Pages and Keyword Structures, what do you think?

[activitysuper]

Hi,

So I think the best way to do this would be to layout a fictitious example so here it is.

Lets say you offer plumbing and painting services and want to start targeting 3 more locations near by.

'Plumber +Location' and 'Painter +Location' both get the exact same search so are equal.

I would personally create a new page called '/plumber-and-painter-location/'

Then have the title tag contain both keywords 'Plumber and Painter +Location'.

BUT... maybe it would be better to have a page for each as this would then be more relevant SEO wise and the customer looking for a painter wouldn't be presented with non-relevant plumbing content.

But this does mean now instead of 3 pages you need 6. And if you bolted on another services such as Plastering instead of the 3 pages you need 9.

Basically If you offered Plumbing, Painting & Plastering in 3 different locations how would you structure it?

Cheers

[eyepaq]

Hi,

There are somehow in the same industry but not really the same niche. Some people can look for the entire set of 2 or 3 services but I think most will only look for one. That being said I would suggest having a separate landing page for each keyword+location as long as you won't have the same text on all pf the pages - as duplicate content won't help you rank with any of them for sure.

if you have only 2-3 location then the solution is easy: you will have one page for Plumber for all 3 locations - so that means the other way around - don't merge the services but the locations.

You can actually optimize for all 3 locations for the same page easier and it will also be relevant.

Think more like a topic page for Painter for 3 different locations. There are a lot of samples available online for people that are optimizing a product / service for several locations on one page and doing that avoiding duplicate content across the site for having the same info with different locations.

That's my personal opinion based on a few similar optimisation I've done that worked really well.

[GeorgiaSEOServices]

Setting up three separate pages for each "location" is going to be a disservice to your site. Google is concerned about the content on the page. Don't use too much URL and title tag trickery or it will have the exact opposite SEO effect that you're looking for where you won't rank for any of the locations.

I would HIGHLY suggest that you consider moving your plumbing and painting services onto different websites. The two fields really do not compliment each other and you'd benefit from being able to create websites that are more relevant. For instance, create a plumbing site that list the services you provide (We snake drains, waterproofing, pipe repair, toilet replacement, etc.), locations, maybe a how-to section, Q&A area, contact pages, etc.  Even better would then be to expand on each service such as a full page on waterproofing, a full page on toilet repair, etc.  And that way the entire site is focused JUST on plumbing and it will have a better shot at performing well on the search engines for plumbing terms since it's more relevant to plumbing.

As for the location dilemma, just list the areas that you service in the content of the page.  If the locations are all within a specific county or region, it's best to focus on that instead.  Then you can simply create a title tag saying "ABC Plumbing Service & Repair - Proudly Serving Location A, B & C". A good dose of keyword research would serve you well before you construct your title tags. Find out what people are searching for and especially search volume regarding "service + location".   Here in the states, people search for "Atlanta plumber" FAR more frequently than they would "Roswell plumber".  But counties that have multiple cities work very well also.  Research it.

I'd search out a consultant to help you in this process to get the best results. While I obviously would push us myself, there are hundreds here who can also help you out. We're everywhere.

[RyanKent]

Chris and eyepaq shared good viewpoints. I will build on what they shared and offer a modified approach.

If you were to start a new company "Joe's Plumbing, Painting and Plastering" then here is the approach I would take:

• On day 1, there would be a /plumbing page, /painting page and a /plastering page. These pages would offer detailed information about the services offered.

• Over time, after a few projects were completed in a given area, you could create a /plumbing-chicago page. That page would share details about projects completed in the given area. Add pictures, addresses and other details. Testimonials work great too! Any details to offer rich information specific to that area. I would not recommend moving in this direction unless you can offer a quality page.

[eyepaq]

Ryan is right - that will be indeed a very good approach. However I think is hard  to have unique quality content for each Painting for each location and if you are not able to do that I would merge the locations.

If you can follow Ryan's proposal you have a winning strategy indeed.

[activitysuper]

Thanks everyone for the responses given me a good idea now so I guess it's just a case of pen to paper and drawing out the structure.

Thanks to Ryan as well for input.