The tactic, and why it's tempting
The logic seems sound: if you want to rank in ten towns, make ten pages — 'Plumber in Leeds', 'Plumber in York' — and swap the town name. Thousands of sites do exactly this. The problem is Google has seen it ten thousand times, and pages that exist only to catch a search, with nothing genuinely local to say, are precisely what its spam policies call out.
When an area page is legitimate
When you can fill it with real substance: actual jobs completed there, genuine reviews from that area, specific coverage details, photos from local work. A page that could only have been written by a business that really serves that town is fine — it's evidence, not a keyword container.
Want a professional pair of eyes on your own site? Request a free website review — plain-English findings, no obligation.
When it hurts you
Twenty near-identical pages with swapped town names dilute your site's quality as a whole. Google's helpful content systems evaluate the site, not just the page — a mass of thin pages can drag down the good ones. More pages is not more presence; it's often less.
The honest alternative
One strong page per genuinely served area at most, written from real work. A clear 'areas we cover' section on your contact or homepage. Your Google Business Profile service area set properly. Reviews that mention places naturally. This builds local relevance without the risk — and it's the approach our local SEO service takes.
The test before publishing any area page
Ask: would this page be useful to someone in that town even if they'd never heard of us? Real jobs, real details, real proof — publish. A template with the town name swapped — delete. That one question keeps you on the right side of both Google and common sense.
Want this handled for you?
Get a free, plain-English review of your website — what's working, what isn't, and what's worth fixing first.
Get a Free Website Review