10 best recommendations for local SEO

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

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  Stockbridge Truslow: The biggest differences in strategy come from one bit you`re missing in your description above - you say they have offices around the world, but are those offices bases for outcall services (i.e. they go to service the customers from there) or are those offices you`re trying to draw customers to visit, or is it both?
  
  Retail/Storefront/"Coming to you" type things are about defining exactly what you have as completely and accurately as possible (because for the main broad scope term location is ultimately the big decider.
  
  For outcall/service based things - it`s similar, but location is less important as a clearly defined "service area". It doesn`t matter how long the customer is willing to drive - it`s how far you`ve declared you`re willing to drive.
  
  The fundamental difference in those things is ultimately what drives the strategy going forward.
  
  
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  Stockbridge Truslow: In thinking a bit further - there are some other questions that need to be asked before even starting to form a good strategy...
  
  1) How well does Google already understand the Corporate/Office structure? For example, if you search for Walmart (or any big company with lots of outlets) you`ll often see a Corporate Knowledge Panel, but get the local place in your map pack. Other times, it might feature the local version either way. Depending upon various other factors - you may want to feed and expand the way Google already understands it - but other times you may want to put a stop to it and change its entire perception of the company.
  
  2) Does each office have its own web site? This affects things quite a bit, too - and reflects back on how G is going to understand the structure from #1 above.
  
  
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  Michael Martinez: +1Stockbridge Truslow Overseas offices have their own sections on the corporate site. You know, other languages.
  
  
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  Stockbridge Truslow: Page on a site, IMO is easier because you have controls over all the signals in one place.
  
  One major "Organization" schema with each office having the appropriate "LocalBusiness" or most accurate specific sub type. Connect them all with the ParentOrganization and/or branchOf attributes.
  
  This ends up setting it up so that any product or services offered up from the main organization site is available from the sub sites. Focus on optimizing that for the specifics of what you want to rank for locally and the connections you`ve created (and the consistent signals that follow this from each source) validate and confirm that.
  
  
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  Michael Martinez: +1Stockbridge Truslow I don`t know about the outcall. Let`s just say this is for the corporate headquarters for now but I`ll ask about the other offices.
  
  
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  Stockbridge Truslow: The HQ wouldn`t be ranking for or optimized for "Local" SEO per se. I mean - in the scenario above (one org site with offices having a page) those pages are, but the main site is optimized as a global thing that are basically "served from" those offices.
  
  So... really, the bulk of the main site is really just like any other site - but you need lots of structured data because that needs to feed what it "does" down to the local branches which then get included in the local results based upon what Google has in the knowledge graph.
  
  
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  Tim Capper: Each Location could have a GMB profile - in turn using the link to their own dedicated location page on site.
  
  You could structure by State / City / Location - which will help with Brand Local Pack displays for Brand name searches in State / City
  
  PS: Their main head office / headquarters should remain to Main domain, not to a location page, because they are the head quarters.
  
  You could create organisation structured data including Parent & Sub
  
  
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  Michael Martinez: +1Thank you both. I`ll pass on your comments.