As a leading web professional service on the Sunshine Coast, WebPress understands the importance of local SEO and the role that area pages play in this strategy. Area pages, also known as suburb pages or service area pages, are a fantastic tool for capturing highly targeted leads and local customers in search. This article will guide you through the process of creating and ranking multiple area pages in Google, effectively and efficiently.
In the SEO world, an area page is a page built specifically to capture search activity based around a particular suburb or location. For instance, if you’re providing carpet cleaning in Mudjimba, you’d want to rank in Google for the search “carpet cleaning Mudjimba” or similar variations. Area pages allow you to do just that.
While this may not mean much if you’re selling a product or service that isn’t location-specific, for tradies such as chippies, tilers, plumbers, and sparkies, it can be incredibly powerful way to reach your audience.
Before you start creating hundreds of area pages on your site, there’s something you need to be aware of. Google considers area pages as “doorway pages” and doesn’t favour them. However, if you’re providing value to the user and helping them find what they need, you’re on the right track.
The key to creating successful area pages is to ensure each page is unique and provides valuable, relevant information. This means you can’t just change a few words around on each page and leave it at that. Every area page must be 100% unique.
Planning is essential when it comes to creating area pages. You need to think about which suburbs might bring about the best conversions and the most profit. It’s recommended to create groups of 10 suburbs at a time and prioritise them as you go.
When it comes to content, remember to always use natural language intended for readers and customers, not just search engines. Long-form content is proven to perform better in search, so aim for at least 750 words for each area page.
When building your area pages, consider the following structure: domain.com.au/city/suburb-name/. This structure is clean, straightforward, and makes sense to both users and search engines.
Your area pages should include a keyword-rich H1 tag, a call to action, a useful and relevant introduction, high-resolution images, and a final call to action.
Once you’ve created your area pages, you’ll want to get them ranked in Google. One way to do this is by using Google’s “Fetch” feature in Webmaster Tools. This can help your pages hit the first page of Google within minutes of being published.
In conclusion, while area pages may not be the most exciting aspect of SEO, they’re a vital component of a successful local SEO strategy. By taking the time to create unique, valuable area pages, you can capture highly targeted leads and boost your local search rankings.