It’s a huge pain, right?

You’re a local business, let’s say a plumber in Springfield. You dominate the search results for “plumber in Springfield.” Awesome.

But what about the next town over? Shelbyville. People in Shelbyville definitely need plumbers, and you’re totally willing to drive there. The problem is, Google knows you’re in Springfield. So when someone in Shelbyville searches “plumber near me,” you’re nowhere to be found.

It’s super frustrating.

The Old “Fix” That Doesn’t Work (Anymore)

So what did people try to do? They made “city pages.”

You’ve seen ’em. A page on their main website called “Plumber in Shelbyville.” Then another for “Plumber in Ogdenville.” And another for “Plumber in Capital City.”

Here’s the problem: Google got wise to this.

These pages are usually super thin. They’re just the homepage copy with the city name swapped out. They dont offer any real, unique value. Google sees this as low-quality, spammy content, or what’s called “doorway pages.”

Best case? Google just ignores them.

Worst case? Google penalizes your entire website for trying to game the system. Yikes. You tried to get more business, but you ended up hurting your main money-maker in Springfield.

So, What’s the Real Solution?

You need a way to show Google you’re a legitimate, local player in that other city. You can’t just tell them; you have to show them.

How?

By building a separate, focused website for that specific market.

We call them microsites.

Think about it. Instead of a single, thin page on your main site, you create a whole new site like ShelbyvillePlumbingPros.com.

This new site isn’t a copy. It’s a real, standalone brand focused only on serving Shelbyville.

Why This Works (And Doesn’t Hurt Your Main Site)

This strategy works because it’s what Google wants to see.

  1. It’s Hyper-Relevant: The entire site—every page, every blog post, every title—is about plumbing in Shelbyville. It screams relevance to Google.
  2. It Can Have Its Own Local Info: You can get a local tracking number or even a virtual address in Shelbyville and put it on this microsite. This builds massive local trust and signals.
  3. It’s Totally Separate: This is the key. This new microsite isn’t connected to your main SpringfieldPlumbing.com site. It stands on its own. If it does great, awesome! If it fails (it wont if you do it right), it has zero impact on your main site’s rankings. They are two different businesses in Google’s eyes.

You’re not trying to trick Google with a bunch of fake pages. You’re building a genuine, valuable resource for a specific community.

“But Isn’t That A Lot of Work?”

It’s definitely more work than just copy-pasting a page. But is it more work than fighting a losing battle with Google for years?

A microsite doesn’t have to be massive. It can be a simple 5-10 page website:

This is what we do at Microsite Partner. We build these focused, high-intent lead generation sites for businesses just like yours. It’s the most effective way we’ve found to expand into new territories without putting your main website at risk.

Stop trying to force your main site to rank where it doesn’t belong. Give that neighboring city its own dedicated presence. You’ll be surprised how much faster you start getting those calls.