Local SEO url format & structure: ".com/albany-tummy-tuck" vs ".com/tummy-tuck" vs ".com/procedures/tummy-tuck-albany-ny" etc."

[WDeLuca]

We have a relatively new site (re: August '10) for a plastic surgeon who opened his own solo practice after 25+ years with a large group. Our current url structure goes 3 folders deep to arrive at our tummy tuck procedure landing page. The site architecture is solid and each plastic surgery procedure page (e.g. rhinoplasty, liposuction, facelift, etc.) is no more than a couple clicks away. So far, so good - but given all that is known about local seo (which is a very different beast than national seo) quite a bit of on-page/architecture work can still be done to further improve our local rank.

So here a a couple big questions facing us at present:

First, regarding format, is it a given that using geo keywords within the url indispustibly and dramatically impacts a site's local rank for the better (e.g. the #2 result for "tummy tuck" and its SHENANIGANS level use of "NYC", "Manhattan", "newyorkcity" etc.)? Assuming that it is, would we be better off updating our cosmetic procedure landing page urls to "/albany-tummy-tuck" or "/albany-ny-tummy-tuck" or "/tummy-tuck-albany" etc.?

Second, regarding structure, would we be better off locating every procedure page within the root directory (re: "/rhinoplasty-albany-ny/") or within each procedure's proper parent category (re: "/facial-rejuvenation/rhinoplasty-albany-ny/")? From what I've read within the SEOmoz Q&A, adding that parent category (e.g. "/breast-enhancement/breast-lift") is better than having every link in the root (i.e. completely flat).

Third, how long before google updates their algorithm so that geo-optimized urls like http://www.kolkermd.com/newyorkplasticsurgeon/tummytucknewyorkcity.htm don't beat other sites who do not optimize so aggressively or local?

Fourth, assuming that each cosmetic procedure page will eventually have strong link profiles (via diligent, long term link building efforts), is it possible that geo-targeted urls will negatively impact our ability to rank for regional or less geo-specific searches?

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Thanks!

[BizDetox]

First  question.

Tummy tuck is a unique procedure in itself i am guessing, so using NY in the title would benefit you a lot. For example just speaking generally, if you use a deep target keyword such as , albany-ny-tummy-tuck , You might be limited on the traffic you get but will be good traffic. Vs using ny-tummy-tuck. My personal experience, specially dealing with unique niche items, I think a person from manhattan would want to go to albany to get a tummy tuck. So that being said a broader net for that keyword would be awesome.

Side Notes:

A. you need to use your company info " full address " on every page. Either site wide footer to be indexed or text on every page.

B. To benefit best for that local based seo signal you need to make sure all your citations are in order. Use yext.com. AWESOME time saving and a must if you want to compete locally. Or you can manually make the changes but does take a lot of time.

Second question, i would recommend looking at what is the most traffic driven long tail or medium size keyword that would benefit you and put that as close to the main directory as possible.

ie: Home/ Procedure / Tummy Tuck .

It would awesome if you can post your current Site structure and maybe we can help you structure it better,

Hope it helps

Hampig M

Bizdetox.

[mlagasse]

I say, the shorter url with most popular keywords, related to the on-page content. Links, where are they coming from?..what are their Domain Authority and anchor text when linking to your page? That is where I would focus. Build it healthy, otherwise you are propping your business up on a leg that may get kicked out with a google change..

[jim_cetin]

Hi

I had a similar issue to solve, so maybe it will help you to decide if not happened already.The listing results were very good!

The customer is providing services in a given area "State and City/Suburb or Town level".

I've created a hierarchical structure for both the services and the locations, then I've just linked them together via tags, so that the Services content had tags for locations and vice versa.

The Path structure:

For location: /locations/WA/Perth/Perth-Hills

For Service: /services/servicex

Regards,

Jim Cetin

[eyepaq]

As an add-on: more subfolders will also reduce the chances of getting hit by a manual or algorithmic penalization from Google on the entire domain or on a larger scale within the domain due to bad content in one of the folders.

[NickEubanks]

Hey Bill,

I actually have direct and very relevant experience with designing a URL architecture to penetrate local search in both Google's 10 -pack as well as full organic listings.

A while back I was designing a site for a client in the medical services industry and needed to target a large variety of cities across the U.S. (500+) and conducted a number of experiements to find out which directory structure would have the greatest impact in ranking for the various geographies where he had satellite offices.

What we found was that creating a master 'locations' page, i.e. .com/locations that then drilled into a deeper geography structure by state, .com/locations/pa ans then finally ending up at the city .com/locations/pa/philadelphia

Ultimately we found that the term 'locations' was able to signal local search results and more so allow for immediate relevancy to be established at the individual city level which made it easier to build authority directly at the individual geography.

I would be happy to provide you with examples of how this strategy is still driving #1 positions for head keyword term + city in over 300 locations, if you're interested shoot me a message.

Best of Luck.

[KeriMorgret]

Just wondering if you're still looking for advice, or if you have any lessons learned you can share with us about how you'd do this differently next time. We're following up on a lot of the older questions that are still marked unanswered right now.

[MartinOddy]

There's quite a lot going on here, so I'm going to chime in where I feel I can add the most value.

I think it is a given that using geo keywords within the URL indisputably impacts a site's local rank; however, few (if any) SEOs would describe that impact as dramatic. It is a signal, but it isn't the biggest factor, and will always be overshadowed by off-page efforts.

Google have said they're aware of too-powerful, keyword- rich URLs, though that's mainly referring to the domain name, as oppose to page/filenames. Your best friend kolkermd only ranks 6th for the query the page you specified is targeting (see: tummy tuck new york city), with superior <title>tags and, I'd wager, keyword-rich backlinks, winning the day.</p> <p>So my advice would revolve around two principles: focus your onpage efforts, including your site's structure, on usability (which is currently very good), taking the battle to your competitors instead with your link building efforts.</p> <p>Also, don't forget Places... perhaps the single most important thing when it comes to local search, particularly for the broader, more competitive terms (i.e. plastic surgery in...).</p></title>

[WDeLuca]

Nice find thanks - though the google webmaster video you referenced doesn't cover question #1 (which was about geo-optimized keywords in url).

[MartinOddy]

This one fleshes out Q2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=971qGsTPs8M&feature=relmfu

[eyepaq]

Q1 and Q2: You should review the bellow video from google main man regarding SEO that will not respont exactly to your question but it will bring light on what the diferences are...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_A1iRY6XTM