Google Maps Optimization
Local Landing Pages
Local landing pages should be designed with SEO and conversion rate optimization (CRO) in mind. These pages function to generate and convert traffic for potential customers who are directly searching for your business’s products / services.
Page Anatomy
1. HTML Elements: Page URL, title, and meta description
For single location businesses: This is the website’s homepage.
For multi-location businesses: This will likely be a dedicated local landing page on the site.
Note: Ensure that the URL is using the https protocol, and is the URL being used on Google My Business, social profiles, and local citations.
What to do:
Include the target keyword in the title tag of the page, and keep the total length under 60 characters.
Formats:
{Exact Match Keyword} - {Brand}
{Seed Keyword} in {Target Locality} - {Brand}
{Exact Match Keyword} - {Partial Match Keyword}
Examples:
Phoenix Personal Injury Attorneys - Simon Law
Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix - Simon Law
Phoenix Personal Injury Attorneys - Accident & Injury Lawyers
Note: In many cases, we tend to go with the {Exact Match Keyword} - {Brand} format and work backwards from there.
What to do:
- Use semantic triples
- Include seed keyword (or variation) and locality
- Provide value / highlight an offer
- Establish social proofing
- Keep length less than or equal to 160 characters
- Add the following (or similar) copy to the first paragraph of the webpage
Examples:
Example 1: The personal injury attorneys at Simon Law in Phoenix have helped clients recover over $500 million in compensation. Free case evaluations.
Example 2: Simon Law is a personal injury law firm in Phoenix that has helped accident and injury victims recover over $500 million in compensation. Free case evaluations.
2. Site Header: Main navigation items and call-to-action.
What to do:
Include a high resolution image of the business’s logo.
Note: For optimal load times, you may choose to use an SVG in the header, and include the logo again in the footer as a JPG image.
What to do:
For single location businesses, this should include the following:
Primary category:
https://website.com/personal-injury
Sub-service #1: https://website.com/personal-injury/car-accident
Sub-service #2: https://website.com/personal-injury/truck-accident
Sub-service #3: https://website.com/personal-injury/bus-accident
Team Page: https://website.com/attorneys
About Page: https://website.com/about
Results / Projects Page: https://website.com/case-results
Contact Page: https://website.com/contact
For multi-location businesses, the main nav should also include a link to a “Locations” page (ex: https://website.com/locations)
For single-location businesses with large service areas, the main nav should include a link to a “Service Areas” page (ex: https://website.com/service-areas)
What to do:
Include the most valuable action that customers can take in the main navigation. For most local businesses, this is a phone call.
For phone numbers, the link should be formatted as:
Call <a href = "tel: +11112223333"> (111) 222-3333 </a>
This allows customers to call the number on mobile devices, and should be styled with high contrast in order to be extremely noticeable and not easily overlooked.
3. Section 1 (viewport): Elements that are immediately visible upon loading the page.
What to do:
Social proofing and credibility should be established in the viewport (users visible area of the page), so that it’s one of the first elements that a website visitor sees. This showcases achievements and is a great way to quickly build trust with visitors. One of the best strategies for social proof is using 5 star reviews to be showcased (livestreamed) on every page. If you are not already doing this, ask us how.
On average, this will improve conversion rates. See below for other examples of how to add social proof to your website.
Examples:
Law Firm: Over $500 million in total verdicts & settlements
Plumbing Company: 18,025 Cleared Drains · 31,750 Fixed Leaks · 2,900 Water Heater Installs/Repairs
Note: This may also include differentiators like Open 24/7 or Locally Owned, especially for newer businesses.
What to do:
The first heading should include the primary business category and target location inside an h1 heading tag.
This heading should also be supported by subtext (intro paragraph) that includes the primary business category and closely resembles the page’s meta description.
What to do:
Include a lead gen form in the viewport of the page – this allows desktop users to easily convert on desktop when making a direct call is not an option.
At minimum this should capture the following information:
- First name
- Last name
Requiring less information reduces friction, and increases the likelihood of a form submission. In many cases, a brief message should be included to qualify leads in addition to a phone number.
Note: The form heading can be used to incentivize a form submission. For example, $29.95 first-time visit (dentist, chiropractors, etc) or Get 20% Your Next Visit (Restaurants).
4. Section 2 (subheading): Additional heading, image, and supporting text.
What to do:
Add additional content with a subheading formatted as an h2 heading tag, and include supporting paragraph text below.
This should also be accompanied by a quality photo that shows personalization (team members), or highlights the business’s assets or products / services.
Include NAP, business hours, and Maps CID link
Example:
<h2> We Help Accident & Injury Victims </h2>
<p> At Simon Law, our personal injury attorneys represent accident and injury victims in the state of Arizona. Since our firm's founding in 1987, we've learned that many people don't bother seeking an attorney because they feel that legal representation is not affordable. At the Simon Law, we believe everyone should have access to the best legal representation. For this reason, our lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning there are no upfront costs to hire us. </p>
<p> We only get paid if you win. </p>
<h3> Simon Law </h3>
<p> Address: < a href="https://www.google.com/maps?cid=15402384604550917548"> 3618 N 24th St, Phoenix, AZ 85016 </a> </p>
<p> < a href="tel:6023324444"> (602) 332-4444 </a> </p>
<p> Business Hours: Open 24 hours Monday - Sunday </p>
5. Section 3 (services): An overview of services and internal links to target pages.
What to do:
- Feature the main products / services with a brief description
- Add internal links to service pages
- Include additional content as needed
6. Section 4 (testimonials): Featured reviews and client testimonials.
What to do:
Add further social proofing by featuring customer reviews on a dedicated testomonials page.
This shows that your business is trustworthy and can increase conversion rates.
Note: Service or product-specific reviews should also be featured on the most relevant page for the product or service mentioned in the review. For example, a site’s homepage might feature reviews that mention the business’s primary category (e.g. personal injury attorney), while the site’s “service” pages highlight reviews that mention that specific service (e.g. motorcycle accidents).
7. Site Footer: Business info, internal links, and external links to social profiles.
What to do:
Include internal links in an unordered list to high value pages such as products / services categories.
Although these links aren’t as valuable as links in the main content, they still send link signals to target pages.
Note: For business that have multiple locations or have a large service area. It’s generally recommended include links to these locations and / or their landing pages in the footer.
What to do:
Include NAP info and business hours in the site’s footer.
What to do:
Add external links to your business’s social media profiles so that search engines associate your business and website with the correct social profiles.
Note: Be sure to use properly sized SVG files for social media icons as opposed to PNGs or JPGs to avoid potentially significant increases in load times.