Local Search Results Tanked My 1st Page Ranking

[ToughTimesLawyer]

My site was routinely ranking in the top 2-3 in Google for my relevant search terms.  Then I started working on my local SEO.  Now I'm in the map list at 1-2, but my site no longer shows up with the rest of the search results. I've heard that this has been happening to other local businesses with a big Google presence.

I'm thinking that I should create some micro sites for each location listing that gives a location specific intro and then links to my main site.  Then I can sever my main site from Google places.  Here are my two questions:

1)  Is this going to kill my placement in the map results; and,

2. How long will it take for my main site to get back to its 2-3 spot rankings in Google's regular results?

[Thos003]

Interesting test and question.

I've noted for a long time that Google will typically put the same URL either in the maps or on the page, but rarely both.Since the maps are part of the mixed results, the mix only allows the URL to appear once. You can however rank two separate URLs.

Part of the ranking factors within local are SEO related, so creating a microsite may not allow you to rank in the maps. Honestly, I don't think microsites are a best practice here. Plus, linking back to your main site with a bunch of microsites may appear to google as a "network". That could be bad for both micro and main site.

Proceed with caution if you must proceed. Trying to "over optimize" could cause you to loose all your first page rankings. I am a bit curious why you feel you need both. Has your traffic changed since being in the map section?

[ToughTimesLawyer]

I've seen a drop in traffic, but it may be a business cycle.  I'm a consumer bankruptcy lawyer, and we see lots of peaks and valleys in our filing rates, which correlate to the peaks and valleys in site traffic.

When I'm in the regular search results it's clear that I'm a debtors lawyer, have a payment plan etc., because of how I set up the description text.  When I'm in the map results, I'm blending in with all the other results.

[Thos003]

So if you had to pick just one or the other you'd prefer the non-map result...

If that's the case then change the URL in your local listing to different page. You may lose your map. It may come back. But at least you get your preferred listing.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi David, That's really an interesting scenario you've described of actually preferring your purely organic result over your local one. What has likely happened is that your previous organic rankings have simply blended in with your new local ones, because most local rankings are blended these days. Thomas' suggestion is a creative one and may be worth trying if you truly feel you were benefiting more from a plain organic display vs. a blended local one, but now that you've got your local info out there, how Google chooses to display it may be difficult to change.