When we think about local SEO, we tend to picture the small local businesses we’re familiar with – think a quaint mom and pop boutique in your downtown business district, your favorite hometown bar and grill or maybe even your own small startup. They may be staples in your community now, but what happens when they generate enough business to expand to a second location? That’s where local SEO for multiple locations comes into play.
Instead of just ranking for local searches in one city, now they need to figure out how to rank in multiple cities – which can be a challenge. After all, the competition is no longer just other businesses in your town, but businesses in neighboring towns as well. This may even be a challenge you’ve faced yourself if your small business has boomed enough to expand to unfamiliar new territories.
So, how do you make sure your business appears in local search results across the map? Managing local SEO for multiple locations might seem daunting, but it’s definitely doable with the right strategies in place. Before we dive into how to level up your local SEO strategy to cover multiple locations, let’s cover the basics of why this is so important in the first place.
Why Does Multiple-Location SEO Matter?
It’s a fair question to ask – after all, if you’re already ranking well in one city, is it really that important to rank in another? The answer is a resounding yes for a few key reasons:
It’ll Improve Your Ranking in Local Searches
That’s the ultimate goal of a local SEO strategy, isn’t it? The difference with a multiple location SEO strategy is that you’re not just aiming to rank for searches in one location, but multiple locations. By appearing in more local search results, you’ll have more opportunities to attract new customers – which can mean a big boost in business for you. What appears on a local search result page in one city could be completely different from what appears in a local search result page in another city. Improving your ranking across multiple locations will help ensure potential customers in each city you serve can find you easily when they’re looking for businesses like yours.
It Generates Brand Awareness
Another big benefit of a multiple location SEO strategy is that it can help you generate brand awareness in new markets. If your business only appears in local search results for one city, people outside of that immediate area are much less likely to be familiar with your brand. But if your business appears in local search results across the map, you’re more likely to catch the eye of potential customers in new markets – which can eventually lead to more business down the line. Even if potential customers in your new city aren’t in the market for your products or services just yet, they’ll be more likely to remember your brand when they are ready to take action.
It Establishes Your Company as a Local Authority
Breaking into a new local market can be difficult, especially if there are already several other established businesses in the area as your direct competitors. Customers are more likely to work with businesses they perceive as being established and reputable, so this is an important factor to consider if you’re trying to attract new customers in a new city. Familiarize yourself with local jargon, trends, and news in each city you’re targeting so you can adjust your local SEO strategy accordingly. This will demonstrate to potential customers that you’re invested in the community, which can make a big difference when they’re making their final purchase decisions.
How to Handle Local SEO for Multiple Locations
Now that we’ve covered why local SEO for multiple locations is important, let’s go over how to create a strategy that attracts, converts and sets your business up to succeed across the map:
Do Your Research
The first step to any effective local SEO strategy is research – and that’s especially true when you’re trying to rank in multiple locations. You need to understand the unique search landscape of each city you’re targeting in order to create content that will rank well in local search results. Start by searching for relevant keywords in each city and taking note of the businesses that appear on the first page of results. Then, take a look at the content on their websites and see how it compares to your own. Are they using different keywords? Do they have more or less content than your website? Adjusting your own content to match (or exceed) what’s already ranking will give you a better chance of ranking well in local search results.
Create Web Pages for Each Location
Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to start creating content for each city you’re targeting. If you have a physical location in each city, make sure they each have their own separate web page on your site. Include all of the relevant information about your business (address, hours of operation, etc.), as well as unique content that’s optimized for local SEO. This is your opportunity to show potential customers in each city that you’re an authority in your industry, so take the time to create a web page that’s both informative and engaging.
Generate Location-Based Content
In addition to creating separate web pages for each location, you’ll also want to generate unique content that’s specific to each city. This could include blog posts about local news and events, as well as helpful guides that are relevant to your industry. For example, if you own a restaurant with locations in multiple cities, you could write a guide on the best local attractions to visit after a meal. Optimizing your content for local SEO will help you rank higher in search results and attract more attention from potential customers in each area you’re targeting.
Optimize Each Location Page
Once you’ve created separate web pages and pieces of content for each location, it’s time to optimize them for local SEO. This includes adding relevant keywords, as well as your business name, address, and phone number (known as NAP information). You should also make sure to include links to your location pages on your website’s home page and navigation menu. This will help search engines index your pages and make it easier for potential customers to find the information they’re looking for.
Claim Your Local Listings
In addition to optimizing your website, you’ll also want to claim your business’s local listings on popular directories like Google Business Profile and Yelp. These listings provide valuable information about your business to potential customers, and they can also help you rank higher in local search results. Make sure to claim your listings and fill out all of the relevant information, such as your NAP. You should also add relevant photos and videos to your listings to make them more engaging and informative. Our ultimate local SEO checklist is a great resource for every local listing you should claim if you want to rank well and get found.
Monitor Your Progress
The final step in any local SEO strategy is to monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed. This includes tracking your website’s traffic and SERP rankings, as well as monitoring your business’s local listings. If you see a decline in traffic or rankings, it’s important to take action quickly to correct the problem. Local SEO is an ongoing process, so it’s important to regularly monitor your progress and make changes as needed. Keep a close eye on each of the local SEO ranking factors Google finds important to ensure your website isn’t slipping without you noticing.
Rank Well Across the Map with Multiple Location SEO
Even though you may offer the same products or services at each of your locations, the truth of the matter is they aren’t the same. Every one of your storefronts comes with its own diverse business landscape, with a variety of client needs, competitors and challenges to face. Treating each location as its own unique entity is key to success when it comes to ranking in multiple location SEO.
Question is, where do you start? We’ve covered the “whys” and “hows” of multiple location SEO, and now it’s time to put them into action. Easier said than done, right? Managing one business is challenging, let alone multiple. Nonetheless, a local SEO strategy is something that can’t be ignored if you want to rank well in SERPS, no matter how many locations you have.
Local SEO is a time commitment, but the long-term results are worth it if you do it right. If you’re like many busy small business owners, however, your time may already be stretched too thin to commit to anything else. That’s where we come in.
At Level Up Local, we specialize in helping businesses large and small improve their online visibility on the local level. Our team of local SEO experts can help you create and implement a customized strategy that’s tailored to the unique business landscapes surrounding each of your locations. After we’ve implemented your local SEO strategy, we’ll monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure you’re seeing the best results possible across the map.
Get in touch to learn more about how we can help you unlock the secret to leveling up your local SEO for multiple locations.
