How do I do GEO for my website?

GEO for your website means optimising content, technical settings, and marketing strategies to reach specific geographic audiences. You’ll need to configure Google Search Console geographic targeting, create location-specific content, implement hreflang tags for international sites, optimise your Google Business Profile, use local keywords, and ensure NAP (name, address, phone) consistency. These steps help search engines understand where your business operates and who should see your content. WP SEO AI can automate many of these processes for WordPress sites, making geographic optimisation more efficient.

Direct answer: how do I do GEO for my website?

Geographic targeting involves aligning your website’s technical infrastructure and content with the locations you want to reach. Start by setting your target country in Google Search Console’s International Targeting settings. Create dedicated pages for each region you serve, incorporating local keywords naturally throughout your content. Implement hreflang tags if you operate in multiple countries or languages, ensuring search engines show the right version to the right audience.

Your Google Business Profile needs accurate, complete information that matches what appears on your website. This NAP consistency (name, address, phone number) should extend across all online directories and citations. Local keywords should reflect how people in your target region actually search, including regional terms, local landmarks, and area-specific pain points.

WP SEO AI streamlines this process by helping you plan location-specific content clusters, generate SERP-driven briefs that capture local search intent, and maintain consistent optimisation across all your regional pages. The platform’s internal linking assistant ensures your geographic pages connect properly, strengthening your site’s topical authority for each location you target.

What is GEO targeting and why does it matter for my website?

GEO targeting delivers different content or advertisements to users based on their geographic location. Search engines detect location through IP addresses, device GPS data, and search query signals, then prioritise locally relevant results. When someone in Manchester searches for “plumber,” Google shows Manchester plumbers, not ones from Edinburgh.

This matters because local search rankings directly impact visibility in your target markets. Users get relevant content that addresses their specific needs, regional regulations, and local context. This relevance reduces bounce rates and increases conversions, as visitors find exactly what they’re looking for without wading through irrelevant information.

Google and other search engines have become increasingly sophisticated at understanding location intent. They prioritise businesses and content that demonstrate genuine local presence and relevance. Sites that ignore geographic optimisation lose visibility to competitors who’ve properly implemented location targeting, even if their overall content quality is comparable.

How do I set up geographic targeting in Google Search Console?

Log into Google Search Console and select your property. Navigate to Settings, then scroll to International Targeting. Under the Country tab, you’ll see an option to set your target country. Select your primary geographic market from the dropdown menu.

This setting only applies to generic top-level domains (like .com or .org). If you use a country-specific domain (.co.uk, .de, .fr), Google already associates your site with that country and the targeting option won’t appear. Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) send the strongest geographic signal but limit your flexibility if you later want to target multiple countries.

For multi-country sites using a generic domain, you have two main approaches. Subdirectories (example.com/uk/, example.com/de/) let you keep everything under one domain while allowing country-specific targeting for each section. Subdomains (uk.example.com, de.example.com) work similarly but are treated more independently by search engines. Choose based on your technical resources and how distinct your regional content will be.

Remember that this setting is a hint to Google, not a directive. Search engines combine this signal with other factors like content language, local backlinks, server location, and hreflang tags to determine geographic relevance.

What technical elements do I need for effective GEO optimisation?

Hreflang tags tell search engines which language and regional version of a page to show users. Implement these in your HTML head or XML sitemap for every page that has regional or language variants. The tags specify the relationship between versions, preventing duplicate content issues while ensuring users see the right variant.

Your URL structure needs clarity. Country-code domains (.co.uk) signal location strongly but require separate sites. Subdirectories (/uk/, /de/) keep everything under one domain with easier management. Subdomains (uk.example.com) sit somewhere between, offering separation while maintaining domain association. Choose based on how many markets you serve and your technical capacity.

Server location influences page speed for users in different regions. A server in London loads faster for UK visitors than Australian ones. Content delivery networks (CDNs) solve this by caching your content across multiple geographic locations, serving each user from the nearest server. This improves load times regardless of where visitors are located.

Schema markup with LocalBusiness structured data helps search engines understand your physical presence. Include your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, and service areas. This information can appear in rich results, making your listing more prominent in local searches.

Avoid automatic IP-based redirects that prevent search engines from crawling all your regional versions. Use geolocation to suggest the appropriate version while letting users and crawlers access any variant. WP SEO AI helps implement these technical elements correctly within WordPress, ensuring your geographic targeting works as intended without blocking search engine access.

How do I create location-specific content that ranks?

Start with local keyword research using tools that show search volume by region. People in different locations use different terms for the same things. What Londoners call a “flat,” Americans call an “apartment.” Regional dialects, local terminology, and area-specific concerns all influence search behaviour.

Create dedicated landing pages for each region you serve, addressing local pain points and regulatory requirements. A page about building regulations needs different information for Scotland than for England. Insurance content must reflect local laws. Service pages should mention the specific areas you cover, using neighbourhood and landmark names that locals recognise.

Incorporate location-based terms naturally throughout your content. Don’t just stuff city names into otherwise generic text. Discuss local events, reference regional businesses, and address concerns specific to that area. This authentic local focus signals genuine relevance rather than thin content created solely for ranking.

Maintain quality across all regional variations. It’s tempting to create one good page and spin out low-effort versions for other locations, but search engines recognise thin content. Each regional page needs unique value that serves users in that specific location. This might mean different examples, different regulatory information, or different service offerings based on what’s relevant locally.

What are the common GEO targeting mistakes to avoid?

Duplicate content across regional pages damages rankings. Creating nearly identical pages for different cities, changing only the location name, provides no unique value. Each regional page needs distinct content that addresses specific local needs, regulations, and context. Search engines penalise thin content that exists only to target keywords.

Incorrect hreflang implementation causes search engines to show the wrong version to users. Common errors include missing return tags (if page A links to page B, page B must link back to A), incorrect language codes, or forgetting to include a self-referential tag. Use validation tools to check your implementation before going live.

Neglecting mobile optimisation hurts local searches particularly hard. Most local searches happen on mobile devices, often while people are out looking for nearby businesses. If your site loads slowly or displays poorly on mobile, you’ll lose visibility in the searches that matter most for local targeting.

Inconsistent NAP information confuses search engines and damages trust. Your business name, address, and phone number must match exactly across your website, Google Business Profile, and all directory listings. Even small variations (St. vs Street, Suite vs Ste) can dilute your local signals.

Automatic IP redirects that block search engine crawlers prevent proper indexing. If Googlebot can’t access your UK content because it’s crawling from US servers and you redirect all US traffic to your .com, your .co.uk pages won’t rank. Always allow crawler access to all regional versions while suggesting the appropriate version to human visitors.

Failing to monitor performance by region means you won’t spot problems or opportunities. Track rankings, traffic, and conversions separately for each geographic market. What works in one region might underperform in another, requiring different content or technical approaches.

Conclusion: taking your GEO strategy forward

Geographic optimisation succeeds when you combine technical setup with genuinely useful local content. The technical elements (hreflang tags, proper URL structure, schema markup) tell search engines where you operate. The content demonstrates you understand local needs and can serve them effectively. Neither works well without the other.

This isn’t a one-time setup. Markets change, competitors adjust their strategies, and search algorithms evolve. Regular monitoring helps you spot declining visibility in specific regions, identify new local opportunities, and refine your approach based on actual performance data.

Start with Google Search Console geographic targeting if you haven’t already. Then audit your existing content for local relevance, checking whether each regional page provides unique value. Fix technical issues like hreflang errors or inconsistent NAP information before they compound.

WP SEO AI helps WordPress sites implement and maintain geographic optimisation at scale. The platform’s topical mapping ensures your local content strategy remains coherent as your library grows, while automated optimisation checks catch technical issues before they impact rankings. This systematic approach builds sustainable geographic visibility across all your target markets.