LOCAL LANDING PAGES AND SERVICE-AREA PAGES.
Pages for each town you serve can help people nearby find you. Copy-paste city pages can also break Google's spam policies. Here is where Google draws the line and how to build location pages that are worth ranking.
WHAT CHANGED RECENTLY
- Google updated its site reputation policy — Third-party pages hosted on your domain are in scope.
- Google spam policies now cover AI responses — The same spam rules apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode.
This guide covers what stays true. The blog tracks the changes as they land.
WHERE GOOGLE DRAWS THE LINE
Google defines doorway abuse as sites or pages created to rank for specific, similar search queries that lead users to intermediate pages that aren't as useful as the final destination.1 Its examples include:
- Having multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page.1
- Creating substantially similar pages that are closer to search results than a clearly defined, browseable hierarchy.1
Google's helpful content guidance also asks whether you're producing lots of content in hopes some of it performs, or using extensive automation to produce content.2 A hundred city pages with only the town name swapped fit that description.
DOORWAY VS USEFUL
| Topic | Doorway-style page | Useful location page |
|---|---|---|
| Towns covered | Every town in the state, whether you go there or not | Only the towns you really serve, matching your Business Profile service area |
| Content | Same text with the city name swapped | Details that differ by place: jobs done there, travel times, local permits or conditions you actually deal with |
| Purpose | Funnels visitors to one contact page [1] | Answers the visitor's question on the page, then offers a way to book |
| Navigation | Hidden pages linked only from the footer or sitemap | Part of a clear hierarchy, such as Services, then Areas we serve [1] |
| Address | A fake or virtual address in each town | Your real base, or no street address if you travel to customers [3] |
| Photos and proof | Stock images | Your own photos, and only reviews customers really left |
MATCH YOUR BUSINESS PROFILE
If you travel to customers, Google's guidelines say a service-area business should hide its address from customers, and the overall service area shouldn't extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from where the business is based.3 You can set up to 20 service areas by city, postal code or another type of area.4
Keep your pages consistent with that: the towns on your site should be towns in your service area. Google also says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking,5 so pages for places you don't serve won't make up for distance.
Never create Business Profiles at virtual offices or addresses you don't operate from to look local in more towns. Google's guidelines require a real location customers can visit, or travel to customers.3
HOW TO BUILD ONE
- Start with the main service page. One strong page per service beats many thin town pages.
- Add a town page only when you have something real to say. Past jobs there, the neighbourhoods you cover, typical travel time.
- Link it into your site. An "Areas we serve" page that links to each town page, and back to the services.
- Use real photos and details. Your crew, your trucks, your finished work.
- Mark it up honestly. Use LocalBusiness schema that matches the page and your profile.
- Check it gets found. Use Search Console, as in our local SEO checklist. Pages that get no impressions after a few months may need merging.
FAQ
How many town pages should I have?
Google doesn't give a number. The test is whether each page is useful on its own, not a near-copy of the others.1
Can I use AI to write them?
Google's guidance warns against using extensive automation to produce content.2 If you use tools, add real local detail and review every page.
Should I list towns outside my Business Profile service area?
Keep your site and profile consistent. Google says a service area shouldn't extend beyond about 2 hours of driving time.3
Can you build these pages?
Yes. It's part of the websites we build and our local SEO work, including for home services businesses.
SOURCES
- Google Search Central, Spam policies for Google web search.
- Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.
- Google Business Profile Help, Guidelines for representing your business on Google.
- Google Business Profile Help, Manage your service areas for service-area and hybrid businesses.
- Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
KEEP READING
BOOK A STRATEGY CALL
Not sure whether your town pages help or hurt? Send us your site and we will look at them on a 15-minute call.