You've got a contractor business expanding to 5 locations. Your competitors have multiple Google Business Profiles (GMBs) with the same website and phone number but different addresses. Should you create separate location pages on one website or build individual websites for each location?
This is one of the most common questions we get from HVAC, plumbing, and roofing contractors scaling their service areas. The answer isn't one-size-fits-all, but after managing multi-location strategies for dozens of contractors, I'll break down exactly what works, what doesn't, and what Google actually allows. For comprehensive strategies on optimizing your Google Business Profile, see our Google Business Profile Optimization guide and Local SEO for Contractors guide.
Quick Answer
Create separate location pages on ONE website. Do NOT create separate websites for each location unless they are truly independent businesses with different ownership, branding, and operations.
Google's guidelines are clear: each GMB location must represent a real, staffed physical location where customers can visit or where services are dispatched from. Using the same website and phone number across multiple GMBs is perfectly fine—and actually recommended for brand consistency.
Why Separate Location Pages Beat Separate Websites
1. Domain Authority Compounds
Every backlink, review, and piece of content strengthens ONE domain instead of splitting authority across 5 weak domains. A single strong domain (DA 40+) will outrank 5 weak domains (DA 10-15) every time.
Example: Your main site gets a backlink from a local news article. All 5 location pages benefit from that authority boost. With separate sites, only one location benefits.
2. Easier to Manage & Update
One website means one CMS, one hosting account, one set of plugins, one design system. When you need to update pricing, add a service, or change your phone number, you do it once—not 5 times.
Time savings: 5 separate websites = 5x the maintenance cost, 5x the security updates, 5x the potential for things to break.
3. Consistent Branding & Trust
Customers who search for your business name expect to land on the same website regardless of location. Separate websites create confusion and make you look less established.
Trust signal: A unified website with "Serving 5 Locations" builds more credibility than 5 disconnected sites that look like separate mom-and-pop shops.
4. Better Conversion Tracking
One Google Analytics property, one Facebook Pixel, one conversion funnel. You can easily see which locations drive the most revenue and optimize accordingly.
Analytics nightmare: With 5 separate sites, you need 5 GA properties, 5 Search Console accounts, 5 sets of tracking codes. Good luck comparing performance.
5. Lower Cost
One website = one hosting bill, one domain renewal, one SSL certificate, one maintenance contract. Separate websites multiply your costs by 5x.
Cost comparison: Single site: $50-100/month hosting. Five sites: $250-500/month hosting + 5x the development costs for updates.
When Separate Websites Actually Make Sense
There ARE legitimate scenarios where separate websites are the right choice. But they're rare and specific:
1. Truly Independent Franchises
If each location is a separate legal entity (different LLC, different owner, different tax ID), then separate websites make sense. This is common with franchises where each franchisee owns their territory.
Example: Five different people each own a Servpro franchise in different cities. Each has their own branding, pricing, and operations. Separate websites are appropriate.
2. Different Brands or Services
If your "locations" actually offer completely different services under different brand names, separate sites make sense.
Example: You own an HVAC company in Dallas and a plumbing company in Houston under different names. These should have separate websites because they're different businesses.
3. Hyper-Local Branding Strategy
If you're intentionally positioning each location as a local, community-focused business (not a regional chain), separate sites can work—but this is a branding decision, not an SEO one.
Example: You want each location to feel like "Your Neighborhood Plumber" rather than "Big Regional Plumbing Corp." Each site emphasizes local community involvement, local team photos, local charities.
Important Caveat
Even in these scenarios, you're sacrificing SEO efficiency for branding goals. You'll rank slower, spend more on marketing, and have weaker domain authority. Make sure the branding benefit is worth the SEO cost.
What Google's Guidelines Actually Say
Let's clear up the confusion. Here's what Google Business Profile guidelines actually require:
âś… ALLOWED: Same Website & Phone Number
Google explicitly allows multiple GMB locations to share the same website URL and phone number. This is standard practice for multi-location businesses.
Source: Google Business Profile Help - "Represent your business consistently across locations"
âś… REQUIRED: Unique Physical Addresses
Each GMB location MUST have a unique, real physical address where your business operates. No PO boxes, virtual offices, or fake addresses.
Requirement: You must be able to receive mail and meet customers at this address, or dispatch services from it.
âś… REQUIRED: Real, Staffed Locations
Each location must have staff present during stated business hours. Service-area businesses (SABs) can hide their address but must still operate from a real location.
For contractors: Your "location" can be your office, warehouse, or even a home office—as long as it's where you actually dispatch from.
❌ PROHIBITED: Fake or Virtual Offices
You cannot create GMB listings for virtual offices, coworking spaces, or addresses where you don't actually operate. Google will suspend these listings.
Common mistake: Renting a mailbox at a UPS Store to create a "location" in a new city. This violates Google's guidelines and will get you suspended.
❌ PROHIBITED: Keyword-Stuffed Business Names
Your GMB business name must match your real business name. Don't add keywords like "ABC Plumbing - Emergency Plumber Dallas."
Correct: "ABC Plumbing"
Incorrect: "ABC Plumbing | 24/7 Emergency Plumber | Dallas TX"
How to Structure Your Multi-Location Website (Step-by-Step)
Here's the exact structure we use for contractor clients with 5+ locations. This approach maximizes local SEO while maintaining brand consistency.
Create a Dedicated Location Page for Each GMB
Each location gets its own unique URL with 800-1,200 words of location-specific content.
URL Structure:
- yoursite.com/locations/dallas
- yoursite.com/locations/fort-worth
- yoursite.com/locations/arlington
- yoursite.com/locations/plano
- yoursite.com/locations/frisco
Each location page must include:
- Unique H1: "HVAC Services in Dallas, TX" (not "HVAC Services in [City], TX" templated)
- NAP (Name, Address, Phone): Prominently displayed, matching GMB exactly
- Embedded Google Map: Showing the exact location from your GMB
- Local content: Neighborhoods served, local landmarks, city-specific services
- Unique reviews: Reviews specific to that location (if possible)
- Local team photos: Staff at that location (if you have them)
- Service area map: Visual showing ZIP codes or neighborhoods you serve from this location
- Local FAQ: "Do you serve [nearby suburb]?" "What's your response time in [city]?"
Link Each GMB to Its Specific Location Page
In your GMB dashboard, set the "Website" field to the specific location page URL—NOT your homepage.
Example:
- Dallas GMB Website: yoursite.com/locations/dallas
- Fort Worth GMB Website: yoursite.com/locations/fort-worth
- Arlington GMB Website: yoursite.com/locations/arlington
Why this matters: When someone clicks "Website" on your GMB listing, they land on a page specifically about that location—not a generic homepage where they have to hunt for their city.
Create a "Locations" Hub Page
Build a master page at yoursite.com/locations that lists all your locations with an interactive map.
This page should include:
- Interactive map with pins for each location
- Cards for each location with address, phone, hours, and "Learn More" link
- Service area overview map showing your entire coverage region
- "Coming Soon" section if you're expanding to new locations
Add Location Schema Markup
Add LocalBusiness schema to each location page so Google understands your NAP data.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "HVACBusiness",
"name": "ABC HVAC - Dallas",
"image": "https://yoursite.com/images/dallas-location.jpg",
"address": {
"@type": "PostalAddress",
"streetAddress": "123 Main St",
"addressLocality": "Dallas",
"addressRegion": "TX",
"postalCode": "75201",
"addressCountry": "US"
},
"telephone": "+1-555-123-4567",
"url": "https://yoursite.com/locations/dallas",
"priceRange": "$$",
"openingHoursSpecification": [
{
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"dayOfWeek": ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday"],
"opens": "08:00",
"closes": "18:00"
}
]
}Build Local Citations for Each Location
Submit each location to local directories with consistent NAP data.
Key directories for each location:
- Yelp (create separate business pages for each location)
- Better Business Bureau (if you have physical offices)
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Industry-specific directories (ACCA for HVAC, PHCC for plumbing, etc.)
- Apple Maps, Bing Places, Yahoo Local
Common Multi-Location SEO Mistakes to Avoid
1. Duplicate Content Across Location Pages
Don't just find-and-replace the city name in a template. Google penalizes thin, duplicate content.
Wrong: "We provide HVAC services in [City]. Our [City] HVAC team is ready to help [City] residents with their HVAC needs."
Right: Write unique content about each city's climate, common HVAC issues in that area, neighborhoods you serve, local landmarks, etc.
2. Linking All GMBs to Your Homepage
When someone clicks "Website" on your Dallas GMB, they should land on your Dallas page—not your homepage where they have to search for Dallas info.
Impact: Higher bounce rates, lower conversions, and Google sees your GMB as less relevant to local searches.
3. Inconsistent NAP Data
Your Name, Address, and Phone must match EXACTLY across your website, GMB, and all citations. Even small differences hurt your rankings.
Examples of inconsistency:
- "ABC Plumbing" vs "ABC Plumbing, Inc."
- "123 Main St" vs "123 Main Street"
- "(555) 123-4567" vs "555-123-4567"
4. Creating GMBs for Service Areas (Not Real Locations)
You can't create a GMB for every city you serve. GMBs are only for physical locations where you have staff and operations.
Wrong: Creating 20 GMBs for every suburb you serve from one office.
Right: One GMB for your office, with a service area defined to cover all suburbs.
5. Ignoring Google Posts & Reviews Per Location
Each GMB location needs its own Google Posts, photos, and review generation strategy. Don't just set up the listings and forget them.
Best practice: Post weekly updates to each GMB, respond to all reviews within 24 hours, and add 5-10 new photos per location per month.
Real-World Example: How We Set This Up for a Plumbing Client
Client: Kabam Plumbing (5 Locations in California)
The Challenge
Kabam Plumbing expanded from 1 location to 5 locations in 18 months. They were considering building separate websites for each location because competitors had done this.
Our Solution
- Created 5 unique location pages on kabamplumbing.com/locations/[city]
- Each page featured unique content about that city's plumbing challenges (hard water in Fresno, old pipes in Sacramento, etc.)
- Linked each GMB to its specific location page
- Built local citations for each location
- Created city-specific blog content (e.g., "Common Plumbing Problems in Fresno Homes")
The Results (6 Months)
- All 5 locations ranking in top 3 for "[city] plumber" searches
- 96% increase in call volume across all locations
- Domain authority increased from 18 to 32 (would have been 5 separate sites at DA 10-12)
- $15K/month in management costs saved vs maintaining 5 separate websites
Your Action Plan: What to Do Right Now
Audit Your Current Setup
Do you already have multiple GMBs? Check if they're all linking to your homepage or to specific location pages. If they're all going to your homepage, you're losing conversions.
Create Location Pages This Week
Don't overthink it. Start with one location page, make it great (800+ words, unique content, embedded map, NAP, local photos), then duplicate the structure for other locations.
Update Your GMB Website URLs
Log into Google Business Profile, go to each location, and update the "Website" field to point to its specific location page. This takes 5 minutes per location.
Add Schema Markup
Use a schema generator tool to create LocalBusiness schema for each location page. Paste it into your page's HTML. This helps Google understand your NAP data.
Build Citations
Submit each location to Yelp, BBB, and industry directories. Make sure your NAP is identical across all platforms.
Monitor Rankings & Traffic
Track your rankings for "[city] + [service]" keywords in Google Search Console. Watch traffic to your location pages in Google Analytics. You should see improvement within 30-60 days.
Final Thoughts
The multi-location SEO strategy that works best for 95% of contractors is simple: one website, unique location pages, each GMB linked to its specific page.
Yes, your competitors might have separate websites for each location. But unless they're truly independent businesses, they're making SEO harder and more expensive than it needs to be. You'll outrank them with a unified domain that compounds authority over time.
Focus on creating genuinely useful, unique content for each location. Google rewards businesses that provide real value to local searchers—not businesses that try to game the system with fake locations or duplicate content.
Need Help Setting Up Your Multi-Location SEO?
We've built multi-location strategies for dozens of HVAC, plumbing, and roofing contractors. We'll create your location pages, optimize your GMBs, and get you ranking in all your service areas.
About the Author
Aaron Husak is the founder of Sequoia GEO, a contractor-built marketing agency. He spent 20+ years scaling an HVAC/Plumbing business to 130+ employees and 4,000+ five-star reviews before building Sequoia GEO to help other contractors grow through SEO, PPC, and local marketing.