Hey Reader,

Your local business is hemorrhaging money on SEO.

Not because you’re doing it wrong. Because you’re targeting the wrong keywords.

While you’re spending months trying to rank for “what is a dental crown,” your competitor down the street is booking 20 new patients per month from ranking #1 for “dental crown repair downtown Denver.”

Here’s what most local businesses get backwards:

You think more traffic = more customers.

Wrong.

The right traffic = more customers.

The Traffic That Actually Pays Your Bills

Someone Googling “what is a dental crown” is probably just a student doing some research.

Conversion rate? Basically zero.

Someone Googling “emergency dental crown Salt Lake City” is:

• In your service area
• Has a problem RIGHT NOW
• Ready to book an appointment TODAY
• Willing to pay to fix their issue

Conversion rate? 10-20% if your page doesn’t suck.

Which visitor would you rather have?

Why Local Keywords Are Money Printers

100 visitors from “dental crown downtown Chicago” will generate more revenue than 10,000 visitors from “what are dental crowns made of.”

Because local search traffic has intent. These people aren’t browsing. They’re buying.

Think about your own behavior:

When you search “best pizza,” you’re looking to order food.

When you search “history of pizza,” you’re procrastinating on Wikipedia.

Your customers behave the same way.

The Local Landing Page System That Actually Works

Forget trying to rank nationally for competitive terms. Here’s how to dominate your local market:

Step 1: Map Your Service + Location Keywords

Create a spreadsheet with:

Primary services you offer:

• Dental crowns
• Root canals
• Teeth whitening
• Dental implants
• Emergency dentistry

Locations you serve:

• Your main city
• Nearby suburbs
• Neighboring cities within 30 miles

Keyword combinations:

• [Service] + [City]
• [Service] + “near me”
• [Service] + [Neighborhood]
• Emergency [service] + [City]
• Best [service] + [City]

Example: “dental crowns Salt Lake City,” “emergency dental crown Murray Utah,” “best dental crowns West Valley City”

Step 2: Create Dedicated Landing Pages

Don’t try to rank one page for multiple locations.

Each service + location combination gets its own dedicated page:

• /dental-crowns-salt-lake-city/
• /dental-crowns-murray-utah/
• /root-canal-salt-lake-city/
• /emergency-dentist-west-valley-city/

Yes, this seems like a lot of pages. That’s the point - your competitors are too lazy to do this properly.

Step 3: Optimize Each Page for Local Intent

Every local landing page needs:

Localized title tags: ❌ “Professional Dental Crown Services” ✅ “Dental Crowns in Salt Lake City | [Your Practice Name]”

Location-specific content:

• Mention the specific city/neighborhood 5-8 times naturally
• Include local landmarks, cross streets, or neighborhoods
• Reference local community events or characteristics
• Add driving directions from major areas

Clear service details:

• What the service involves
• Pricing (if possible)
• Insurance accepted
• Emergency availability
• Appointment booking info

Trust signals:

• Google reviews showcase
• Before/after photos (with permission)
• Years serving the local community
• Professional certifications

Strong calls-to-action:

• “Book Your Crown Consultation Today”
• “Call Now: [Phone Number]”
• Online appointment scheduling
• Emergency contact info

Step 4: Build Local Authority Signals

For each landing page:

Local NAP consistency:

• Name, Address, Phone identical across all pages
• Schema markup for local business
• Embed Google Maps

Local content elements:

• “Serving [City] since [Year]”
• “Located in the heart of [Neighborhood]”
• “Convenient to [Local Landmarks]”

Local social proof:

• City-specific testimonials when possible
• Google My Business reviews
• Local awards or recognition

Step 5: Internal Linking Strategy

Connect your local pages strategically:

• Link from homepage to all primary service+city pages
• Cross-link related services in same cities
• Create neighborhood/city hub pages linking to all services

Example structure: Homepage → “Salt Lake City Dentist” page → Individual service pages for SLC

The Content That Actually Converts

Your local landing pages should answer these questions:

1. Can you help me with [specific problem] in [my city]?
2. How much will it cost?
3. How quickly can I get an appointment?
4. Do you take my insurance?
5. Where exactly are you located?
6. What makes you different from other [service providers] in [city]?

Skip the lengthy educational content. Save that for your blog. These pages should be laser-focused on converting local searchers into appointments.

Bottom Line

Stop trying to rank nationally for educational keywords that don’t convert.

Instead:

1. Identify 5-10 services you want more customers for
2. List 3-5 cities/areas you serve
3. Create dedicated landing pages for each service+city combination
4. Optimize for local intent, not just keywords
5. Focus on conversion, not just traffic

This approach takes more upfront work but delivers actual customers instead of random visitors.

Would you rather rank #50 for “dental crowns” nationally, or #1 for “dental crowns [your city]”?

The answer should be obvious.

- Nick