The Real Scoop on Microsites for Local SEO by Phil Rozek

[Linda Buquet]

I was buried yesterday and missed a great post by Phil Rozek.

Check it out for the scoop, and nothing but the real scoop from Phil!

Microsites for Local SEO: the Pros and Cons | LocalVisibilitySystem.com

My rule is simple: Have as few sites as possible.

Even if you think that number will end up being more than a handful of sites, figure out your exact reasons for having that many sites. If your reasons begin with “Because Google…” then you’re probably headed for trouble sooner or later.

Ideally you have one site that you grow into a beast, through focus and sustained effort.

But however many sites you have, you’ll get out of them exactly what you put into them.

I agree with Phil and you know what I always say:

"Many business owners have a "divide and conquer" mentality - thinking the more sites the better.

In Google Local the best strategy is "United We Stand".

One site. One NAP identity. All authority, link building and marketing effort, focused on one strong Internet presence."

What say ye???

 

[Phil Rozek]

Thanks, Linda!

 

[Louis Nava]

I read the post when it came out and thought ... Phil must be reading my mind right now as I'm currently with a couple of clients who have this setup.

Great post.. it's one thing to know these things in your own mind but it's another to be able to articulate it the way Phil does. It definitely gave me a few more points to mention during my discussions with them.

 

[Phil Rozek]

There were probably a few cons I forgot Thanks, Louis.

 

[OmegaMan]

What I noticed a few months ago was a LOCKSMITH company with a very strong position -A- google places listing NO organic from 0-100. But he had a bunch of MICROSITES ranking in Organic they woud change the TItle of the URL once it reached the 1st page organicly and if you looked at it looked like he was ranking 1 website in both MAPS & ORGANIC. It was like that for about 9 months. For the past few weeks I haven't seen his MAP LISTINGS and his organic listings are starting to fall in the 100s. MAN i bet he was busy for those 9 months.........

 

[Andrew Scherer]

What I noticed a few months ago was a LOCKSMITH company with a very strong position -A- google places listing NO organic from 0-100. But he had a bunch of MICROSITES ranking in Organic they woud change the TItle of the URL once it reached the 1st page organicly and if you looked at it looked like he was ranking 1 website in both MAPS & ORGANIC. It was like that for about 9 months. For the past few weeks I haven't seen his MAP LISTINGS and his organic listings are starting to fall in the 100s. MAN i bet he was busy for those 9 months.........

That's an interesting one.

I see tactics like these a lot but it seems they're pretty temporary.

 

[chadkimball]

That's an interesting one.

I see tactics like these a lot but it seems they're pretty temporary.

straight up churn and burn locksmith stuff
he lucked out for those 9 months!

 

[Everest Legal Mktg]

I've found some success with local micro sites. Especially when there isn't extremely heavy competition and the page authority isn't too important. I also agree that there must be relevant city information and it's an art to prevent it from looking spammy.

 

[Andrew Scherer]

For some reason lawyers are obsessed with having multiple micro-sites, this is really the only niche I can think of that its super common in.

For a single business that wants to make a handful of microsites, I just don't think the ROI is there. This is the case not only just for local.

However, for an SEO company that serves clients in the same general region, I think having a handful of microsites is a prudent investment.