How to do local SEO for multiple locations

The structure that scales

Each location needs three things that belong together: a profile, a page and a data record. If any of the three is missing or inconsistent, rankings for that branch suffer.

What counts as a location

A location gets its own profile only if customers can be served there during stated hours by staff you employ. Warehouses, parking lots, virtual offices and shared desks usually do not qualify. A shop-in-shop inside a bigger store, or a practice that shares a building, may need extra care.

Service-area branches that visit customers instead of receiving them can have a profile with the address hidden. Each still needs a real operating base and a defined area, with no overlap that makes two profiles claim the same ground.

Step by step

1. Build the master listCollect every location with its exact public name, address, suite number, phone, hours and holiday hours. Check each against a map and against the signage. Fix this list before you touch any profile.
2. Audit existing listingsSearch each address on Google Maps. Find old duplicates, closed listings, listings created by customers and listings under former names. Merge or remove duplicates through Google's tools rather than creating a new one.
3. Claim and verifyVerify each profile. Google offers bulk verification for businesses with ten or more locations that meet its criteria, which saves postcards and calls. Smaller groups verify location by location.
4. Choose categories per branchThe primary category should reflect the main service at that branch. A branch that offers a different service mix can have a different primary category.
5. Build the location pagesGive every branch its own URL, such as /locations/leeds/. Include the address, map, opening hours, photos, staff, parking and transit, local reviews and services offered there. Add LocalBusiness schema with the branch's own details.
6. Link the system togetherLink the hub page to every branch, each branch back to the hub, and each profile's website field to its branch page, not the homepage.
7. Run reviews and updates per branchAssign an owner to each location who replies to reviews and updates hours before holidays.

Choosing an approach by scale

Software helps with syncing data and reporting, but it cannot write meaningful local content. Budget time for that part.

How to keep location pages from being doorway pages

Google calls pages made only to rank for a city, with nothing useful for the visitor, doorway pages. Avoid them by giving each page information a person at that branch would give.

• Real photos of the premises and the team.
• Directions that mention nearby landmarks and parking.
• Services and stock that actually differ at that branch.
• Local reviews, events, case notes or staff biographies.
• Hours that match the profile, including holiday changes.

If you have service areas with no branch, build one useful area page only where you can say something genuine. Do not publish a page for every suburb.

Pitfalls with many branches

• Writing one template and swapping the city name. Pages become near-duplicates and fail to rank.
• Using a call-center number as the primary phone on every profile. Use a local number, and use tracking numbers only as secondary lines.
• Opening a new branch without a plan to verify the profile.
• Forgetting closures. A closed branch listed as open earns bad reviews quickly.
• Reporting averages. A chain of 40 can hide 5 failing branches inside a healthy total.

For the basics of each profile, start with how to do local SEO. Our international SEO service is relevant if your branches span countries and languages.