Top 11 Tips: Local SEO for Multiple Locations

Let’s say you’re running a coffee shop in Chicago. Business is good—so good, in fact, that you open a second location in Evanston. Then, one in Oak Park. Suddenly, you’ve gone from one local listing to three, from one neighborhood vibe to multiple city zones.

You’d think your online presence would grow just as easily, right? Not quite. And on top of that, 40% of customers admit to searching for local businesses just to check their opening hours. This proves that online presence is very important.

When you operate in more than one place, your local SEO strategy needs more than just copy-pasting a new address onto your homepage. Each location needs to stand on its own—digitally speaking.

So whether you’re a small business with multiple storefronts or a marketer handling SEO for a regional chain, here are 11 practical, beginner-friendly tips that’ll help you rank higher, get found faster, and bring more foot traffic to every location.

1. Give Each Location Its Own Page

This one’s non-negotiable.

If you have multiple locations and just one generic “Contact Us” page with a bulleted list of addresses, Google won’t know which location to show for which city—or worse, it won’t show any of them.

Each physical location should have its own dedicated page on your website. Let’s say you run a dental group with offices in Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs. Each office should have:

• A unique URL (like /locations/denver or /colorado-springs-office)
• Accurate name, address, and phone number (your NAP info)
• A local blurb: something like, “Serving the LoDo area since 2015”
• Location-specific photos
• Google Maps embed
• Parking info, accessibility details, business hours

Make these pages feel personal—not like templates. Even if you offer the same services in each city, tweak the copy. Mention local landmarks, nearby parks, or the neighborhood vibe. That signals relevance to both users and search engines.

2. Keep Your NAP Consistent Across the Web

You must be confused about what this is. Well, let me give it to you straight: NAP = Name, Address, Phone Number.

And here’s something you must absolutely do. Your NAP details must be the same everywhere they appear on the internet! This means on your website, your Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and even those long-forgotten directories that faded into irrelevance.

You shouldn’t do these things:

• “1234 Elm Street, Suite 200” on one site, and “1234 Elm St. Ste 200” on another
• “Main Street Dental” in one place, “Main St. Dental Center” elsewhere

The reason for this is because search engines are very sensitive. How much? So much that even the tiniest inconsistencies will make their head spin. Let’s say someone introduced themselves to you and each time they gave you different names. How would you feel?

So, now your question might be, how does anyone check their NAP status? There are tools you could use. Whitespark or Moz Local are pretty reliable. They can easily get where you have bad info or are straight-up missing. 

Then, after you find that out, you should go and fix those listings. But that’s not it. You should also keep an eye on them. Why? Business directories have this update cycle. And many a time they get things wrong.

3. Set Up a Google Business Profile for Each Location

This is the part where a lot of people make the most mistakes. How is that so? There are a lot of people who set up only one Google Business Profile for a company that’s accessible across more than, say, give locations. That’s not how it’s done.

Businesses with complete Google Business Profiles are twice as likely to be considered reputable by customers.

Always keep this in your mind. Each physical location needs to have its own listing, completely independent from others!

Let me give you something to imagine. Let’s say you’re the proud owner of a dog grooming business. The name? “Fur-Ever Fresh.” Creative, no? Anyway, you have branches in Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale. Then what do you do? Exactly this:

• Have its own profile
• Use a slightly modified name like “Fur-Ever Fresh – Scottsdale”
• Link to that specific location’s page on your website
• Include hours, services, photos, and localized descriptions
• Use a unique phone number (if possible)

And then one more thing. After the listings go live, don’t forget to keep them updated on a regular basis. How so? Do some small stuff like adding some new photos, replying to customer reviews, and posting things like seasonal services or promotions. Google is down bad for fresh content. They even look for it in business profiles.

Also Read: Local SEO to Boost ROI with Enhanced Online Presence

4. Use Location-Specific Keywords

Want to get mind-blown? Get this. More than 40% of Google searches are local now. These days, it’s all about people trying to find things that are close to them. Examples? Like:

• “Best sushi near me”
• “Orthodontist in Pasadena”
• “Dry cleaners downtown Austin”

That’s your cue.

Let me give you a little tip. Try to target longer keywords. Like for example, don’t go for “organic grocery store.” Go for “organic grocery store in Raleigh” or something like “locally sourced food in North Hills.” 

You can get a few ideas on how to do this by using tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or even just getting your ideas by typing in a few words and ripping from autocomplete suggestions on Google.

But then again, you shouldn’t just throw in the name of the location in the title and think that’s enough. You need to do more. What exactly? Well, you need to put them across the content. 

Places like in the body copy, image alt texts, meta descriptions, and even in the headings. You need to make it sound like a person was behind the content. Not a robot.

Because, you know, you are one.

5. Add Local Business Schema Markup

Stay with me because we’re getting slightly technical, but this is worth it.

Schema markup is something that’s needed but not a lot of people know. It’s like a bit of code that you add to your page. Why? To help search engines get the gist of what your page is about. 

This is the equivalent of highlighting important parts of a paper with a yellow highlighter. Like, “Hey Google, this is a business located in Atlanta. Open from 9–6. Here’s the phone number.”

Adding LocalBusiness schema to each location page:

• Helps you appear in rich results
• Increases chances of showing up in map packs
• Improves crawl efficiency

Now, don’t panic, even if you’re not a page developer. There are tools out there that can help you accomplish this even without that knowledge. Want to know what they are? 

They’re Merkle’s Schema Generator or Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper. Tools like these help you through making the markup. But, if you don’t want to be bothered, just tell your web dev to do it.

Also Read: 5 Secrets To Get More Customer Feedback for Your Local Business

6. Ask for Reviews—Per Location

Ever seen a business with 300 reviews in one city, but crickets in the next? That’s a red flag for both customers and search engines.

Each location needs to earn its own reputation. Why? Because you need to understand that around 75% of consumers admit to regularly checking online reviews before considering a local business.

Here’s how you make it happen:

• Ask in person after a great customer experience
• Send follow-up emails or texts with a review link
• Add a QR code on receipts or signage
• Offer a small incentive—like a discount on their next visit

Pro tip: Use Google’s “short link” feature to make review requests easy. And always respond—whether it’s praise or a complaint. It shows you care and helps with visibility.

7. Get Local Backlinks That Actually Matter

Backlinks are still one of the top-ranking factors in local SEO—but not just any links. You want local links that show you’re part of the community.

Some ideas:

• Sponsor local events, charities, or youth sports teams
• Join your Chamber of Commerce and get listed on their site
• Partner with neighborhood influencers or bloggers
• Host workshops or classes and list them on local event calendars
• Submit press releases to your city’s news outlets

Quick story: One boutique fitness studio in Minneapolis started hosting monthly outdoor yoga classes at a city park. Not only did it land them a feature in a local lifestyle magazine, but they also scored several backlinks that helped boost their rankings across the metro area.

Be active offline—and let the web reflect that.

8. Include All Location Pages in Your Sitemap

This one’s easy to overlook. 

Your sitemap is basically a directory that tells search engines what pages your website has. If your location pages aren’t listed in it, Google might take forever to find and index them—if at all.

Most website platforms (like WordPress + Yoast) generate sitemaps automatically. Just double-check that all location pages are included.

While you’re at it, submit that sitemap to Google Search Console. It’s like handing Google a neatly labeled folder saying, “Here’s all my stuff—please read.”

9. Localize Your Content Beyond Just the City Name

You think adding “Dallas” is more than enough? Think again. You should write the content like you’re in Dallas. Not just like the content is about it. What does that mean exactly? Let me tell you. 

That means:

• Mentioning nearby landmarks (“Across from Klyde Warren Park”)
• Referring to local slang or neighborhoods (“serving the Uptown area”)
• Talking about community involvement (“Proud sponsor of the Deep Ellum Arts Festival”)

This is even more important if you’re writing blog posts. You should go even deeper. Like hyperlocal about it. Let me give you something to think about. A national HVAC company company might get the bright idea of writing about prepping an A/C for spring in Phoenix or the things New Yorkers need to know about winter heating.

It’s in this level of detail and the effort you put that keeps you separate from the rest of the competition. 

10. Track Each Location’s Performance Separately

I don’t know if this is really obvious or not, but you need to track your performance. If you don’t, then how are you going to improve on it?

It doesn’t matter if your operation is very small. You still need to monitor how each establishment of yours is doing. Let me give you some examples of tools to start you off:

• Google Analytics 4: Track traffic to each location page
• Google Search Console: See what search terms lead people to each page
• Call tracking tools: Services like CallRail let you assign unique numbers to each branch and track calls

Pay attention to:

• Which location pages get the most visits
• Where customers drop off
• What search terms are pulling traffic

All the data you get from these tools will tell you what is working and what’s not. If you know that, then you’ll get ideas on where to improve and how to improve, and you can even throw in some seasonal service offerings to pull in more customers.

11. Add a Location Finder or Map Tool

Let’s talk about usability for a sec.

Things can get messy when you have more than a few locations. And there are things to need to do to make it “un-messy.” What are those? First off, you need to find a way for possible visitors to find the one nearest to them. Fast.

A simple interactive map or zip code-based location finder can do wonders. It doesn’t just improve UX—it keeps people on your site longer, which is another tiny SEO win.

There are plugins for WordPress (like WP Store Locator), and platforms like Squarespace or Shopify often have built-in features. Make sure it works well on mobile—because that’s where most local searches happen these days.

Final Thought: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Look, managing local SEO across multiple locations is… a lot. It’s messy, detail-heavy, and slow-moving. But that’s also why it works—most businesses simply don’t keep up with it.

Start with what you can control. Nail your Google profiles. Clean up your NAP citations. Personalize your content. And keep an eye on what’s actually driving traffic and conversions.

It takes time, but once the pieces start clicking into place? You’ll be showing up where it counts—right when customers need you.

Statistical Resource:

https://www.seroundtable.com/google-46-of-searches-have-local-intent-26529.html

https://www.webfx.com/local-seo/statistics/

https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/

https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-business-discovery-trust-report/

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