The Complete Guidelines to Local SEO Multiple Location

46% of all searches on Google are for local businesses, meaning that nearly half of all people are seeking out businesses near them. Whether you’re in the business of gutter installation, online sock sales, or managing a chain of restaurants, expanding your visibility across multiple locations can significantly benefit your business.

If you’re already aware of the importance of being found in various locations, you’re on the right track. However, you might be wondering how to optimize your website to appear in multiple city searches with just one site. Despite the perceived complexity, it’s crucial to recognize that 97% of people use search engines to discover local businesses.

Whether you have two business locations or thirty-five, the principles of optimizing your website to appear in multiple locations remain the same. We’ll guide you through the process, including bonus tips applicable to all SEO strategies, to give you a competitive edge.

Are you ready to dominate search rankings across all your business locations? Here’s what you need to know.

What exactly is multi-location SEO?

It’s the strategy of implementing local SEO tactics across all of your clients’ business locations. Whether your client operates in multiple cities or countries, adopting a multi-location SEO approach is essential for enhancing search visibility across diverse locations and connecting with customers wherever they may be.

Why prioritize local SEO for multiple locations?

Simply put, it’s your ticket to visibility in local searches—a critical avenue for attracting customers. With nearly half of all searches having local intent and a significant 78% of mobile local searches leading to offline purchases, neglecting local SEO means missing out on potential customers actively seeking businesses like yours.

Let’s look at an example:

Imagine you’re searching for a plumbing service for your home. When you search on Google, it tailors the results based on your location, offering local options that match your query. Now, if your plumbing business has a strong national presence and robust SEO strategy, it might appear in the search results, but it’s unlikely to show up in the Google 3-Pack—a prime spot that includes reviews, crucial for decision-making.

However, without a localized SEO strategy for each of your plumbing service locations, potential customers like you might not even realize that your business operates locally. In such a competitive landscape, lacking multi-location SEO could lead customers to choose a different plumbing service for their home needs.

You need SEO for multiple locations for the same reasons you need local SEO:

Attracts more in-person traffic to your site
Boost your brand awareness online
Enables you to scale effortlessly
It helps you gain a competitive advantage in your niche
Increases your bottom-line revenue
Allows you to rank for geo-specific and non-branded search queries

Helping your clients rank in multiple locations can be tough. But we’ve got some steps to make it easier for your agency.

Alright, so you’re on board with the importance of local SEO for multiple locations. Now, what’s next? Here are some practical (and straightforward!) strategies to fine-tune your multi-location SEO and boost visibility across all your business locations.

1. Create a web page for each location (with a unique URL!)

To kickstart effective multi-location SEO, start by crafting individual web pages on your site for each business location. These pages should include key elements to maximize local search visibility, as outlined below.

Ensure each location has its own distinct URL, such as www.mybusiness.com/dallas or www.mybusiness.com/locations/dallas. This helps users and search engines easily identify the specific location they are interested in.

Craft location-specific metadata for each page to appear in search results and inform search engines about the page’s content. Ensure your metadata includes your target keyword along with location information.

This could be something like:

Meta title: Top Plumbing Services in NYC | Our Company
Meta description: Our Company offers premier plumbing services in NYC and nearby areas like Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.

Here’s an example:

Location name. Ensure that the location name is prominently featured on each page, either as a title tag or an H2 heading. This should clearly indicate the city or specific neighborhood served by the location.

Location address (and a map!). Your location page needs to include the address of the location (for obvious reasons), and it helps to include an embedded map. By embedding a Google map to your location page, you can give site visitors a way to get directions without leaving your site, increase time on your page, and send additional signals to Google about your location.

Location contact information. Ensure that your location page features specific contact details, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and location-specific social media profiles if applicable. Additionally, consider including a brief description of your location along with the contact information to provide visitors with relevant details about your business.

Structured data. Structured data is a standardized format of backend code that gives Google additional information about your page. This is usually done through schema.org. By using Schema markup on your location pages, you can give Google further information about your specific location that can get you found for local queries.2. Optimize for location-specific keywords

Just like setting up your location pages, optimizing for location-specific keywords is crucial for getting discovered in relevant searches. If you’ve already established general keywords for your SEO strategy, localizing them is the next step.
For instance:

“Best plumber” becomes “Best plumber in Dallas”
“HVAC repair company” transforms into “HVAC repair company Dallas”
“Cleaning company” adapts to “Dallas cleaning company”

Conduct additional local keyword research to uncover more opportunities tailored to each location. People search differently based on regions, states, or cities, impacting the types of keywords you focus on and how you integrate location into your content.

If you’re starting from scratch with keywords, it’s essential to conduct thorough research. Once you’ve identified your local keywords, integrate them naturally into headings and content paragraphs on your location pages.

Below is a table showcasing high-performing keywords related to multiple locations, along with their corresponding query frequencies per month:

Search Query	Query Frequency (per month)
Smartphone repair in [city]	10,000+
iPhone screen repair near me	8,000+
Affordable smartphone repair	6,000+
Best smartphone repair shops	5,000+
Samsung battery repair [city]	4,000+
Local smartphone repair shop	3,500+
[City] smartphone repair service	3,000+
24/7 phone repair near me	2,500+
Mobile repair shop [city]	2,500+
Emergency phone repair [city]	2,000+

3. Create or Optimize Content for Local Pages

Enhance each local page’s content with these simple strategies to avoid being flagged as spam by Google algorithms.

Avoid Repetitive Content

It’s essential to steer clear of duplicate content when managing multiple pages with similar information.

Make sure your content:

Uses local keywords when relevant
Provides real value to readers
Stays unique for each location

Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing involves cramming content with keywords to try to boost search engine rankings.

This can happen in different ways:

Repeating words or phrases too much
Adding keywords out of context
Using irrelevant keywords

For example:

“Plumbing services in NYC provide a range of solutions. When searching for plumbing services in NYC, it’s essential to assess your home’s needs. You’ll discover that plumbing services in NYC often offer special deals and service packages.”

In this example, keyword stuffing is clear, which could harm reader experience and search engine rankings.

Write for Readers, Not Algorithms

Google is getting smarter every year, and it’s built to understand good content.The main goal of any content should be to inform or engage readers. Anything less could hurt your brand and SEO efforts.

Good content also makes it more likely for other sites to link back to yours, boosting your website’s authority.

Create an Internal Linking Strategy

A smart internal linking strategy means linking relevant internal pages to your current content.

For example, if you’re writing about dog grooming shampoos, you could link to another blog post about grooming tools or coat maintenance.

It’s important to strike a balance between internal and external links. Overlinking to your site alone might look spammy.

How Does Better Content Help Multi-Location SEO?

Improving content for each location shows Google its value. Plus, internal linking makes the user experience better, potentially leading to higher rankings.

4. Build Links to Each of Your Location Pages

Building links is crucial for off-page SEO, as it’s one of the top three ranking factors. Therefore, incorporating link-building strategies is essential when optimizing for multiple locations.

Link building involves acquiring links from other websites pointing back to your own. These links are often referred to as backlinks, external links, hyperlinks, inbound links, or simply links.

Focus on obtaining high-quality links rather than sheer quantity. Google prioritizes the quality of your links over quantity. Building the right links is crucial, as you want to avoid being associated with link schemes, which violate Google’s Webmaster guidelines.

3 Popular Link-Building Tactics and Strategies:

Adding Links

Business Directory Submissions: For each of your wellness centers, submit your business details to relevant local and industry-specific directories.

Social Profile Creation: Establish compelling profiles on popular social media platforms for each locale, ensuring you include a link to the respective website in the bio section. Share location-specific content, promotions, and updates through these profiles to attract local followers and potential customers.
Blog Commenting: Engage with authoritative and relevant blogs in each location, leaving thoughtful comments with a link back to your gym’s site.
Posting to Forums, Communities, and Q&A Sites: Participate in online fitness communities specific to each place, offering valuable insights and including a link to relevant content on your site.

Creating Job Search Listings: Post job listings or career opportunities for each locale on job search websites, including a link to the respective site. This can attract local talent and also provide a backlink to your gym’s site.

Asking Links

Guest Blogging: Contribute informative guest posts to authoritative fitness blogs or websites for each locale, including a relevant backlink to your gym’s site. Reach out to the blog owners and offer to share valuable tips on staying fit in your city, along with a hyperlink to your gym’s page.

Link Exchanges: Partner with local businesses or fitness providers for mutual hyperlink exchanges, enhancing each other’s online visibility.
Resource Page Link Building: Reach out to fitness-related websites or blogs for inclusion in their resource pages, showcasing your gym as a valuable asset in each location.
Image Link Building: Create engaging fitness-related images to encourage sharing by local bloggers and fitness enthusiasts, boosting your gym’s online presence through visual content.
Unlinked Mentions: Monitor mentions of your gym across wellness sites and social media, and request backlinks from those who mention your brand without linking.
Buying Links: Avoid purchasing links and focus instead on building organic backlinks through genuine relationships and high-quality content.

Impact of Best Linked Pages for Multiple Locations

Best-linked pages are those on your site with numerous quality backlinks from area-specific sites. For example, a blog post on “Fitness Trends in New York City” becomes valuable for NYC if it has many backlinks from reputable local websites. Identifying these pages offers insights into content resonating with local audiences. Strengthening and garnering more backlinks for these pages enhances your gym’s authority and local visibility.

Earning Links

Pursuing Competitors’ Links: Analyze competitors’ backlink profiles in each area and identify authoritative websites linking to them. Create comprehensive guides or resources and reach out to relevant sites, offering your content as a valuable resource for their audience.

Content Promotion: Actively promote high-quality area-specific content through social media, email outreach, and collaborations with local fitness influencers or experts.

Creating Linkable Assets: Develop online tools, infographics, studies, and how-to guides tailored to each location’s fitness interests and concerns. These resources attract backlinks and establish your gym as an authoritative source in the industry.

5. Create A Google My Business Profile for Each Location

Don’t be a part of the 44% of businesses with unclaimed Google business listings.

Having a Google My Business (GMB) account is essential. It helps control how your brand displays on Google and Google Maps.

Here are the steps to create and optimize Google My Business profiles for multiple locations:

Creating Google My Business Profiles:

Create a GMB profile for each business location.
Ensure accurate and consistent information across all profiles.
Use tools like the bulk upload spreadsheet to streamline the process.
Verify ownership of each profile.
Double-check all information before submission.

Optimizing Google My Business Profiles:

Fill out all fields comprehensively.
high-quality and relevant images for each location.
Consider uploading videos for a more immersive experience.
Utilize features like Google Posts for promotions and updates.
Monitor and manage reviews promptly.
Regularly update information and add new content.
Utilize tools like the free business listings grader to track performance.

By following these steps, you can effectively create and optimize Google My Business profiles for each of your business locations, enhancing your online visibility and attracting more local customers.

6. Claim Local Business Listings for Each Location

When managing your local business listings, particularly on platforms like Google My Business (GMB), it’s essential to claim ownership for each location individually.

Claiming a listing online verifies that you are the owner.

You can manually claim your business in local directories, with the process varying depending on the directory. Identifying and listing your business on relevant and popular sites within your niche maximizes visibility across different locations.

Look for and fix your business listing on these popular aggregators:

Yelp
Yahoo Local
Bing Places
Foursquare
Yellow Pages

Manage Your Citations (NAP)

NAP, an important ranking factor, stands for:

Name
Address
Phone number

The NAP needs to be consistent and optimized for each business location.

These are the key things that Google looks for in each local listing, and can make a difference between a consumer feeling confident and informed, or likely to get lost, frustrated, or unable to reach your customer service.

How Does Claiming Local Business Listings Help Multi-Location SEO?

By claiming a local business listing on GMB:

Google sees that site as having higher authority
Helps businesses appear more credible
Increases your likelihood of showing up on local searches

7. Manage Online Reviews for Every Location

You should revisit this section if you’re already ranking in multiple locations but are experiencing low conversion rates.

Why?

According to the Local Search Rankings Factors survey by WhiteSpark, Google ratings ranked as the top factor influencing conversion rates. This underscores the importance of accumulating positive reviews on GBP and other citations to enhance your chances of converting potential customers into paying ones.

Furthermore, positive reviews significantly sway purchase decisions, with 93% of customers consulting online reviews before making a purchase.

If you don’t work to encourage positive reviews and do damage control for negative ones, a lot of people will never bother clicking on your business listing.

So how do you deal with bad reviews?

Respond quickly, but make sure you give a considered a calm and professional response.
Avoid blaming the customer and use neutral language.
Ensure your response remains calm and non-inflammatory.

How do you get good reviews?

Encourage reviews with clear calls-to-action at physical locations and online.
Utilize tools like Bright Local’s widget for easy review collection.
Simplify the process with QR codes displayed at each location.
When negative reviews do come up, try to resolve the issue and make that customer a happy one.

Below is an image of a repair store with reviews and ratings.

The image depicts a 4.7-star rating, indicating a positive overall evaluation. It suggests that customers have had a generally good experience with minor areas for improvement or constructive feedback.

source: yelp.com

8. Prove credibility

When you’re unknown, there’s an inherent risk. Just as you wouldn’t feel comfortable entrusting your money to someone you’ve never met, establishing familiarity is essential for building a sense of security and confidence in any interaction.

To demonstrate credibility:

Establish visibility and familiarity: Ensure your presence is known to your target audience through consistent branding and marketing efforts.
Build trust over time: Engage with customers, provide excellent service, and deliver on promises to foster trust.
Showcase expertise: Share relevant information, testimonials, and case studies to prove your competency in your field.
Maintain transparency: Be open and honest in your interactions and business practices to build credibility.
Highlight positive experiences: Share success stories, reviews, and customer feedback to showcase your track record of satisfaction.

9. Mobile Optimization: Meeting the Needs of On-the-Go Searches

Google research reveals a staggering 250% year-over-year increase in mobile searches for ‘on sale’ + ‘near me’ between 2015 and 2019.

The trend is undeniable: mobile devices now dominate search usage.

Moreover, the emergence of voice and visual search has revolutionized online inquiry methods.

So, if you’ve not optimized for mobile SEO, there’s no better time to start now.

Ensure all desktop-visible content is also accessible on mobile.
Guarantee website responsiveness for seamless navigation across devices.
Test your site performance to ensure page load times on mobile devices are up to par.
Implement Google core web vitals optimization for enhanced user experience.

10. Monitor All Your Clients’ SEO KPIs in a Single Dashboard

Don’t overlook the importance of monitoring your clients’ data! Utilize AgencyAnalytics’ multi-location SERP tracking feature to effortlessly monitor each client’s locations within a single dashboard. This enables quick comparisons of location rankings and facilitates the identification of areas requiring further optimization. Incorporate these SEO KPIs into your agency’s multi-location SEO reports to showcase your proactive approach.

Source: agencyanalytics

Remember, managing SEO analytics for multiple locations in a local SEO campaign is similar to handling a single location. Keep in mind that running SEO analytics for a local SEO campaign for multiple locations isn’t that different from a single location. The principles are the same—you’ve just got to do a bit more legwork and keep track of the details.

Although it may seem daunting, with a solid strategy, the right SEO dashboard or local SEO report, careful selection of SEO metrics, and a well-executed plan, you can effectively enhance your client’s business across all their locations.

Effective Local SEO Reporting Techniques

Once you’ve helped your clients get noticed in local search engines, it’s time to share a straightforward SEO report showing the results of your multiple-location efforts. Many clients prefer clear information over technical jargon.

To help you create your report, here are some typical sections we include:

Report Summary: Start with an easy-to-understand overview, mentioning project goals, tasks completed, and results achieved.
SEO Site Health: Include an audit highlighting common issues that might affect the client’s ability to rank for keywords in each location.
Traffic Breakdown: Show where your client’s traffic comes from, like organic search, direct visits, referrals, and paid ads.
Conversion Tracking: Clients want to see how traffic impacts their business, so track conversions like leads or purchases using Google Analytics Goals.
Keyword Rankings: Finally, show how your SEO strategy is working by highlighting keyword rankings.

Quick Recap on Multi-Location SEO

Crafting unique local SEO strategies for various locations, such as tailored web pages and location-specific content, is a worthwhile investment of your time.

When you invest in SEO for multiple locations, you increase Google’s understanding of your geographical markets and appeal to the 30% to 40% of customers that find companies with local SEO.
Following this guide positions your business for growth with proven tactics.

Say goodbye to the hassle of managing multiple websites for your business. Prepare for impactful results by optimizing location pages on a single business site.

Whether you’re new to SEO or have worked with agencies before (resulting in nothing but flashy reports and depleted finances), it’s crucial to grasp SEO fundamentals before making any investments.