On Page Optimization to Rank For Multiply Cities

[vlad_mezoz]

I have service that operates in western Massachusetts, and I'm targeting keywords that are "KEYWORD - CITY", i have over 20 cities, whats the best way to optimize my website for these keywords, should i create a one page and mention all the cities that we operate in?

Thanks

[CaseyKluver]

In the future(if they havent started to already), I think Google is going to be cracking down a bit on websites that are structured like this... Having X amount of pages for the same thing just changing it up a bit to target a new city.

If you have an office or address in those 20 cities, I would start with optimizing any Google+ Local listings and focusing on ranking those first. It's a much easier and legitimate strategy then making a bunch of spammy(most likely) looking pages.

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Konstantin,

Is your client located in 20 cities, or serving 20 cities from 1 physical location?

In either case, I definitely do not recommend putting a static list of cities anywhere on the site. As Casey has guessed, Google is indeed setting their sights on this practice of listing cities in big chunks. There has recently been an update to the Webmaster guidelines (see: http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=66358)  that sent some buzz through the Local SEO community.:

Keyword stuffing

"Keyword stuffing" refers to the practice of loading a webpage with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate a site's ranking in Google search results. Often these keywords appear in a list or group, or out of context (not as natural prose). Filling pages with keywords or numbers results in a negative user experience, and can harm your site's ranking. Focus on creating useful, information-rich content that uses keywords appropriately and in context.

Examples of keyword stuffing include:

• Lists of phone numbers without substantial added value
• Blocks of text listing cities and states a webpage is trying to rank for
• Repeating the same words or phrases so often that it sounds unnatural, for example:
  We sell custom cigar humidors. Our custom cigar humidors are handmade. If you’re thinking of buying a custom cigar humidor, please contact our custom cigar humidor specialists at custom.cigar.humidors@example.com.

(Bolded emphasis mine)

So, regardless of whether you client has 1 office or 20, avoid this practice of placing chunks of city names on the site. The appropriate approach is to create unique content on city landing pages dedicated to each locale. Don't take any short cuts in this work. Be prepared to write creatively and uniquely for each city you cover. I can't overstate the importance of this work.

Good luck!