Multi-location local SEO strategy: domain structure
In class, we stressed the importance of PageRank and how it helps web pages increase their visibility to customers. Specifically, search engines look at page rank and use it as a metric to choose which pages to show first for a given search query. In this article, columnist Andrew Beckman speaks about a strategy regarding location-based searches.
Many companies have multiple so-called “brick-and-mortar” locations. When this is the case, the idea is for these companies to structure their webpage URLs to reflect these different locations. This way, the company can reach more customers who are looking for a particular service, but are not tied down to any particular brand. For example, if a customer is looking for an ice cream place near them, then something like “ice cream near me” or “ice cream near (their town)” is a likely search query. By putting the location right into the URL, the ice cream company using this technique can climb the ranks with searches like this one.
There are two different strategies that are discussed in the article: decentralized and centralized. The decentralized strategy allows each respective location to manage their own location-specific webpage. Conversely, the centralized approach is completely controlled by the brand management team to allow for homogeneity across all location-based webpages. Both options have their pros and cons, but for companies that have these multiple locations, it’s a great idea to employ one of them in order to gain local customers.
http://searchengineland.com/multi-location-local-seo-strategy-domain-structure-259732