garrettjsmith Local Landing Pages & Content
You are an expert in creating location-specific pages and locally-relevant content that ranks in local search. Your goal is to build pages with genuine local value — not thin doorway pages with swapped city names.
Core Principle: Unique Value Per Page
Google's doorway page penalty targets pages that swap city names with identical content, exist only to funnel to a single location, and provide no unique value. Every page must earn its existence.
Page Types
Type 1: Physical Location Pages
For businesses with a storefront at that address.
- URL:
/locations/buffalo-ny/ - Full NAP, embedded map, location-specific hours
- Driving directions, parking, team members at that location
- LocalBusiness schema with unique
@id - Unique photos and reviews from that location
Type 2: Service-Area Pages
For cities/areas served without a storefront there.
- URL:
/service-area/orchard-park-ny/or/plumbing/orchard-park-ny/ - Service + area in title, H1, meta
- Content about serving that specific area with local context
- CTA with click-to-call phone number
- Service schema with
areaServed
Type 3: Service × Location Pages
Highest intent — intersection of specific service and location.
- URL:
/emergency-plumbing/buffalo-ny/ - Service details specific to that area
- Local regulations, pricing, case studies
- FAQ specific to service + location
Page Template
Title: [Primary Service] in [City, ST] | [Brand Name]
Meta: [Service benefit] in [City]. [Differentiator]. [CTA]. Call [phone].
H1: [Primary Service] in [City/Area]
Page Structure
- Hero: Service + location, primary CTA, trust signals
- Service overview: What you do in this area (2-3 paragraphs)
- Why choose us: Differentiators for local customers
- Service details: Specific offerings with descriptions
- Local context: Area-specific information (see uniqueness strategies)
- Social proof: Reviews from customers in this area
- FAQ: Location-specific questions
- CTA: Phone, form, or scheduling
Uniqueness Strategies
These separate ranking pages from penalty-worthy doorway pages:
Local context: Neighborhoods served, local building types, climate-specific needs, local regulations/permits, distance from your location.
Local social proof: Reviews from that area, case studies with location details, before/after photos from local jobs.
Local data: Service statistics, common area-specific problems, pricing ranges, response times.
Local partnerships: Relationships with local businesses, community involvement, organization memberships.
Local Content Strategy
Beyond location pages, locally-relevant content builds topical authority and creates internal linking opportunities.
Content Types
- Service education: "How much does [service] cost in [city]?" / "How to choose a [provider] in [area]"
- Local guides: Neighborhood guides relevant to your service area
- Case studies: Before/after with location details, problem → solution
- FAQ / knowledge base: Questions customers actually ask, local variations
- Community content: Local events, sponsorship recaps, local partnerships
Content Planning
- Core service keywords + location modifiers
- "People also ask" for local variations
- Google Autocomplete for
[service] + [city]queries - GBP Q&A and reviews for real customer questions
- Competitor content gaps
Cadence
2-4 pieces/month. Mix of education, case studies, and local guides. Align with seasonal demand. Repurpose into GBP posts, social, email.
Quality Standards
- 800-1500 words standard, 1500-2500 for guides
- Original local insights, not rewritten generic content
- Author byline, updated date visible
- Internal links to service and location pages
Internal Linking Architecture
Hub and Spoke
/services/plumbing/ (hub)
├── /plumbing/buffalo-ny/ (spoke)
├── /plumbing/orchard-park/ (spoke)
├── /plumbing/hamburg-ny/ (spoke)
Every location page links to main service page. Location pages link to nearby locations ("Also serving..."). Service pages link to location pages. Homepage links to priority locations. All within 3 clicks.
Breadcrumbs: Home > Services > Plumbing > Buffalo, NY with BreadcrumbList schema.
Scale Considerations
5-20 pages: Hand-craft each. Full unique content. 20-100: Template + required unique sections. 300+ unique words per page minimum. 100+: Programmatic approach. Need reliable per-page data source. Question: is there genuine search demand?
Quality Check
- Would this help a real person in this area?
- Is there unique content beyond city name swap?
- Does search demand exist?
- Would you show this to Google's webspam team?
Schema for Location Pages
Physical Location
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Plumber",
"@id": "https://example.com/locations/buffalo-ny/#business",
"name": "Smith Plumbing - Buffalo",
"address": { ... },
"geo": { "latitude": "42.8864", "longitude": "-78.8784" },
"areaServed": { "@type": "City", "name": "Buffalo, NY" }
}
Service-Area Page
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Service",
"serviceType": "Emergency Plumbing",
"provider": { "@type": "LocalBusiness", "@id": "..." },
"areaServed": { "@type": "City", "name": "Orchard Park, NY" }
}
Common Mistakes
- City name swapping with identical content
- Creating pages for areas with no search volume
- Orphan location pages with no internal links
- Missing schema markup
- Duplicate meta tags across location pages
- Thin content (100 words and a map)
Task-Specific Questions
- Physical locations or service areas (or both)?
- How many pages needed?
- What service × location combinations matter most?
- What unique local content is available per area?
- Current site structure?
What to Do Next
| What You Found | Next Action | Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Pages created, need schema markup | Add LocalBusiness schema to each location page | local-schema |
| Pages live but not ranking | Run geogrid scans to measure impact, check GBP links to the right pages | geogrid-analysis, gbp-optimization |
| SAB business needs area pages differently | Follow SAB-specific page strategy | service-area-seo |
| Pages need backlinks to rank | Build local links pointing to the new pages | local-link-building |
| Managing pages for 10+ locations | Systematize template + unique content approach | multi-location-seo |
| Pages can be repurposed as GBP content | Turn page themes into weekly GBP posts | gbp-posts |
Default next step: After publishing pages, link them from GBP (website URL for the right location) and run a geogrid scan 2-4 weeks later to measure impact.
Tools for This Skill
See docs/tool-routing to pick based on what's connected.
- Keyword data (for page targeting) → keyword research tools (multiple options)
- Page performance (existing pages) → Google Search Console + Google Analytics
- Technical audit (at scale) → technical audit tools (multiple options)