Question: Are Local City Pages still working for Improving Local S.E.O???

[Cam]

So much has changed and keeps changing it is hard keeping up with what google wants or does not want these days!

I would like to get some thoughts on creating local City Pages to help with local search rankings. Is this still a viable option with Google these days?

Looking at Phil's article here>> 16 Ways to Create Unique

I see that it's relatively new looking at the published date so what is the take on this situation "currently" is it still working or is it getting local businesses in trouble with google?

Here is my website so that you can see my structure Computer Repair Services Wilmington NC – PC Medics On Call

Here is a competitors site where you can see that because he has a URL call "computer-repair-wilmington-nc" he is raking for 2 pages on the top of the search

thecomputerwarriors.com/computer-repair-wilmington-nc.html

What I am asking specifically is that can I create a page of unique content with the same "computer-repair-wilmington-nc" in attempts to help my rankings that have dropped since hummingbird?

I have been toggleing this idea back and forth for months now but in my mind it's duplicate content so I have not pursued it but yet, The Computer Warriors don't seem to be affected by this and it is helping them. Why I don't know, brian has not done Jack shI@t to that website in 3 years and it is completely inferior to mine but yet he continues to rank in my placement where I was ranking prior to hummingbird.


Thank you.

Cam

 

[Cam]

Bump.. for a reply or thoughts on the matter please.

 

[Phil Rozek]

Good question, Cam. The strategy I described back in April of last year still works fine. If one adheres to it, that is: the page you linked to is gibberish. What I described are a bunch of ways to make city-specific pages substantially different from each other - to show some little but real connection to the city, rather than just pay it lip-service by repeating the name of the city over and over. It's kosher to Google, and always will be.

 

[Cam]

Thank you very much for the response back Phil. Ok, that is good to know and yes, I did understand the article that you wrote and what it is supposed to accomplish with unique separate city pages.

Thank you Phil. (honorable mention & thank you to Linda as well)


Question please, do you think me creating a page for /computer-repair-wilmington-nc/ that is unique will hurt me? I do plan on creating other city specific pages as well just so you know.

Cam

 

[Phil Rozek]

Question please, do you think me creating a page for /computer-repair-wilmington-nc/ that is unique will hurt me? I do plan on creating other city specific pages as well just so you know.

Cam

That should be fine. The page would have to be real over-"optimized" for you to get into hot water with Google. The bigger risk, of course, is creating a page that makes people hit the "back" button.

 

[Cam]

Appreciate your time on this Phil, I really do! I am all about quality and have been doing SEO for 6 years now (for myself) but, I think that there are a lot of webmasters out there that have become cynical about what has been going on over the past 2 years and "yes" even doubtful of their own personal instincts when it comes to doing SEO anymore.

I have always, always practiced white hat SEO and never believed in instant gratification in regards to anything. But I have to say, these days I am at a loss on what to do and not to do because well..the game is rigged by google and the powers that be and we all know it.

It get's disheartening when you work so hard to achieve 1st 2nd and 3rd place on the front page of Google and then that gets taken from you despite the fact that you earned it the old fashioned way by hard work and diligence.

I was ranking on the top of the first page of goole mostly number 1 and 2 positions for just about anything that you could perform a search query for related to computer repair in Wilmington. Now, I am number 7 and my rakings have been replaced by PPC customers that don't deserve the ranking placement and also shitty directory like yahoo search results and LOW QUALITY CRAIGSLIST trollers.

Sorry man, I'm not trying to vent but I'll be truthful, it really pisses me off that I have to continue to break my rear end unnecessarily to get back to where I was that I earned fair and square.

Thank you very much for indulging me with your time and expertise on this matter Philip, I truly do appreciate it man!

Sincerely,

Cam