Location Page SEO: How to Rank Local Landing Pages on Page 1

A new client site in the cleaning space is already ranking 5th on page 1 for “after builders cleaning Kensington”—and the website went live just three weeks ago. There are no backlinks, no domain authority, and no site age working in their favour. The ranking comes entirely from on-page SEO.

This shouldn’t happen. In competitive London markets, cleaning companies typically need months of link building and content marketing to break onto page 1. But by building location pages the right way, you can outrank established competitors purely through better on-page optimisation.

Here’s exactly how we did it.

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The Basics: Meta Title and H1 Must Match Your Target Keyword

Your meta title and H1 heading need to clearly state your primary keyword and target location. These two elements must be consistent with each other—this is non-negotiable.

For this client, the primary keyword is “after builders cleaning” and the location is “Kensington.” The meta title includes both, plus the start of the postcode (W8) to make it even more specific. The H1 follows the same pattern: “After Builders Cleaning Kensington.”

This consistency tells Google exactly what the page is about and who should see it. If your meta title says one thing and your H1 says something different, you’re sending mixed signals that hurt your rankings.

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Template Pages No Longer Work

Gone are the days where you could create one template page and swap out the town name for 50 different locations. Google has become far more sophisticated at detecting thin, duplicated content.

Location pages now need to be genuinely specific to each area. Google wants to see content that demonstrates real local expertise—not the same generic copy with “Leicester” replaced by “Nottingham.”

This is actually good news for legitimate local businesses. You have genuine local knowledge from working in these areas every day. The challenge is simply getting that knowledge onto the page in a structured way.

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Include Location References Throughout Your Content

Most H2 and H3 headings on the page include “Kensington” in the title. This reinforces the geographic focus throughout the content, not just in the main heading.

Within the body content, we reference specific elements of Kensington:

• The types of properties common in the area
• Specific postcodes (W8, W14)
• Neighbourhood names like High Street Kensington, South Kensington, Museums Quarter, and Holland Park Conservation Area

This level of specificity shows Google that the content genuinely relates to Kensington, not just any random location. It also demonstrates to potential customers that you understand their area.

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Write Content That Demonstrates Local Knowledge

Cleaning is a competitive industry, so many cleaning websites stuff their pages with massive amounts of content trying to rank for every possible keyword. We matched that content depth, but made sure every paragraph actually said something useful.

The content discusses:

• Specific property types in Kensington
• The unique challenges of after-builders cleaning in period properties
• How the company handles logistics and traffic in that borough
• The nuances of cleaning different building styles found in the area

This isn’t filler content. It’s demonstrating local solutions to local problems. A customer reading this page should think “these people actually know Kensington” rather than “this could be about anywhere.”

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Research What’s Working for Competitors

Before building the page, we analysed the top-ranking cleaning companies in Kensington. We looked at what elements appeared consistently across the highest-ranking pages:

• How It Works sections
• Why Choose Us content
• Service breakdowns
• FAQ structures

Some elements are universal across all industries. But others are specific to cleaning companies in London, or even to this particular service type. The goal is identifying what Google seems to reward in your specific niche and location, then doing it better.

Look at the top three results for your target keyword. Note which sections they all include. Then create your page with those elements—plus additional value they don’t offer.

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Embed a Google Map of the Target Area

The page includes an embedded Google Map showing the Kensington area. This reinforces the geographic focus and gives Google another signal that the content relates specifically to this location.

For service area businesses, embed a map of the area you’re targeting, not just a pin on your office location. This shows the coverage area and adds geographic context that search engines can recognise.

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Use Location-Specific FAQs

FAQ sections have become increasingly important as AI systems scrape websites looking for concise answers to common questions. A strong FAQ section can help you appear in featured snippets and AI-generated responses.

The critical mistake most businesses make is using the same boilerplate FAQ across every location page. That defeats the entire purpose of creating location-specific content.

On this page, at least half the FAQ questions are specific to Kensington: “How long does after builders cleaning take for a Kensington property?” addresses the specific property types and sizes common in that area. Generic questions like “What’s included in your service?” can stay consistent, but location-specific questions should reference the target area directly.

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Internal Linking to Other Location Pages

At the bottom of the page, we include an “Other Areas We Serve” section linking to other location pages on the site. This serves two purposes.

First, it helps visitors who may be searching from a neighbouring area find the right page for their location. Second, it creates internal links that help Google discover and understand the site’s geographic structure.

As the Kensington page gains traffic and authority, those internal links pass value to other location pages, helping them rank faster. This creates a compound effect where success on one page accelerates success on others.

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Build on a Fast, Clean Framework

The site is built on Astro, not WordPress. This matters more than most people realise.

WordPress sites often carry significant technical baggage: dozens of plugins, bloated themes, and database queries that slow everything down. Google rewards fast-loading, mobile-optimised websites, and a clean codebase makes that much easier to achieve.

Astro sites are lightweight by default. They load faster, render cleanly on mobile, and give Google a much cleaner structure to crawl. We’re seeing more and more Astro sites appear in competitive local search results because they simply perform better on the technical metrics Google cares about.

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Key Takeaways

• Meta title and H1 must both include your primary keyword and target location
• Template pages with swapped location names no longer work—each page needs genuinely unique content
• Include the target location in most H2 and H3 headings
• Reference specific neighbourhoods, postcodes, landmarks, and property types within your target area
• Research top-ranking competitors to identify which page elements Google rewards in your niche
• Embed a Google Map of the target area, not just your office location
• Make at least half your FAQ questions specific to the target location
• Use internal links to connect location pages and pass authority between them
• Build on a fast, lightweight framework that loads quickly on mobile

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Next Steps

Location pages are one of the most effective ways for service businesses to expand their reach without opening new offices. Done properly, a single location page can bring in consistent leads from an area you already serve but weren’t capturing online.

If you’re a cleaner, plumber, electrician, roofer, window cleaner, or any other trade business wanting to dominate local search in multiple areas, book a demo call to see how we build location pages that rank.

Want to check how your current website stacks up? Get a free SEO report and see exactly where you stand.