Local SEO for Multiple Locations: What Business Owners Need to Know

As a local business owner, you’re probably well aware of the importance of search engine optimization (SEO). However, if you operate multiple locations, maximizing your online presence and brand awareness requires additional effort.

This doesn’t mean that you need to create a completely separate website with a new domain for each location, but they do need to be treated individually in several aspects that can greatly improve visibility. In this guide, we’ll cover several best practices you should implement for your business, along with common pitfalls that often derail local SEO efforts.

Before we get into that, let’s first discuss what exactly is multi-location SEO and why it’s important for business owners to know.

What is Multi-Location SEO and Why is it Important?

Multi-location SEO is the process of optimizing your business’s online presence so that each location ranks higher in local search results. The benefits of a high ranking may seem obvious, but the full impact is often underestimated.

According to Fit Small Business, 96% of consumers use the internet to learn about local businesses. When nearly everyone is judging your business based on its online presence, the importance can’t be overstated.

And while it’s not the only website that matters, Google is far and away the most important site to optimize your search results. According to GlobalStats, nearly 80% of search engine usage worldwide occurred on Google in July 2025.

Not only is it essential to focus on Google, but the numbers prove it’s not enough just to appear anywhere in the results. Backlinko found that only 9% of Google users scroll to the bottom of the first page of results, while Vendasta reported that 44% of users don’t make it past the top three results. 

While Google should be your top priority, any SEO improvements will benefit your visibility across all search engines and listing platforms. For multi-location businesses, this makes it essential to understand SEO best practices that apply not only to all locations collectively but also to each location individually.

So let’s dive into those best practices and address some common pitfalls that will ultimately help every location appear at the top of your local search results.

Best Practices

Showcase and Manage Reviews

Many people rely on recommendations from family and friends when choosing a product or service. Reviews work the same way, as Invesp reported that 88% of consumers trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations. Reviews not only strengthen your business’s reputation but also greatly improve your SEO.

Encouraging customers to post reviews is easy and highly effective. It’s especially helpful to gather reviews to receive location-specific feedback. However, it’s not enough to just collect and display reviews, as managing them is equally important. Responding to reviews helps improve the customer experience, encourages more positive feedback in the future, and signals to Google that your business is trustworthy. This is especially valuable when users search for “best” or “top” businesses in your industry.

Optimize Google Business Profiles

Creating a Google Business Profile (GBP) for each location of your business is vital to differentiating them in search results. Be sure to include high-quality images, monitor and respond to reviews, and ensure that each listing displays accurate name, address, and phone number (NAP) information.

It’s also recommended that you don’t use a single central phone number across all locations, include the city or other geo-specific keywords in the business’s name, or claim a wide variety of categories from the list Google provides. The more accurate and relevant your information is, the easier it will be for Google’s algorithm to understand and rank your profiles.

Build and Manage Citations and Listings

While your GBP will be the most influential online listing, that doesn’t mean you should neglect all other citation and listing sites, such as Yelp and Bing. It can be beneficial to search for local listings sites, as that may be a primary source for consumers in your area. 

Regularly check all citations and listing hosts for accurate NAP information. If you find a citation hosted on a spammy site, dispute it right away to have it removed, since such listings can hurt both your SEO performance and your brand’s reputation.

Optimize Location-Specific Landing Pages

Similar to how you should create location-specific GBPs, having specific pages on your website for each location makes it easier to search for your business. This allows you to specify the location in the URL, title, and description of each landing page.

From there, it’s best practice to include as much location-specific information as possible, such as NAP information and storefront photos. Create content that’s specific to each community and showcase positive reviews to connect with your customer base. All of this information is searchable on Google and other engines, so accuracy and regular updates are just as important as citations and listings. 

Build Quality Backlinks

Backlinking is a lesser-known SEO strategy, but it’s incredibly impactful. It involves other credible websites linking back to yours, which can be for a multitude of reasons. It’s easier done with a single location, but multi-location businesses can still find a way to make it useful.

To build backlinks for specific locations, consider hosting events and sponsoring local events or charities. This can lead to the event websites, charities, and local media outlets tagging you on their site. You can also leverage business partnerships and propose a mutually beneficial backlinking strategy.

Use Localized Keywords

Keywords were briefly mentioned regarding your GBPs, but they should also apply to your website. Entering correct NAP information is the most basic way to do so, but it can go much deeper. Creating content that includes keywords that apply to your business is a great way to widen the range of searches you appear in. 

Put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers, think about what they may search for, and find a way to incorporate it into your website’s content. Users often search for things like “car insurance near Chicago” or “best mechanic in Kansas City.” Find a way to appear early in these results, and you’ll see a boost in visibility. Just be careful not to keyword stuff, as it will diminish your SEO efforts.

Track Performance

Implementing these best practices will inevitably help your local SEO, but it’s only the first step. Tracking, analyzing, and adjusting your strategies regularly will help make the most of your efforts. 

Several tools are available to help monitor performance, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These can help you track metrics such as organic traffic, user behavior, and website ranking. It can also identify areas in which your SEO efforts are lacking so they can be corrected. 

Common Pitfalls

Now that we’ve covered several best practices for multi-location SEO, let’s clarify some mistakes that are commonly made and can be detrimental to local business SEO. Making yourself aware of these pitfalls can help you surpass your competitors, who may not know they’re making the same mistakes.

Inaccurate Information

It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to have accurate information on your website and listings. Even a single mistake can undermine all the work you’ve done to get your locations to the top of search results. If users can’t contact or find you, they’ll move on quickly. Inaccurate details also make it difficult for Google and other search engines to recognize and properly rank your business.

Keyword Stuffing

Localized keywords are essential to a successful SEO strategy across multiple locations, but overusing them will have a negative effect. When search engines identify keyword stuffing, they often recognize it as spam, which significantly hurts site visibility. Use the best keywords for your business, industry, and community, but only use them where necessary.

Duplicate Content

If you own multiple websites, copying and pasting the same content across all of them may seem like an easy way to fill them, but it hurts your SEO. Duplicate content confuses search engines, making it unclear which website to rank, and ultimately reduces visibility for each one. Instead, publish unique content for every location’s website to emphasize local relevance.

Lack of Updates and Engagement

Your website, listings, and reviews should be monitored weekly, if not daily. The world is constantly changing, and so are consumer behaviors. Making updates to reflect that will help maximize your SEO efforts while showing your customers you’re active in the community. Regularly checking and addressing reviews will also signal to customers that you care about their opinions and are making the necessary changes to help your business provide the best experience possible. 

How Best Version Media Can Help

Running a business is demanding, and managing multiple locations adds even more responsibility. Best Version Media can help lighten the load by offering bundled display ads and social media campaigns that boost your brand awareness and make the most of your marketing budget.

BVM also offers reviews, listings, and reputation management that enhance your online presence across multiple search engines, maps, and directories, which can all be managed from one simple dashboard.
So what are you waiting for? Let BVM help you level up your marketing efforts so you can spend more time focusing on your business.