operate in multiple locations and offer the same goods or services at each. Your client may want to use both SEO location pages and geo pages in their marketing strategy, depending on their business model.
Geo pages are optimized for specific cities or states, similarly to SEO location pages; however, the content is typically more generalized to attract potential consumers who may not already be aware of the brand.
On the other hand, SEO location pages are optimized for specific business locations, at times within the same geographic region, and provide more detailed information about the business location and its contact information.
Creating effective SEO location pages
To connect with the folks in your client's neighborhood and draw them to their business, you've got to get the hang of crafting landing pages that are perfectly optimized and give them a local flair. Each page needs to be fine-tuned to catch the eye of search engines when consumers in the area are searching specific keywords.
Let's explore the ins and outs of creating location pages that'll really make SEO magic happen.
1. Understanding search intent
Search intent, that is, the reason a person types in a particular query, is important to understand when you're creating local SEO pages. When a person searches for a local business online, it's safe to assume they're looking for contact info, such as the business name, address or phone number (or NAP), the hours of operation, a social proof such as reviews and social media posts. Make sure the copy you create for your client's location pages conveys this information clearly.
2. Keyword research
Keywords are among the most important parts of creating local SEO pages. Before you start writing, you'll need to conduct keyword research to identify which search terms consumers are using to find businesses that are similar to your client's.
You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords with higher search volumes and low competition. Once you've compiled a list of suitable keywords, incorporate them in your copy naturally and organically.
Content creation
SEO location pages should contain informative, engaging content that entices the reader to continue learning about the business and its products or services. Make sure your copy can be easily digested by breaking up the content with images, bulleted lists, and headings.
The content should include information about your client's business, its history, and the products and services it sells. You can break that content up with testimonials or social posts to build trust and credibility with potential customers.
Page design
Page design is just as important as copywriting. When you're crafting an SEO location page, make sure the user experience is up to snuff. You should use clean layouts that highlight the most significant information on the page, as well as a call-to-action that encourages the reader to contact the business or make a purchase.
Optimizing SEO location pages
If you want to improve your client’s visibility in local search results, optimizing your SEO location pages is a must. Here are some key areas to focus on:
On-Page SEO
On-page SEO refers to the optimization of the content and HTML source code of a web page. Here are some on-page SEO tips for optimizing your location pages:
- Title Tag: Include the name of your client’s business and the location in the title tag. For example, "Best Pizza in Downtown Seattle - Joe's Pizza".
- Meta Description: Write a brief, compelling description of the business and location. Use relevant keywords and include a call-to-action to encourage clicks.
- Header Tags: Use header tags (H1, H2, H3) to organize your content and include relevant keywords in the headers.
- Content: Write high-quality, unique content that includes the business name, address, phone number (NAP), and other relevant information about the location. Use relevant keywords throughout the content, but avoid keyword stuffing.
- Images: Use high-quality images that are relevant to the location and business. Optimize the images with alt tags and file names that include relevant keywords.
Off-Page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to the optimization of factors that are outside your client’s website, such as backlinks and social media signals. Here are some off-page SEO tips for optimizing location pages:
- Citations: Ensure that your business information is consistent across all online directories and listings. This includes NAP information, website URL, and business categories.
- Backlinks: Build high-quality backlinks from relevant websites, such as local directories, industry associations, and local news sites.
- Social Media: Build a strong social media presence and encourage customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook.
Technical SEO
In addition to optimizing copy and content on your client's website, you'll also need to optimize its technical aspects. That includes its speed and its mobile responsiveness.
- Site speed: Ensure a great user experience by optimizing your client's website for fast load times. That means ensuring you don't litter its pages with oversized videos or images, reducing your server response time, and minimizing HTTP requests.
- Mobile responsiveness: Make sure your client's website is mobile-friendly and responds to different screen sizes.
- Structured data: Use structured data markup to feed extra business information to search engines.
Monitoring and improving SEO location pages
Regularly monitoring and updating your client's location SEO pages is the best way to make sure they're getting the results you want.
Tracking performance
To track the performance of location pages, you need to monitor the following metrics:
- Organic traffic: This is the number of visitors who come to your client’s site through organic search results.
- Page views: This is the number of times your client’s location pages have been viewed.
- Bounce rate: This is the percentage of visitors who leave the site after viewing only one page.
- Time on page: This is the amount of time visitors spend on your client’s location pages.
Identifying improvements
Making improvements is a normal part of website development and digital marketing. When it comes to landing pages, you’ll want to follow these tips to ensure your client’s SEO pages are performing well:
- Optimize content: Make sure the content is relevant, informative, and engaging. Use keywords and phrases that your client’s target audience is searching for.
- Improve page speed: A slow-loading page can negatively impact user experience. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvement.
- Add multimedia: Adding images and videos can make location pages more engaging and informative.
- Optimize meta tags: Make sure page titles and descriptions are optimized for search engines.
- Improve internal linking: Link to other relevant pages on your client’s site to improve navigation and user experience.
Updating content
Adding fresh content on a regular basis can help spruce up your client's SEO location pages and keep search engines ranking them favorably. Here's what you can do:
- Add new information: Keep your client's location pages up-to-date with the news and information about the business.
- Add new images and videos: Change the images on pages to give them a fresh look.
- Add customer reviews: Including customer reviews can help build trust and credibility with your audience.
- Add promotions and specials: Including promotions and specials can help entice visitors to take action.
