Businesses serving multiple areas face a recurring question: should you create dedicated pages for each city or region you serve? The answer depends on your business model, but when done correctly, local landing pages capture geographic search traffic and establish relevance in specific markets.
When done poorly, they trigger Google’s doorway page guidelines and waste resources on content that helps no one. This guide covers how to build location pages that rank, convert, and avoid penalties.
When Location Pages Make Sense
Not every business needs location pages. Understanding when they provide value prevents wasted effort.
Physical locations clearly justify dedicated pages. A dental practice with offices in Nashville, Franklin, and Brentwood should have separate pages for each location with address, hours, staff information, and unique content about each office.
Service-area businesses may or may not benefit from location pages depending on how distinct their service delivery is across areas. A plumber serving all of Middle Tennessee operates the same regardless of which city calls. A landscaping company might genuinely offer different services in different areas based on soil types, climate microzones, or local regulations.
Geographic search intent determines value. If potential customers search for your service combined with specific city names, location pages can capture that traffic. Search volume data reveals whether people in your service area actually search this way.
| Business Type | Location Page Strategy |
|---|---|
| Multiple physical locations | Dedicated page per location (required) |
| Service-area with distinct markets | Strategic pages for key service areas |
| Service-area with uniform delivery | Single service area page or selective city pages |
| E-commerce (ships anywhere) | Generally not recommended |
Before creating location pages, verify search volume exists for your services combined with target city names. Low-volume city/service combinations may not justify the content investment.
Doorway Pages: The Risk to Avoid
Google specifically warns against doorway pages, which it describes as pages created primarily to rank for specific search queries and funnel users to a single destination.
Doorway page characteristics that trigger penalties:
Pages with minimal unique content that merely swap city names while keeping identical body text. If your Nashville page and Franklin page differ only in the city name appearing in titles and headings, both are doorway pages.
Multiple pages targeting different cities but all directing users to call the same phone number or visit the same location. This signals the pages exist only for search engines, not users.
Pages with no genuine local relevance beyond geographic terms inserted into templates.
Safe location pages share these qualities:
Substantial unique content genuinely useful to visitors from that specific area.
Accurate information about serving that location, ideally including local testimonials, case studies, or other evidence of actual presence.
Different contact information, directions, or team members when applicable.
Content addressing location-specific needs, regulations, or considerations.
A Nashville personal injury lawyer creating location pages for surrounding suburbs walks a fine line. Pages for cities where they’ve handled cases, know the local courts, and can speak to regional considerations provide value. Template pages for every zip code where they might theoretically accept a case do not.
Essential Location Page Elements
Effective location pages balance SEO requirements with genuine user value.
Location-specific header and title clearly states what services you provide in what area. “Plumbing Services in Franklin, TN” immediately communicates relevance to both searchers and search engines.
Unique introductory content explains your relationship with that specific area. When did you start serving there? What types of customers do you work with locally? Why does your business particularly suit this market’s needs?
Services offered in this location details what you actually provide there. If certain services are available at your Nashville location but not your Franklin location, location pages make this clear.
Address and contact information for that location specifically. Service-area businesses without physical addresses should at least include phone numbers dedicated to or routed from that area.
Directions and maps help visitors find you. Embed a Google Map, provide directions from major landmarks, or describe parking availability. This content is inherently location-specific.
Local testimonials from customers in that area prove you actually serve the community. A quote from a Nashville customer makes your Nashville page more credible than generic testimonials.
Team members at that location personalize the page and demonstrate real presence. Include photos, bios, and specialties of staff based at each location.
Service area boundaries clarify which surrounding areas you serve from this location. A Nashville office might also serve Goodlettsville, Madison, and Donelson, which you can mention on the Nashville page.
Location-specific FAQs address questions unique to that market. Local regulations, common problems in the area, or questions about your relationship with the community all work here.
Creating Genuinely Unique Content
The biggest challenge with location pages is creating enough unique content to avoid doorway page classification. Templates help with structure but can’t substitute for actual location-specific information.
Research location differences across your service areas. Even if you provide the same core service everywhere, local factors create opportunities for unique content:
- Local building codes or regulations affecting your work
- Climate considerations varying across your service area
- Common problems more frequent in specific neighborhoods
- Historical factors about the community
- Local events, organizations, or institutions you work with
A roofing company might note that older East Nashville homes frequently have different roof pitches than newer construction in Williamson County, affecting repair approaches and costs.
Develop location-specific case studies. Feature projects completed in each area with details about the work. “Recent roof replacement in Franklin’s Historic Downtown” provides genuine local content while demonstrating real presence in that market.
Include local expertise that demonstrates community knowledge. Reference local landmarks for directions. Mention community involvement. Discuss local organizations you partner with. A pest control company might note seasonal pest patterns specific to different areas.
Answer location-specific questions in your content. Do customers in this area frequently ask about particular issues? Address them directly.
Page Structure and Technical Implementation
Consistent structure across location pages helps both users and search engines while allowing for unique content within each section.
URL structure should be clean and consistent:
/locations/nashville//nashville-plumbing-services//plumber-nashville/
All three formats work. Choose one approach and apply it consistently across all location pages.
Internal linking connects location pages to relevant service pages and vice versa. Your main plumbing services page should link to each location page. Each location page should link back to relevant service pages.
LocalBusiness schema markup on each page tells search engines the name, address, phone, and other details for that specific location. Multi-location businesses need separate schema on each location page pointing to that particular location.
Canonical tags should point to the page itself, not to a “main” location page. Each location page needs to be indexable on its own.
Mobile optimization matters since local searches frequently happen on mobile devices. Location pages must render properly and load quickly on phones.
Location Pages for Service-Area Businesses
Service-area businesses without physical storefronts in each city face additional challenges creating legitimate location pages.
Be honest about your presence. Don’t imply you have an office in Franklin if you don’t. Instead, clearly communicate that you’re based in Nashville and serve the greater Middle Tennessee area including Franklin.
Focus on service delivery in each area rather than pretending to have local offices. Explain how you serve Franklin customers specifically, typical response times to that area, or any considerations unique to serving that city.
Use a hub-and-spoke model where your primary service area page links to city-specific pages. The main page establishes your overall service area while city pages target specific geographic searches.
Quality over quantity becomes critical. A service-area business creating fifty thin city pages triggers doorway page concerns. The same business creating five substantial pages for its most important markets provides value.
| Approach | When Appropriate | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive city pages | Markets with real presence and search volume | Low if content is unique |
| Brief city mentions on main service area page | Lower-volume or peripheral markets | Very low |
| Thin pages for every possible city | Never | High (doorway page penalty) |
Measuring Location Page Performance
Track whether location pages actually generate value.
Organic traffic by page reveals which location pages attract visitors. Low-traffic pages after several months suggest either low search demand or poor optimization.
Keyword rankings for target location + service terms indicate visibility in each market. Track these in rank monitoring tools set to search from each target location.
Conversions by location page matter more than traffic. Do Nashville page visitors actually become Nashville customers? Connect form submissions, calls, and leads back to their landing pages.
User engagement metrics like time on page, scroll depth, and bounce rate indicate whether visitors find the content useful. High bounce rates on location pages suggest mismatched expectations or thin content.
Cannibalization checks ensure location pages don’t compete with your main service pages for the same keywords. If your Nashville page and your main plumbing page both try to rank for “Nashville plumbing,” they may hurt each other.
Updating and Maintaining Location Pages
Location pages require ongoing attention to remain accurate and effective.
Contact information updates when phone numbers, addresses, or hours change. Outdated contact information frustrates users and confuses search engines.
Content refreshes keep pages current. Update case studies, add new testimonials, and refine content based on performance data.
Local content additions as you develop more presence in each area. New team members, completed projects, or community involvement give you reasons to expand page content.
Performance-based decisions about keeping, improving, or removing location pages. Pages that generate no traffic or conversions after a year might need substantial revision or removal.
Sources
- Google Search Central on Doorway Pages: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies#doorway-pages
- Google Business Profile Multi-Location Support: https://support.google.com/business/answer/9084368
- Moz Local Landing Page Best Practices: https://moz.com/learn/seo/local-landing-pages