Building Local SEO Strategies Outside Your Core Location

Table of Contents

1. Understanding Local SEO and Its Importance
2. Challenges of Expanding Local SEO Outside Your Core Location
3. Choosing the Right Regional Keywords
4. Optimizing Google My Business for Multiple Locations
5. Creating Localized Content for Each Region
6. Building Local Backlinks to Strengthen Regional SEO
7. Using Structured Data for Local SEO
8. Monitoring and Measuring Your Multi-Location SEO Success

1. Understanding Local SEO and Its Importance

Local SEO is crucial for any business that serves a specific geographic area or multiple areas. When we talk about building local SEO outside your core location, it means you’re trying to increase your visibility in places where you don't physically operate or have a physical presence. For example, if your business is based in Los Angeles but you want to gain customers in San Diego, you’ll need a strategy to appear in San Diego's local search results.

Google has become smarter about serving up hyper-local results, meaning if someone searches for a service in a particular location, Google prioritizes businesses in that area. This is why local SEO is important—it ensures that your business appears when people search for services near them.

Here’s why expanding your local SEO is essential:

• Increase in Regional Visibility: You can increase brand recognition in areas you want to expand into.
• Lead Generation: More people in different regions will see your business, giving you more opportunities to attract new customers.
• Competitive Advantage: Many businesses don’t focus on expanding local SEO, so this gives you a chance to dominate regional search results.

By optimizing your SEO for multiple locations, you can make sure your business is found across various regions, which in turn drives more traffic and revenue.

2. Challenges of Expanding Local SEO Outside Your Core Location

Expanding your local SEO outside of your core location isn’t as simple as just listing a new city on your website. It involves overcoming several challenges. These include:

• Competing with Local Businesses: If you're trying to rank in an area where your business doesn't have a physical location, you'll face stiff competition from businesses that do.
• Duplicated Content Issues: Simply copying and pasting the same content for different cities can lead to SEO penalties. Google prefers unique, localized content for each region.
• Managing Multiple Listings: When you have multiple locations or serve multiple regions, managing different Google My Business (GMB) listings, reviews, and customer queries can become cumbersome.
• Localized Keywords: You can’t use generic keywords like "best plumber" across all regions. Instead, you'll need to focus on regional keywords like "best plumber in San Diego," which means more keyword research and strategy planning.
• Google’s Focus on Local Businesses: Google tends to prioritize businesses that are physically located in the searcher's area, which can make it harder for your business to rank if you're not actually based there.

Overcoming these challenges requires a targeted, strategic approach to multi-location SEO. You’ll need to invest in local content, build local backlinks, and optimize GMB profiles for each area.

3. Choosing the Right Regional Keywords

Keyword research is the backbone of any SEO strategy, and it becomes even more critical when you're expanding local SEO to regions outside of your primary business location. You’ll need to identify regional keywords that resonate with local audiences.

Start by using tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to find location-specific keywords. Let’s break it down step by step:

1. Research Local Search Behavior: People in different regions may use different terms for the same service. For example, someone in Los Angeles might search for "roof repair," while in New York, they may use "roofing services."
2. Use Long-Tail Keywords: These keywords are more specific and often include geographic identifiers. For example, instead of targeting "coffee shops," go for "best coffee shops in Dallas."
3. Localize Your Keyword Strategy: Each location should have its own set of keywords. Avoid keyword stuffing or duplicating the same keyword for every city. Your goal is to create content that is tailored to the local audience.
4. Analyze Competitors in the Area: See what your competitors are ranking for in their local areas. Tools like Ahrefs can help you discover this information.

By focusing on regional keywords, you’ll be able to improve your local visibility, capture a wider audience, and stay ahead of the competition.

4. Optimizing Google My Business for Multiple Locations

Google My Business (GMB) is an indispensable tool for local SEO, and optimizing it for multiple locations can significantly boost your multi-location SEO efforts.

Here’s how to optimize GMB for different regions:

1. Create Individual Listings for Each Location: If you have multiple physical locations, make sure each one has its own GMB listing. This will help you appear in local searches for each area.
2. Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number): Ensure that your business information is accurate and consistent across all locations. Any discrepancies can hurt your ranking in local search results.
3. Add Relevant Categories: Choose business categories that are relevant to each specific location. For example, if one location offers additional services that others do not, make sure to reflect that in its GMB listing.
4. Optimize Business Descriptions: Use your regional keywords in the business description section of each GMB listing.
5. Post Updates and Offers: Regularly post updates, offers, or blog posts related to each region on your GMB profiles. This shows Google and your audience that the profile is active and relevant to local consumers.

By fine-tuning your GMB profiles, you’ll boost your visibility in local search results, which is key for capturing customers outside of your core location.

5. Creating Localized Content for Each Region

One of the most effective ways to dominate local SEO in areas outside your core location is to create localized content for each region. Search engines favor businesses that offer content specifically tailored to the area being targeted.

Here’s how to get started with localized content:

1. Create City-Specific Landing Pages: Each target region should have its own landing page on your website. For example, if you’re expanding into Phoenix, you should have a page optimized for "services in Phoenix."
2. Write Localized Blog Posts: Blog posts related to local events, culture, or specific issues in that region can help you gain local traction. For example, write about "How to Prepare Your Home for Winter in Chicago" if you’re a home improvement company.
3. Use Regional Keywords: In your localized content, be sure to incorporate the regional keywords identified during your keyword research phase.
4. Add Local Testimonials: Showcase reviews or testimonials from customers in each specific region. This will build trust with new audiences and improve your rankings in local searches.

Creating localized content is an essential part of any multi-location SEO strategy and can help your business gain traction in new areas by directly addressing the needs of local audiences.

6. Building Local Backlinks to Strengthen Regional SEO

Backlinks are crucial for SEO in general, but local backlinks play a unique role in expanding local SEO. When authoritative, local websites link to your business, it signals to Google that your site is trustworthy and relevant in that specific region.

Here’s how to build local backlinks:

1. Partner with Local Influencers and Bloggers: Collaborate with influencers, bloggers, or local businesses to get backlinks to your site. For example, a local blogger writing about your service in Dallas will help your rankings in that area.
2. Sponsor Local Events: By sponsoring local events or charities, you can get your business listed on event websites, which typically include backlinks.
3. Leverage Local Directories: Submit your business to local online directories specific to each region. Examples include the local Chamber of Commerce or city-specific business directories.
4. Get Involved in the Community: Host or participate in local events and ask local news outlets to cover them. Many news outlets will provide backlinks to your website when mentioning your business in articles.

Acquiring high-quality local backlinks from reputable sources will improve your rankings in local search results and help you compete in areas outside your core location.

7. Using Structured Data for Local SEO

Implementing structured data (also known as schema markup) can significantly enhance your local SEO performance. Structured data helps search engines better understand your website content and improves your chances of showing up in rich search results like local packs or featured snippets.

For multi-location SEO, consider adding structured data for:

1. Local Business Schema: Use this to specify the exact location of your business, including your address,

phone number, and operating hours. This will help search engines display accurate information about your business. 2. Review and Rating Schema: By marking up customer reviews and ratings with structured data, you’ll make your business eligible for rich snippets in local searches, which can increase your click-through rates. 3. Event Schema: If you host local events, use event schema to ensure that these events appear in search results for each specific location.

Adding structured data will help improve your visibility in search results, especially for mobile users who are searching locally.

8. Monitoring and Measuring Your Multi-Location SEO Success

Finally, once your multi-location SEO strategies are in place, you’ll need to continuously monitor your performance and adjust your approach as needed. Here’s how to measure your success:

1. Use Google Analytics: Set up location-based tracking to see which regions are generating the most traffic. Compare this data with your target areas to identify where your SEO efforts are paying off.
2. Track Google My Business Insights: GMB provides insights into how people find your business, what keywords they use, and where they are located. Monitor these metrics regularly to gauge your local SEO success.
3. Rank Tracking Tools: Use tools like Moz or BrightLocal to track your rankings for specific regions. This will show you how well you’re ranking in each location you’re targeting.

Measuring your local SEO performance will allow you to make informed adjustments to your strategy and ensure that you’re maximizing your presence in regions outside your core location.

Interested in learning more? Contact us today.