Worried about changing local SEO homepage tactic
-
Our current home page is texty, talking about why choose us and general information on what the service involves. We are currently developing a new web design and content architecture involving moving all the content out of the home page, and making the homepage a beautiful guide to the site, as is the best practice. I think the home page will generally result in a better user experience.
SEO: we currently rank second for "service city" (going to our homepage). Our domain is service-city.co.uk. While the change is going to involve us adding lots of new good-quality pages with new keyword targets, our most important keyword by far is "service city" and the home page would probably still be the most appropriate page for that keyword.
And I'm gravely worried the change will negatively impact this keyword.
I would appreciate your thoughts
-
Hi Ali!
I like Ryan's thinking and also want to emphasize one important point. Just because the new homepage will be beautiful, doesn't mean it can't include any text. There should still be crawlable text on the homepage, meaning you can still talk about your service there. Don't do away with all text.
-
Is there a happy medium that could include both the navigation and architecture you want but also keep a decent portion of the old content? Have you ran any split testing to gauge how well people react with the new design versus the old design? Do you have current conversion rate numbers on "service city" for your site? If this keyword went away 100% how would that affect business?
Modernizing a site usually is a benefit, and it sounds like you have the right mindset in place for considering what you want to do accomplish by doing so, along with what you want to keep in terms of past ranking success. Perhaps take the time to also run a campaign around the redesign to gain a burst of press and links around the changes as well as still providing the same service in the same city that got you to second in the first place. Cheers!
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Local Help! Google+ Accounts for New Brand & Service Sites
Hi Mozzers! I have a lot of knowledge in local search, G+ page setup/optimization, etc, etc... However, I'm about to begin a business based around "home services". The brand will be ABC Home Services as the umbrella. Then under it will be the individual services like "ABC Carpet Cleaning" "ABC Roofing", etc... Each service will have it's own website for optimization purposes and local search authority building as well as the services will be developed over the course of a couple years ie: carpet cleaning would go up 1st, then the next service and so on... I have purchased all of the domains I want for the services to focus on. What do you recommend I do in terms of setting up Gmail accounts/G+ accounts? Individual service related Gmail accounts and have a main "ABC Home Services" Google account and then add in the service G+ pages over time? I'm open to any questions, but trying to make this the most efficient for me and my team and also the best if can be for local optimization goals and criteria. Thank you! - Patrick
Local Listings | | WhiteboardCreations0 -
Should I disavow local citation page links?
Hello Moz Community, I am worried about my link profile. I feel like there are so many low domain authority links coming from citation pages, or business listings. www.futuresolutionsmedia.com Would you recommend that I try to get rid of them, or just leave them be? Disavow them? MgircmN
Local Listings | | FutureSolutionsMedia0 -
Business Name Change and Local Listings
Hi, I'm working with a local bakery. We're going to change the name, rebuilt the site and branding, change to a new domain. My question is: Is it better to do all the local listings now, then go and update the name and website when we launch, or is it better to wait until the new site launches? Also, we're merging the catering brand into the new brand, what should I do with the old profiles from the catering business? There are 7 good reviews on various platforms (Facebook, Yelp, Google) Thanks!
Local Listings | | MichaelGregory0 -
I really need an Seo Web Developer or Firm.
I am sorry if this is the incorrect place for this but I have searched all over trying to find a reputable firm or person to create or modify my current webpage and rank it better for my keywords. There are just so many people and companies out there, everyone I have worked with has done seemingly nothing for what I paid them (could not be transparent or answer questions). Everytime I look for a firm I come across this site and I use Moz Local, seems like the place to find or get help finding the right person or company to help me. I am looking for an expert in local SEO. I want to ensure that my website is always on top of the current algorithms, I want someone that can rank offsite pages like Facebook and Yelp. Can create or work off my current responsive wordpress site to ensure it is properly optimized to rank well for the local keywords I want. I am not cheap, I am willing to pay. But I need someone who knows local seo in an out. Map listings, citations, link building, different landing pages for services for various local cities, and web design. Graphic arts is a plus as well. I would really appreciate any help or references in finding the correct person or company for me. If it matters I am a local plumber and hvac company based in the chicagoland area. Could anyone please lead me in a positive and honest direction?
Local Listings | | MattRyanNonnie1 -
Rankings on Google local search
Hi, I have been experiencing different rankings while searching with Google local site such as on: google.com.mt > English interface google.com.mt > native language interface but still searching in English. The search phrase is always in English. Also in both occasions the SERPs would contain English listings. There would be no Local/Map listings that affect results order. What is the solution to increase visibility on both English interface and native language interface? Thanks! Conrad
Local Listings | | conalt0 -
How To Change Image Used In Business Knowledge Graph...
How can one change the image that Google shows in a business' knowledge graph in the SERPs? And the image I am referring to is the one that typically appears to the left of the map within the knowledge graph box, above the business' name. The current image that is being used in my client's case is an image that was uploaded in their Google+ My Business profile, but there doesn't appear to be any particular reason why that one was chosen (it wasn't the first or last image uploaded, nor is it selected as the profile picture). As user-interaction increasingly becomes important in rankings, I would like to change this to something more attractive. Thank you for any help and guidance!
Local Listings | | gbkevin1 -
Moz Local in the UK and the Rest of the World
So I've just seen that Moz have rolled out their new Moz Local to help businesses in the USA... Has anyone any idea if this will be available in the UK, if so do we know when? Also, would love to know some feedback on anyone who has already started using this new feature
Local Listings | | bricktech0 -
'People Also Searched for' appears on some but not all local businesses, why? (Google Local Knowledge Panel)
I have a client who does not want the 'People Also Searched for' section on the Google Local Knowledge Panel to appear. I informed her that this is a standard part of the search presentation and that we cannot change. She then pointed out that the 'People also searched for' does not appear on her competitors' Google Local Knowledge Panels. (See the attachment for comparison) This raises a couple of questions: Why are the local businesses different? Can I change the content of her panel? I would appreciate any feedback. google-local.jpg
Local Listings | | sirgeorge0