If we all sat down and created a list of notable companies, we could no doubt come up with thousands of brands that need no introduction nor help being found on the internet. These businesses rely upon multiple forms of marketing in different mediums in order to get their message out and associate themselves with a relevant category or niche. Smaller businesses, however, have to rely upon different strategies to be discovered. This is especially true for those businesses that have multiple locations that are spread across a large geographic area. Location-based websites for these brands became popular several years ago, but many have been worried about this strategy in the wake of an ever-stricter set of guidelines from search engines. We will explore how you can maintain multiple websites for your business in different locales and not suffer SEO consequences.

Incorporate Intuitive, Localized Information

The main problem with some location-based variants of websites is that search engines believe that they are solely pinging for SEO. In regards to content, these sites are often minimal in what they include (other than a phone number and a few garbled blog posts). This can result in sites performing poorly, or being barred from search engines altogether. One way you can help prevent this is to add localized information that proves you do in fact have a business in this location or understand the area. A page or two with some basic information about the area and how that relates to your business can go a long way when it comes to getting search engines off of your back.

Isolate Duplicate Content

On some localized websites, duplicate content is unavoidable. Search engines do not make considerations in this case, though, so you need a solution that can prevent this content from being taken into consideration negatively. One of the most sure-fire ways to do so is to use iframes on each localized website for information that is universal across all platforms. If you are operating an auto glass business in ten different cities, for instance, then you may have some tips or suggestions to provide to users in all locations. Iframes will allow you to continue pinging for SEO benefits without being perceived as a spammer.

Link to Local Websites

Local government agencies, private institutions and other relevant entities are prime targets for localized websites that need to establish relevance in search results. Not only can this be helpful to your visitors if they have certain questions, but it will convey to search engines that your website is not some cut and paste attempt to spam their search results for profit. When you put out links to good resources, most search engines in turn recognize this behaviour and reward you for it.

Conclusion

Anyone who wants to see their local websites flourish in search results should be prepared to put more work into them than simply copying and pasting them to different domains and directories. While many have been worried about what will happen with localized instances of websites, the future as of now is still hospitable – assuming you follow certain guidelines. By isolating duplicate content, linking to local, credible sources and incorporating local information that is relevant, you can appease search engines and continue to perform admirably in SERPs.