To attract customers from specific geographic locations through organic search, you’ll need to implement SEO for multiple locations. But how exactly can you do this? Let’s get started.
In this guide, we will cover the essential steps and strategies to effectively manage SEO for multiple business locations, ensuring your business reaches its target audience in each geographic area.
What is Multiple Location SEO?
Multiple location SEO (MLS) is the process of optimizing your business’s organic search presence for multiple geographic locations. It may sound complicated, but it’s similar to regular SEO, with a few additions. MLS is particularly important for businesses like restaurants, service-based businesses, or retail chains that have multiple stores with their own established presence.
Why is Multiple Location SEO Important?
Multiple Location SEO is crucial for businesses aiming to attract local customers from different areas. According to Google, 46% of all searches have local intent. This means people are frequently searching for products or services near them, and businesses need to optimize their online presence to appear in these local searches.
Benefits of Multiple Location SEO
- Increased Local Visibility: Appearing in local searches helps attract customers from specific geographic areas. For example, if a user searches for “eye surgery clinic near me,” businesses optimized for local SEO will appear in the search results, driving foot traffic and online orders.
- Higher Search Rankings: Optimizing for multiple locations can improve your website’s overall search rankings. Research shows that 78% of local mobile searches result in offline purchases, highlighting the importance of ranking well in local searches to drive sales.
- Enhanced Customer Trust: Providing detailed information about each location builds trust with potential customers. For instance, listing accurate business hours, addresses, and customer reviews for each location helps users find and choose your business with confidence.
- Better User Experience: Tailoring your content and SEO strategies to specific locations ensures that customers find relevant and accurate information. This can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates. According to research, local searches lead 50% of mobile users to visit stores within a day.
How to Implement Multiple Location SEO
- Create Location-Specific Pages: Develop a unique page for each location on your website. Include important details like address, phone number, hours of operation, and customer reviews. For example, a home inspection company might have separate pages for each location, highlighting local services.
- Optimize Google My Business Listings: Claim and optimize your Google My Business (GMB) listings for each location. Ensure that each listing has accurate and up-to-date information. Adding photos, responding to reviews, and regularly updating posts can enhance visibility and engagement.
- Use Local Keywords: Incorporate local keywords in your content, meta tags, and URLs. For instance, a plumbing company might use keywords like “emergency plumbing services in [City]” to attract local customers.
- Build Local Citations: Ensure that your business information is consistent across all online directories, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, and local business directories. Inconsistent information can confuse customers and harm your search rankings.
- Gather and Manage Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on Google, Yelp, and other review platforms. Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, shows that you value customer feedback and helps build trust.
Consider a nationwide coffee chain with multiple locations. By implementing Multiple Location SEO, each store can rank well in local searches. For example, when a user in San Francisco searches for “coffee shops near me,” the chain’s San Francisco locations appear in the search results.
Simultaneously, a user in New York searching for the same thing will see the New York locations in their results. This tailored approach ensures that each location attracts relevant local customers.
Basics of Geographic-Based Search Results in Google
In Google, there are two primary ways to appear for geographic-based searches:
- Regular Organic Results: These are the standard listings that appear after a user conducts a search. Regular Organic Results are ranked according to Google’s algorithm which factors in relevance, website authority, content quality, and other SEO (Search Engine Optimization) considerations.
- Map Pack (Local Pack): A distinct section that appears above the organic results, showcasing businesses in a map view. It is especially useful for local businesses because it highlights their location, reviews, and other key information.
How to Appear in Localized Organic Results
- Website Structure
- Create location-specific landing pages if there is search demand for these areas and if you have physical locations there.
- Use tools like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer to determine search demand for specific locations.
- Landing Page Optimization
- Include essential details like the business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP).
- Add other relevant information such as opening hours, certifications, awards, pricing details, and a Google map embed.
- Use location schema markup to help search engines understand the geographic relevance of your pages.
How to Appear in the Local Pack
Appearing in the Google Local Pack can significantly increase your business’s visibility and attract more local customers. The Local Pack displays the top three local business listings most relevant to the search query, and here’s how you can optimize your presence:
Google Business Profile
- Set up a Google Business Profile for each location of your business. For example, if you have three branches across the city, each one should have its own profile.
- Ensure each profile is verified and fully populated with accurate information such as hours of operation, services offered, and contact details.
- Use high-quality photos that showcase your business premises, products, or services, and keep business details updated, especially during holidays or special events.
Additional Elements
- Utilize SEO tools like RankMath’s plugin for WordPress to enhance schema optimization, which helps search engines understand your site’s content better.
- Regularly monitor performance using Google Business Profile insights. This feature provides valuable data on how customers interact with your listing, including tracking calls, messages, bookings, directions, and website clicks.
Further Optimization
To further cement your position in the Local Pack, it’s crucial to refine your online footprint beyond just your Google Business Profile.
Maintain Consistency
- Ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) consistency across all online mentions and directories. For instance, if you change your phone number, update it everywhere from your website to your social media profiles.
- Use local keywords effectively in your content and metadata without keyword stuffing. A good practice would be to include the city or neighborhood name naturally within the text.
Content Strategy
- Create high-quality, location-specific content for each landing page. For example, if you’re a home inspection company, discuss common issues or unique aspects of homes in each area. Highlight specific local building codes, climate-related challenges, or historical home styles unique to each location.
- Include relevant local keywords and ensure that the content for each location is unique to avoid duplicate content issues.
Reviews and Citations
- Actively encourage customers to leave reviews by providing excellent service and gently reminding them post-purchase. Respond to reviews professionally, addressing any concerns raised.
- Ensure your business is listed consistently across all relevant directories, such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, or industry-specific listings. Check for accuracy and update these citations regularly.
Measuring Performance
Enhancing your online presence is akin to nurturing a garden; regular monitoring and the right tools can lead to flourishing results. Here’s how you can measure the growth and health of your digital footprint:
Google Business Profile Insights:
Imagine your Google Business Profile as the storefront window to your business on the internet. To understand how passersby interact with it, track performance metrics such as:
- Calls: Count the number of potential customers who reach out directly after finding your profile.
- Messages: Measure the engagement by the volume of inquiries or service requests received.
- Website Clicks: Monitor the foot traffic diverting from your profile to your website – a digital pathway leading to potential conversions.
Site Analytics:
Tools like SEMrush’s Position Tracking delve into the performance of specific location pages. This is where you can see valuable data:
- Traffic: SEMrush’s Position Tracking allows you to see estimated traffic for your keywords, giving you insights into visitor trends.
- Position: SEMrush provides detailed rankings and visibility reports to help you track your search positions accurately.
- Top Keywords: The tool highlights top-performing keywords that drive traffic to your pages.
- Ranking Keywords: SEMrush’s Position Tracking lets you monitor your rankings for a wide range of keywords, allowing you to see which ones are gaining traction
Conclusion
Managing SEO for multiple business locations involves adapting local SEO best practices to each location. By creating location-specific landing pages, optimizing Google Business Profiles, and maintaining consistent citations, businesses can improve their local search visibility and attract more customers.
Implement these strategies to effectively manage SEO for multiple locations and drive more traffic to each of your business locations. If you need further guidance on optimizing your SEO strategy or any other aspect of your marketing journey, WolfPack Advising can help! Schedule your online consultation today.
