Search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamental for any Software as a Service (SaaS) company seeking visibility and customer acquisition. However, when it comes to SaaS providers with multiple locations—or whose products are used in geographically specific ways—local SEO becomes a strategic layer that demands serious attention. Many multi-location SaaS companies overlook this level of optimization, leaving substantial traffic and conversions on the table. Leveraging local SEO through clearly defined hubs and entities is not just optional—it’s essential.
Understanding the Context of Multi-Location SaaS
Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, SaaS companies operate in the cloud, offering scalable solutions to clients across cities, states, and globally. Still, that does not mean physical location data is irrelevant. In fact, Google’s algorithm has evolved to favor contextually accurate geo-relevance, even for digital-first companies.
For SaaS products used in regulated industries, industries with regional partners, or markets with different compliance requirements, those inherent local variations necessitate a strongly localized SEO strategy. Even decentralized sales teams, partner implementations, and customer support can become geo-specific entities that signal trust to both search engines and prospects.
What Are Hubs and Entities in Local SEO?
To understand how to optimize for a multi-location SaaS business, we first need to define two key concepts: hubs and entities.
- Hubs: Hub pages group together location-specific content. They serve as strategic anchor points that provide pathways to associated service areas, locations, or departments. For instance, a “California SaaS Services” hub could lead users to individual city or vertical-specific pages.
- Entities: In Google’s Knowledge Graph, an entity is a uniquely identifiable thing—such as a business location, brand, or product. Properly structuring and linking entities allows you to signal to Google the exact relationship between your various locations, people, and services.
Why Hubs and Entities Matter for SaaS
For SaaS businesses with multiple offices, service areas, or target markets, hubs and entities solve a structural problem. Most SaaS websites are built with a singular focus—one homepage, one core product page, one blog. But in reality, a company serving healthcare systems in Arizona and fintech startups in New York needs two very different local SEO approaches. Hubs help by providing organized, crawlable architectures while entities ensure Google understands the nuances of your business operations.
Moreover, with Google’s increasing focus on EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust), showing relevant, location-based information helps boost domain trust and relevance. This is especially important for SaaS companies competing against national or global players.
Steps for Building Local SEO Hubs
Creating a hub-and-spoke model begins with thoughtful planning. Follow the steps below to build an effective local SEO strategy using hubs:
- Define Key Locations: Start by identifying your primary markets—this could be cities where you have support centers, sales teams, major clients, or regional partnerships.
- Create Location Pages: Build out optimized landing pages for each major city or region. These pages should include local keywords, unique content, case studies from clients in the area, and clear contact info.
- Group Them via Hubs: Group these pages into regional hubs (e.g., East Coast, Pacific Northwest) or market-specific hubs (e.g., Education SaaS Across California).
- Local Schema Markup: Implement structured data like LocalBusiness schema to help search engines understand the geographical information.
- Internal Linking: Use internal links between hubs and their associated pages to create a logical navigation pattern and flow for both users and crawlers.
Optimizing Entities for Greater Visibility
Optimizing for knowledge-based entities allows search engines to identify the characteristics that make your SaaS company unique. Incorporating clear relationships among people, places, products, and services can be critical in this process.
Here’s how to use entity optimization in your SEO plan:
- Google Business Profiles: Even though you’re a digital company, create Google Business Profiles (GBPs) for your offices or regional subsidiaries. Optimize with accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information.
- Consistent NAP Data: Ensure your business information is consistent across all locations and directories, including Apple Maps, Bing Places, and industry-specific platforms.
- Link Corporate and Local Entities: Mention local representatives or regional managers with bio pages that solidify expertise and connect back to local-centric pages.
- Use Wikidata and Structured Markup: Generate clear external and internal markup for things like persons, places, organizations, and services offered at each location.
Content Development: Tailoring for Local Relevance
If you’re serving banks in Illinois and tech innovators in Austin, your blog, case studies, and whitepapers need localized hooks. Google’s RankBrain algorithm heavily weighs behavior-driven signals, so relevant, compelling local content earns favor.
Types of content that work well in a local strategy include:
- Client success stories from specific locations
- Articles on local regulations or compliance differences
- Joint press releases with regional partners
- Announcements about local events, webinars, or office openings
This not only helps SEO but also drives engagement from your customer base, who will resonate more with locally contextual content than generic product messaging.
The ROI of Local SEO for Multi-Location SaaS
Many SaaS leaders hesitate to invest in local SEO, falsely assuming it’s reserved for retail chains or service-based local businesses. But the results suggest otherwise. Local SEO drives higher-qualified leads, better user engagement, and improves CRM retention
For example, a SaaS company deploying local landing pages for its executive training product in Houston, Denver, and Charlotte found a 3x improvement in organic traffic, with leads converting at a 40% higher rate due to geospecific trust triggers such as “used by over 300 Charlotte professionals.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
While it’s tempting to scale quickly by duplicating pages with city names changed, this tactic hurts more than it helps. Here are mistakes to avoid:
- Duplicate Content: Each local page must have unique content tailored to its audience.
- Thin Pages: A page with just a few sentences and a contact form won’t rank or convert. Include testimonials, FAQs, cultural insights, and client success metrics.
- Ignoring Mobile Experience: Given that most local searches happen on mobile devices, ensure fast load times and mobile-responsive designs.
- Neglecting Reviews: Region-specific reviews on Google, G2, or Capterra reinforce credibility. Solicit feedback segmented by geography wherever possible.
Final Thoughts
The intersection of local SEO and SaaS is a powerful yet underused opportunity. By implementing a comprehensive strategy built on hubs and optimized entities, multi-location SaaS companies can establish deeper market authority and drive more qualified, conversion-ready traffic.
It’s time to shift the mindset—from “we serve everyone” to “we understand each region’s unique needs.” Search engines, and your prospective clients, will reward that effort.
