Do I Need Geo-Targeted Content On My Website?

Search engines—Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.—are always learning and evolving, constantly becoming smarter in order to deliver a better overall search experience to its users. Geo-targeted content is one way to deliver a better user experience focusing around hyper-local, unique, informative content relative to your website’s desired visitors. Let’s take a closer look at geo-targeted web content and its benefits.

What Is Geo-Targeted Content?

Geo-targeted content is any content designed to deliver a unique user experience relative to a specific location—typically a region, state, city, county, zip code, or town. Geo-targeted content can be anything: text, a photo, an infographic, map, video, etc. so long as it’s unique.

For example, let’s pretend I own an HVAC company in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and let’s call my HVAC company “Brandon’s Heating & Cooling.” Brandon’s Heating & Cooling provides HVAC services in Gaithersburg, Maryland as well as Silver Spring, MD, Baltimore, MD, Alexandria, VA, and Washington, DC.

Now let’s pretend you, the search user and potential customer, live in Silver Spring, MD and are in need of HVAC contractor to repair your furnace. Because you (hypothetically) have never needed furnace repairs before, you search Google for “furnace repair in Silver Spring” to find an HVAC contractor fit for the job. You click on a result you like and find yourself looking at a webpage on www.brandonsheatingandcooling.com titled, “Furnace Repair in Silver Spring, Maryland.”

Once on this webpage, you notice the text mentions nearby landmarks in Silver Spring, along with a map of the city and an infographic detailing the leading causes of furnace break downs in Silver Spring homes. You have landed on a geo-targeted webpage, made with unique content focused on Silver Spring.

As a business owner, if your geo-targeted content is valuable it will be the first step in your sales funnel and the first step towards acquiring a new customer!

Geo-Targeted Content: Who Does It Well?

Uber produces great geo-targeted content on its website. For those that have never heard of Uber, it is a fantastic new(ish) taxi-like service across the globe. Typically found in major U.S. and foreign cities, Uber hires drivers that use their personal cars, which must meet Uber requirements and are usually nicer than a traditional taxi car—and the best part is, Uber responds faster and chargers cheaper fares to its users than other cab companies.

Here is a look at Uber’s homepage:

Here is a look at Uber’s geo-targeted page focusing on New York City :

And Washington, DC:

Do you notice a difference between each geo-targeted page? Some of the main differences include:

• Geo-targeted URLs
• Unique maps (generated by Google Maps)
• Cars available for pick up in each geo-targeted city
• Estimated fares that differ between cities

Should I Create Geo-Targeted Content On My Website?

Yes. If you have the resources (time and manpower) you should include geo-targeted content on your company’s website.

By doing so you are providing unique content to your visitors that your competitor may not. Also, when search engines crawl your website and find geo-targeted content, your website is viewed as more authoritative, your website is more likely to be displayed on SERPs (“search engine results page”), and more likely to be found by prospective customers. Separate your company from its competitors with geo-targeted content.

Ready to start creating geo-targeted web content? Blue Corona provides a variety of online marketing services, including search engine optimization that incorporates geo-targeted content. Complete the form below for a free SEO analysis of your website.