Google Business Profiles: Location Pages Beat Homepage Links

Your Google Business Profile needs to point somewhere on your website - but where? If you're asking whether to link it to your homepage or a dedicated location page, you're asking the right question. And the answer might surprise you, especially if you serve customers nationwide but want to own your local patch.

Here's what Google's own AI just told someone asking this exact question: link to location pages, not homepages. But there's more to this story than Google's letting on.

The SEO industry backs this up too. The Media Captain's comprehensive analysis confirms: "It's recommended to link to location-specific pages from GBP when you have more than two locations."

The Homepage Trap Most Businesses Fall Into

Most business owners think their homepage is their best page. It's got everything, right? Company story, services, contact details - surely that's where you want people landing?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

Your homepage is like the store map at M&S. Useful for getting orientated, terrible for making a purchase decision. When someone finds your Google Business Profile, they're not browsing - they're hunting. They want to know if you can help them, in their area, right now.

Why Location Pages Win Every Time

Think about it from a customer's perspective. They've searched for "accountants near me" or "SEO services Bedford." They click your Google listing and land on... a generic homepage talking about your company history and values?

That's a missed opportunity if I've ever seen one.

A proper location page tells them immediately:

• Yes, we serve your area
• Here's exactly what we do locally
• This is how to contact our local team
• These are customers we've helped nearby

No confusion. No hunting around. Just instant relevance.

The National Business Dilemma

Here's where it gets interesting. What if you're like us - you serve clients all over the UK, but you're physically based in one place? Should you hide that fact or embrace it?

Embrace it, every time.

But here's the crucial bit most people miss: your Google Business Profile only shows to local searchers anyway. Someone in Brighton looking for SEO services won't see your Bedford-based Google Business Profile in their results - Google shows them Brighton businesses.

This means your location page can focus entirely on local customers without worrying about confusing national prospects. They're not seeing your Google Business Profile, so they're not landing on your location page. They're finding you through organic search results and landing on your homepage or service pages.

We work with businesses from Cornwall to the Highlands, but our main office is in Bedford. That's not a limitation - it's an opportunity. Bedford businesses get the personal touch: face-to-face meetings, local networking events, and the confidence that comes from working with people down the road.

Our Google Business Profile links directly to our Bedford location page because that's our headquarters. Even though we also have a satellite office in Milton Keynes, our main presence and where we're truly based is Bedford - so that's what gets the Google Business Profile link.

But we needed a location page that served local customers properly - people who want that face-to-face service and the confidence that comes from working with someone just down the road.

Since your Google Business Profile only appears to local searchers, your Bedford location page can be laser-focused on what they want: local service, local understanding, and local trust.

Building a Location Page That Actually Works

Your location page isn't just an address and phone number. It's your local headquarters online - the place that shows you understand the area and serve it properly.

What Makes a Location Page Work:

Local Area Coverage: Don't just say "Bedfordshire" - be specific about "Bedford, Kempston, Goldington, and surrounding villages." People want to know you understand their exact patch, not just the general area.

Local Landmarks and Context: Reference places your customers know. We mention the Embankment, Bedford Park, or the Riverside North development. These aren't just SEO tricks - they show genuine local knowledge.

Customer Success Stories: Testimonials from nearby businesses carry extra weight. "We helped the accountancy firm on Castle Road increase their enquiries by 300%" means more than a generic testimonial from someone miles away.

Practical Meeting Information: Where exactly is your office? Is parking available? Which bus routes stop nearby? These details matter when someone's deciding whether to visit.

Local Service Area Clarity: Be explicit about how far you travel for face-to-face meetings. We'll happily visit Bedford businesses in person, but we're honest about our Milton Keynes clients getting remote service unless they specifically need a meeting.

Industry Context: Explain why choosing local matters for your specific service. For SEO, it's about understanding local search patterns, knowing your competitors, and being available for strategy sessions.

Multiple Locations: The Strategic Decision

Here's where many businesses get confused. If you have multiple locations, which one gets the Google Business Profile link?

The answer: your main office. Always.

We could create separate Google Business Profiles for Bedford and Milton Keynes, but that creates complications. Multiple profiles need separate addresses, phone numbers, and consistent management. For most businesses, that's unnecessary complexity.

Instead, we focus our main Google Business Profile on Bedford - our headquarters - and create comprehensive location pages for both areas. The Milton Keynes page targets local search through organic rankings, while the Bedford page gets the additional boost of Google Business Profile traffic.

This strategy lets us dominate Bedford local search through both our Google Business Profile and organic rankings, while still capturing Milton Keynes traffic through strong SEO fundamentals.

The Technical Stuff That Actually Matters

Google's looking for specific signals when it crawls your location page:

Consistent NAP Data: Name, Address, Phone number must match exactly across your Google Business Profile, website, and every other online mention. Exactly. One wrong postcode digit and you're fighting an uphill battle.

We learned this the hard way early on. A simple formatting difference - "Bedford, Beds" versus "Bedford, Bedfordshire" - caused ranking issues that took weeks to resolve.

Schema Markup: This tells Google precisely what type of business you are, where you're located, and how to contact you. It's invisible to visitors but crucial for search engines.

Think of schema markup as your business card for robots. Without it, Google has to guess what kind of business you are and where you operate. With proper schema, there's no ambiguity.

Local Keywords Integration: Not just "SEO services" but "SEO services Bedford" and "digital marketing Bedfordshire." But here's the key - these need to appear naturally in your content, not stuffed awkwardly into every paragraph.

Internal Linking Strategy: Your location page should link to relevant service pages and blog posts. Show Google this page is part of your site's structure, not an afterthought tacked on for local SEO.

We link our Bedford page to our main service pages, relevant blog posts about local SEO, and even our Milton Keynes page when appropriate. This creates connections that help search engines understand your site structure.

Real-World Results: What Actually Happens

When we properly optimised our Bedford location page, two things happened immediately:

First, our local search rankings improved dramatically. We went from page 4 for "SEO Bedford" to consistently appearing in the top three results. More importantly, these weren't just any visitors - they were high-quality local leads who often became long-term clients.

Let's face it, we're an SEO agency competing against SEO agencies. Some of them are rubbish, but some know what they're doing and make us step up our game to compete. When you're fighting for visibility in a market where your competitors understand SEO just as well as you do, every advantage matters.

The difference was stark. Before optimisation, being stuck on page 4 meant local searches brought us maybe two enquiries per month. After creating a proper location page and linking our Google Business Profile to it, we were getting 8-10 qualified local enquiries monthly.

Second, our national clients started mentioning they felt more confident working with us because we had a "proper office" rather than being "just online." Having that physical presence, properly presented, built trust even with clients we'd never meet face-to-face.

But here's the interesting bit - our Milton Keynes page, which doesn't get Google Business Profile traffic, still performs well through organic search. It ranks strongly for "SEO Milton Keynes" and brings in steady enquiries from that area.

When Homepage Links Make Sense

Let's be fair - there are situations where linking your Google Business Profile to your homepage works fine:

Single-location businesses with simple services: If you're a local divorce lawyer serving only Stony Stratford, your homepage probably contains everything a local customer needs.

Companies where the homepage is location-specific: Some businesses naturally focus their homepage on their local area. If that's you, homepage linking might work.

Businesses serving only their immediate local area: If you never travel beyond a 10-mile radius, the distinction between homepage and location page becomes less important.

But for most businesses? Especially those serving both local and national markets? A dedicated location page wins every time.

The numbers don't lie. Location pages convert local traffic at roughly 40% higher rates than homepages. That's not a small difference - that's significant improvement for local businesses.

Industry research supports this approach. The Media Captain found that businesses with multiple locations see better results when each Google Business Profile links to its corresponding location page rather than a generic homepage.

Common Location Page Mistakes to Avoid

After optimising hundreds of location pages, we see the same mistakes repeatedly:

Over-optimisation: Cramming "Bedford SEO" into every sentence makes you sound like a robot. Google's algorithms are sophisticated enough to understand context - use variations and natural language.

Fake local presence: Claiming to have offices where you don't actually exist. Google will figure this out, and the penalties are severe.

Neglecting mobile experience: Most local searches happen on mobile devices. If your location page doesn't work perfectly on phones, you're losing customers.

Ignoring loading speed: Local searchers are impatient. If your page takes more than three seconds to load, they're gone.

Missing contact options: Phone numbers, contact forms, and clear directions should be prominent. Make it easy for people to reach you.

Getting This Right: The KickstartSEO Approach

We've been optimising location pages since before Google Business Profiles existed (back when they were called Google My Business, and before that, Google Places).

The key isn't just having a location page - it's having one that genuinely serves your local market:

Local SEO Integration: Your location page needs to work within your broader SEO strategy. It's not a standalone piece - it's part of a comprehensive approach to local visibility.

Conversion Optimisation: Getting people to your location page is only half the battle. The page needs to convert visitors into enquiries through clear calls-to-action and compelling local benefits.

Regular Updates: Location pages aren't "set and forget." We update ours quarterly with new customer testimonials, fresh local content, and current service information.

Performance Monitoring: We track not just rankings but actual business results - enquiries, consultations booked, and clients won from location page traffic.

That's what Norman, our AI strategist, focuses on when optimising location pages for clients. Not just the technical requirements, but the human psychology that turns visitors into customers.

Norman understands that a Bedford accountant needs different local SEO strategies than a Manchester manufacturer. He analyses local competition, identifies content gaps, and creates location-specific strategies that actually work.

The Future of Local Search

Here's what most businesses miss - local search is evolving rapidly. Voice search, AI-powered results, and mobile-first indexing are changing how people find local businesses.

Your location page strategy needs to account for these changes:

Voice Search Optimisation: People ask different questions when speaking versus typing. "Where's the best SEO company in Bedford?" versus "Bedford SEO services."

AI Search Preparation: Platforms like ChatGPT and Claude are starting to recommend local businesses. Having comprehensive, accurate location information positions you for these future search methods.

Mobile-First Everything: Google now indexes mobile versions first. Your location page must work perfectly on every device.

The evidence is clear from both Google's AI recommendations and SEO industry research. Sterling Sky's testing showed that changing Google Business Profile URLs from homepages to specific location pages improved local pack rankings.

If your Google Business Profile currently points to your homepage, you're leaving money on the table. Every day. Every local search where you could be appearing but aren't. Every visitor who lands on your homepage confused about whether you actually serve their area.

The fix is straightforward: create a location page that focuses entirely on your local audience, optimise it properly, and update your Google Business Profile link. Your local search rankings will thank you, and so will your bank balance.

That's the power of getting the basics right - sometimes the simplest changes create the biggest improvements.

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