{"id":5749,"date":"2017-11-20T17:09:44","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T00:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/?p=5749"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:26:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:26:23","slug":"writing-seo-friendly-local-service-landing-pages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/writing-seo-friendly-local-service-landing-pages\/","title":{"rendered":"Writing SEO-Friendly Local Service Landing Pages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Landing pages are important for any website because they are a visitor’s first impression of the business itself. Having a great landing page is the difference between engaging a visitor or driving them away. But landing pages also play an important role in getting a visitor to your site in the first place. This is because search engines are constantly trying to guess whether or not a page will be valuable to potential searchers. Here\u2019s what Google has to say<\/a> about the algorithms they use for ranking pages:<\/p>\n

\u201cThese algorithms analyze hundreds of different factors to try to surface the best information the web can offer, from the freshness of the content, to the number of times your search terms appear, and whether the page has a good user experience.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The first two points are fairly self explanatory. Content should be \u201cfresh,\u201d meaning that it should be up-to-date and accurate. You should also utilize target search terms throughout the landing page because this is the most obvious way to send signals regarding your topic. But what exactly is a \u201cgood user experience\u201d? How does an algorithm judge whether or not a human will find a certain webpage useful?<\/p>\n

The answer is, it\u2019s a secret; something that the search engines don\u2019t tell the general public. However, there are ways in which we can study their results to get an idea of how search engines value certain page characteristics. One such tactic is to look at pages that are successfully ranking well and analyze their content.<\/p>\n

Rising to the Challenge<\/h2>\n

\"local<\/p>\n

For this exercise, we will be looking at pages that rank well for some of the most competitive keywords in the United States. We\u2019ll be breaking down the ideal SEO-friendly geographic service pages based on the most common features of these pages. By looking at their strategies for success, we can gain valuable insights to help us beat competitors.<\/p>\n

Introducing the Topic<\/h2>\n

Having a concise intro demonstrates your expertise as an author. People have short attention spans, so your intro not only has to clearly address the topic right away, but also be interesting enough to make readers want to stay on your page. You want to assure the reader that they have come to the right place for the information they are seeking.<\/p>\n

Ideally, you want a two paragraph introduction with the first paragraph covering the subject of your service. If you are a personal injury lawyer, talk about the injustice of a debilitating injury. If you are a bed bug exterminator, talk about the scourge of bed bugs. This is your subject. Next, address the relationship you or your business has with this subject. This is your service. Below is a great example of an intro from the top ranking page<\/a> for the search term \u201cDallas truck accident lawyer\u201d:<\/p>\n

\"describing<\/p>\n

Your Service<\/h2>\n

Next you will want to cover what is provided with the service you are advertising. What is it that you will be doing for your potential client? How do you define the process? This section gives you an excellent opportunity to utilize external links to noteworthy sites. For instance, if you are a divorce lawyer for a certain state, explain how a \u201cdivorce\u201d is defined by the laws of your state with a link to the official legal code. Check out this example<\/a> from the top page for \u201cLos Angeles divorce lawyer\u201d:<\/p>\n

\"los<\/p>\n

Why send a potential customer or client away from your site? Some studies have shown that external links to high-authority external sites can actually boost your rankings<\/a>. Use authoritative sites to establish your own expertise on the topic at hand.<\/p>\n

What you Bring to the Table<\/h2>\n

Next you want to address the reasons why a client should want to use this service. What will they gain or what problem will be solved after they use this service? What makes your unique version of the process different than the competition? Here\u2019s an example from the top ranking page<\/a> for the search term \u201cLiposuction Los Angeles\u201d:<\/p>\n

\"benefits<\/p>\n

Take notice of how the above list is structured. We found that 81% of the high-ranking service pages we investigated for this post used HTML lists<\/a>. These lists are successful because they:<\/p>\n