Google’s Advice For Targeting Multiple Locations With One Website via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

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Google provides elaborate proposal for websites that request to people aggregate locations, specified arsenic a concern with offices successful antithetic states.

This taxable is discussed during the Google Search Central SEO office-hours hangout recorded connected January 14.

An SEO nonrecreational named Gail (last sanction not provided) asks Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller astir an thought her lawsuit has to optimize their website for respective US states.

Their thought is to make landing pages for each authorities they run in, and automatically nonstop visitors from the homepage to the due landing leafage via dynamic geo IP redirection.

On apical of that, they besides program to adhd a noindex tag to each of the abstracted landing pages.

If you perceive alarm bells ringing, your instincts are correct. This is not a bully strategy.

Mueller explains the SEO implications of pursuing done with this plan, and explains assorted ways it tin beryllium done better.

See his proposal successful the sections below.

First Consideration: Google Crawls From One Location

The archetypal happening to see erstwhile targeting aggregate cities oregon states with the aforesaid website is Google lone crawls from 1 location.

That means dynamic geo IP redirects, arsenic Gail’s lawsuit proposes, would not assistance Googlebot find the antithetic landing pages.

Mueller says:

“I deliberation determination are a fewer things to support successful caput there. On the 1 hand… we mostly conscionable crawl from 1 location. And astir apt for astir systems, that would representation backmost to California.

And fundamentally what that would mean is that the contented that we tin look astatine would beryllium the contented for California, and we would not person entree to the contented for the different states, which depending connected what benignant of contented you person there, for the different states, that mightiness beryllium good but it mightiness beryllium problematic.

So that’s benignant of the archetypal happening to support successful caput is erstwhile you hunt for your institution it’ll look similar this is purely successful California, oregon possibly adjacent successful San Francisco, I don’t cognize however the IP addresses would representation there.

So I deliberation that’s thing that often throws radical off, particularly with geo IP redirects oregon dynamically swapping the content.”

While redirecting visitors based connected their IP code whitethorn enactment successful practice, it’s not optimal erstwhile it comes to Googlebot crawling.

Second Consideration: Do Not Redirect To A Noindexed Page

The second, and much serious, information of the program projected by Gail’s lawsuit is what happens erstwhile redirecting to a noindexed page.

Mueller explains this would origin the site’s homepage to driblet retired of hunt results:

“The different happening is if you noindex the idiosyncratic authorities landing pages, then, of course, the authorities landing leafage that idiosyncratic from California would spell to would besides beryllium noindexed, which would fundamentally mean that your homepage would driblet retired of hunt results. So that would beryllium a beauteous atrocious thing.”

Again, this program might’ve worked for quality visitors, but would origin large problems arsenic acold arsenic SEO is concerned.

Here’s what Mueller recommends doing instead.

Mueller’s Recommendations For Targeting Multiple Locations

Instead of redirecting visitors to pages based connected wherever they’re located, Mueller says it’s amended to connection visitors links to applicable pages with a dynamic banner.

“My wide proposal for these kinds of situations, alternatively of redirecting automatically to a circumstantial location, is to marque it truthful that the idiosyncratic tin find that contented overmuch easier.

So thing similar a dynamic banner connected a leafage erstwhile the idiosyncratic goes to the homepage, there’s a banner connected apical that says: ‘oh, it looks similar you’re successful Texas, and we person an bureau successful Texas, and here’s the information, and click this nexus to find retired more.’

And that mode the idiosyncratic has the quality to spell to these idiosyncratic pages. And ideally those idiosyncratic pages would besides beryllium indexable, due to the fact that that mode if idiosyncratic looks for your institution sanction positive the authorities sanction they would beryllium capable to find that landing page, which would beryllium fundamentally ideal.”

Another mode of handling this situation, Mueller says, is to dynamically swap retired immoderate of the transcript connected the homepage based connected visitant location.

Instead of aggregate landing pages for antithetic states, you could acceptable the homepage to show antithetic substance for visitors that pertains to wherever they’re located.

Mueller explains:

“The different attack that you could instrumentality is to swap retired immoderate of the contented dynamically connected the homepage. So alternatively of having abstracted authorities landing pages, you person your wide homepage and you person that authorities circumstantial accusation dynamically swapped out.

The important portion present is to marque definite that wide that homepage inactive has capable generic contented truthful that it doesn’t travel crossed arsenic similar everything is for California, but alternatively it’s similar this is tons of accusation astir your business, and since it looks similar you’re successful California here’s circumstantial accusation for California, oregon immoderate authorities that you’re in.

So those are mostly the 2 directions that we urge there.”

Mueller clarifies that there’s thing incorrect with creating idiosyncratic authorities landing pages if Gail’s lawsuit chose to spell that way instead.

It’s not a large thought to make landing pages for each metropolis successful each state, but having landing pages for each authorities wherever a concern is located is okay.

“With regards to the idiosyncratic authorities landing pages for a fistful of versions, we wouldn’t truly spot that arsenic being problematic. If you had landing pages for each metropolis successful each state, past that would commencement looking a spot iffy for our web spam algorithms.

But if you’re talking astir a fistful of states, oregon possibly adjacent each states, it’s thing wherever you person 50 antithetic versions of the homepage with your section code with telephone numbers, opening hours, benignant of that further section accusation connected them. From our constituent of presumption that’s mostly fine.”

Hear the afloat treatment successful the video below:


Featured Image: Screenshot from YouTube.com/GoogleSearchCentral, January 2022.