How to Expand Local SEO Into New Cities (Without Getting Penalized by Google)

E930: Expanding local SEO into new cities is harder than most businesses expect, and doing it the wrong way can get you suspended or quietly ignored by Google altogether.

Darren Shaw joins the show to explain what actually works when you want to rank in cities where you are not physically located. Darren is the founder of Whitespark and one of the most experienced voices in local SEO, and this is a tactical conversation based on what he has seen work in the real world.

We break down the limits of service area businesses, the reality of Google’s local algorithm, and why so many expansion strategies fail even when the business is legitimate.

Topics covered:
Why service areas in Google Business Profiles do not impact rankings
When it is impossible to rank in another city without opening a real location
How far local SEO can realistically reach from a single address
The difference between ranking in the local pack vs organic results
How service area pages actually help, and where they fall short
How to structure location pages and city-based service pages correctly
Pillar pages and internal linking for multi-city SEO
Building topical authority in a new city from scratch
The role of localized links, citations, and sponsorships
How reviews from customers in other cities can help expansion
What Google actually associates your business with geographically
Why doorway pages fail and how to avoid them
Editing Google Business Profiles safely without triggering re-verification
Which profile fields are risky to touch and which ones are not
Keyword stuffing in business names and the legal risks most SEOs ignore
Why many agencies have stopped spam fighting competitor listings
Schema, geotagging photos, and where the evidence actually stands
How local SEO signals differ from organic and AI-driven search results

Darren also explains:
How to open a legitimate second location without overspending
What Google looks for in subleases and shared office spaces
Why authority in your original city does not automatically transfer
How to think about geographic expansion from Google’s perspective

If you serve multiple cities, plan to expand into new markets, or are trying to understand why your local SEO strategy has stalled, this episode will help you avoid common mistakes and wasted effort.

⭐️ Darren Shaw’s first time on this podcast -    • Local SEO Masterclass: Darren Shaw on Rank...  

⭐️ Whitespark's local SEO software and services: https://whitespark.ca/
⭐️ The Whitespark Local Update Podcast: https://whitespark.ca/the-whitespark-...
⭐️ Darren's YouTube channel:    / whitesparkca  
⭐️ Darren's Instagram:   / darrenshawseo  
⭐️ Darren's LinkedIn:   / darrenshawwhitespark  
⭐️ Darren's Threads: https://www.threads.com/@darrenshawseo
⭐️ Darren's Facebook:   / darrenshawseo  
⭐️ Darren's TikTok:   / darrenshawseo  

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
00:25 Expanding Local Service Area Pages
00:51 Ranking in Distant Locations
03:08 Creating Effective Service Area Pages
06:16 Affordable Office Locations for SEO
09:26 Building Topical Authority and Link Building
16:57 Importance of Reviews and Local Search Myths
18:48 Optimizing Local Citations and Reviews
19:13 Updating Your Google Business Profile
21:08 The Impact of Keywords in Business Names
22:47 Legal Implications of Keyword Stuffing
26:50 Debating the Value of Schema Markup
30:11 Whitespark’s Local Ranking Grid Software
32:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#localseo #searchengineoptimization #googlebusinessprofileoptimization