Key Takeaways
- Write each location page to answer a question no other page can. Where you meet, who you work with there, what it costs and who you have helped in that city. If a line would be just as true of another city, it is not doing the work.
- State how sessions happen in that city. In person, by video, or both, and where. "Do you meet in person in Denver?" is one of the first things a buyer asks, and the page should answer it in a sentence.
- Run the swap test on every pair of city pages. Swap the city names. If most of the page still reads true, it is a copy with a new name, which is what Google's spam policies describe as doorway pages.
- Do not make a page for a city you cannot say anything about. One honest page that lists the cities you serve beats five thin ones. A location page earns its place with facts, not a place name.
- Match the page to your map listing. The same name, address or service area and hours on the page and on your Google Business Profile, so both say the same thing about where you are.
A buyer who wants a coach nearby does not ask for "a coach". They ask for a career coach in Denver who meets in person, or one in Boulder who works evenings, and the assistant goes looking for a page that says so.
So how do you write a location page AI can use for city questions? State the facts that are true of you in that city and nowhere else: where you meet, who you work with there, what it costs and who you have helped. A page that only swaps in the city name gives an assistant nothing to repeat.
Below is the short answer, what a location page should state, a simple test for two city pages, when not to make one, and how to check it is working. The example coach, pages and prices are made up.
How to write a location page AI can use
Write a location page as a set of plain facts about your business in one city: how sessions happen there, where, for whom, at what price and with what local results. Each fact should answer a question a buyer in that city would ask, in a sentence an assistant can repeat.
City questions are where specific names appear. A broad question gets general advice; "a career coach in Denver who meets in person" gets names, and they are the names whose pages state Denver, in person and career coaching together. How that matching works is covered in how city-specific coaches get found by AI.
Google points in the same direction for its own AI features. Its guide to optimizing for generative AI features says AI responses "can include product listings, product information, and information about local businesses", and that a Google Business Profile can help your services be visible in them. The page and the profile should say the same thing.
What a location page should state
A location page should state six things: how and where you meet in that city, who you work with there, what it costs, a local client story, practical details such as parking or time zone, and a direct answer to "do you meet in person here?". Each is a question buyers ask.
| Part of the page | The question it answers | Weak version | Strong version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you meet | "Is there a coach I can see in person in Denver?" | "Serving the Denver area" | "In person at an office on Larimer Street, or by video" |
| Who you work with there | "A coach for people leaving energy jobs" | "Helping Denver professionals thrive" | "Many clients are leaving finance and energy jobs downtown" |
| Prices | "How much is a career coach in Denver?" | "Contact us for rates" | "$175 a session, or $900 for six" |
| Local proof | "Has this coach helped anyone like me here?" | "Trusted by clients across Colorado" | "A Denver client moved from accounting into product work" |
| Getting there | "Is it easy to get to?" | Nothing | "Garage parking on 17th Street, a short walk from Union Station" |
| The city question | "Do you meet in person in Denver?" | Nothing | "Yes, at the office, Tuesday to Thursday" |
Every weak version could sit on any coach's page in any city. Every strong version is a fact that only one business in one place can state. That difference is what an assistant can use.
If a city is one of several you serve, the parts that stay the same (who you are, what kind of coach, how to book) belong on your main pages once. Only what changes by city goes on the city page. Setting that up across more than one city is covered in serving three cities without splitting your AI visibility.
The swap test for two city pages
Put two of your city pages side by side and compare them line by line. A line that is identical, or identical except for the city name, is not telling anyone about that city. If most lines match, the second page is a copy with a new name on it.
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Opening line
Denver pageCareer coaching in Denver for people changing fields mid-career.
City swapped
Boulder pageCareer coaching in Boulder for people changing fields mid-career.
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Where you meet
Denver pageIn person at an office on Larimer Street, or by video.
Different
Boulder pageBy video, plus one in-person walk a month along Boulder Creek.
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Who you work with there
Denver pageMany clients are leaving finance and energy jobs downtown.
Different
Boulder pageMany clients are leaving university and research jobs.
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Prices
Denver page$175 a session, or $900 for six.
Same
Boulder page$175 a session, or $900 for six.
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Local proof
Denver pageA Denver client moved from accounting into product work.
Different
Boulder pageA Boulder client moved from lab research into data work.
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Getting there
Denver pageGarage parking on 17th Street, a short walk from Union Station.
Different
Boulder pageNo travel needed for video sessions; walks start at a set trailhead.
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The city question
Denver pageDo you meet in person in Denver? Yes, at the office.
Different
Boulder pageDo you meet in person in Boulder? Once a month, outdoors.
Two of seven lines match, and one of those only swaps the city name. The other five could only be true of one city.
The coach, both pages and the prices are illustrative. Matching prices are fine: a fact that really is the same in both cities can say so. What fails the test is a page where the whole thing reads true after you swap the names.
Google names that pattern. Its spam policies describe doorway abuse as pages "created to rank for specific, similar search queries", and give as an example "having multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page". Pages that pass the swap test are not that.
When not to make a location page
Do not make a location page for a city where you have nothing specific to say. If you are online only, or only occasionally see clients somewhere, one plain line on your main pages ("sessions by video, clients across Colorado and Utah") is more honest and more useful than a stack of thin city pages.
The test is simple: could you write the six parts above for this city with facts rather than adjectives? If you cannot say where you meet, who you have helped there or anything practical about getting to you, the page will be a copy, and the swap test will show it.
Online coaches face a slightly different question, because "near me" may not mean what it used to. How assistants handle that is in does AI answer near me questions.
How to check the page is working
Ask an assistant the city questions a client would ask, worded their way, and see whether you are named and what is said about you. If the answer gets your format, area or price wrong, the page is not stating it clearly enough.
- Ask the obvious one. "A career coach in Denver who meets in person." Note who is named.
- Ask the detailed one. Add the situation and a budget. Specific pages tend to hold up as the question narrows.
- Ask the yes-or-no one. "Does [your name] meet clients in person in Denver?" The answer shows what the assistant believes.
- Ask more than once. Answers vary between runs, so one check proves little.
- Compare with your map listing. If the answer's address or hours differ from your page, fix whichever is wrong.
One honest limit. A good location page makes you easier to match to a city question. It cannot make an assistant name you over a coach with more written about them in that city, and nobody outside the AI companies can say how much weight each part carries.
The free check asks ChatGPT 25 real buyer questions from your niche at $0 and emails a plain-English readout: your score, who got named in your place, and the one fix to start with. It runs as soon as you ask for it, and the report lands within the hour between 7am and 5pm Central, or by 10am the next morning outside those hours.
Questions we hear the most
What is a location page?
A location page is a page on your website about your business in one city or area: where you work there, who you serve, how sessions happen, what it costs and who you have helped locally. It exists to answer questions that name that place.
How do I write a location page for AI?
State the facts a buyer asks about that city in plain sentences: where you meet or whether it is online, who you work with there, prices, local client stories and how to get there. Then check that no line would read just as true of another city.
Do I need a separate page for every city I serve?
No. Make a separate page only for a city where you can state something specific, such as an office, a regular in-person day or local clients. For the rest, one page that lists the areas you serve is more honest and works better.
Can location pages hurt my website?
They can if they are copies. Google's spam policies list pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page as doorway abuse. Near-identical city pages with only the name changed are the pattern to avoid.
Does an online-only coach need a location page?
Usually not one per city. An online coach is better served by a clear line on the main pages saying sessions are by video and which time zones or countries you work with. A city page helps only if you have something local to say.
Will the free check show whether I come up for city questions?
It can. The free check asks ChatGPT 25 real buyer questions written for your niche, and when you serve a place, some of them name it the way a client would. You get your score, who got named in your place and the one fix to start with, at $0.
How much does the AnswerHalo audit cost?
The full audit is $500 once and runs 125 checks across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, landing by this time tomorrow. Ongoing watching is $399 a month, or $300 a month added with the audit.
Your buyers are already asking. Find out what AI tells them.
The free check asks ChatGPT 25 real buyer questions about your niche and sends you the report within the hour, at $0. If it shows you are already getting named everywhere, we will say so in plain words.
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