One website, many locations, without copies

Why locations are not interchangeable

A customer searching near one location wants that location. They do not care that you have six. They want the address, the hours, and a phone that reaches that branch.

Search engines see the same thing. A page that serves one place well is easier to match to a nearby search than a page that vaguely covers many.

So treat each location as its own small subject, even when the brand and the services are the same across all of them.

What each location page must contain

Give every location the details only that branch can supply. Anything shared across all branches belongs on a general page, not repeated on each one.

Write the page for people who will walk in or call that branch. The list below is the core of it, and each item should be specific to the place.

Write these pages with the front desk in mind. Ask the people who answer the phone at each branch what callers ask first, and put those answers high on the page.

• The full address, hours, phone number and a map or directions.
• Photos of that branch, inside and outside.
• The services offered there, including any that differ from other branches.
• The team or the manager who works there.
• Neighborhoods, landmarks and parking in plain words.
• Local proof, such as customer comments about that branch.

One profile per location, one index on the site

Each location that customers can visit should have its own business profile with its own address and phone, and a link to its own page on your site. Do not point every profile at the homepage.

Add a locations page that lists every branch and links to each one. It helps visitors, and it gives search engines a clean path. Our guide to multi-location business websites covers how to plan the structure.

Keep names and numbers identical to what is on the profiles. See consistency and citations for how.

Avoid the copy trap

The tempting shortcut is to write one page and change the town. That produces pages that differ only by a name, and search engines can tell. It also bores customers, who read two pages and see the same thing.

The platform's page generator refuses pages that are a template with the town swapped, and edits that make pages too alike are refused too.

Our page on scaled content abuse explains the policy behind this, and the point is simple. A page needs something real to say.

Decide whether locations get their own sites

Many businesses keep all branches on one site, which suits a single brand with shared services. Others run each location or service line as its own site, with its own domain and voice.

Website Builder Studio supports both. Its larger plans are built so each location or service line can be its own site, and every site passes the same check.

Choose by how customers think of you. If they ask for the brand, keep one site. If they ask for the local shop, separate sites may fit better.

Keep it maintained

Multi-location sites go stale faster. Hours change, managers move and a branch closes. Assign one person to review every location page on a set schedule.

When a location closes, do not simply delete the page. Redirect it to the nearest branch or the locations index, so visitors land somewhere useful.

Check each branch profile at the same time, since a mismatch between the profile and the page confuses customers quickly.

Measure each location on its own

Track calls, direction requests and form submissions for each location. A combined total hides the branch that is thriving and the one that is struggling.

When one location lags, look at its page and profile first. Missing hours, a thin description or few photos are the usual causes, and each is quick to fix.