The Difference Between Service Area Pages (SAPs) and Geo Pages (GEOs)
When building websites for local businesses, it’s important to use the right type of location-based page. There are two options:
Service Area Pages (SAPs) and Geo Pages (GEOs). They serve different types of businesses and cannot be used together.
Here’s the key difference:
- Service Area Pages are for businesses that
travel to their customers. These pages help the business show up in local search results for the towns they serve—even if they don’t have an office there.
- Geo Pages are for businesses with a
physical location. They help bring in people from nearby towns who may travel to that location.
Both help improve local visibility and SEO, but they work in different ways. This post will walk you through how each works, how they’re built, and what teams need to know.
Service Area Pages (SAPs)
What Are Service Area Pages?
Service Area Pages are for businesses that travel to their customers, like HVAC companies or landscapers. Each page is designed to show up in search results for a specific service in a specific town—for example, “AC repair in Berwyn.”
SAPs help these businesses reach more towns across their full service radius.
Key Details
- Must have both Local Ranking and Hibu One
- Can target up to 150 cities per keyword
- Radius can be up to 40 miles (default is 25)
- Clients can select or deselect specific towns
- Cannot be sold if the client has or is purchasing Geo Pages
- Pages are dynamically generated using Duda Collections
- URL format:
domain/service-areas/keyword/city-st
How They Work
Each SAP set is powered by a Parent Service Area Page (PSAP), which works like a master template. Writers create a version of the core page content specifically for the PSAP.
Then, for each target city:
- The site automatically replaces generic references like “Philadelphia area” with the exact city name (e.g., “Berwyn, PA”)
- Updates are made to the PSAP only, and those changes push out to all city-specific pages
SEO & EEAT Benefits
- Localized metadata and content improve visibility in town-specific searches
- Dynamic text insertion ensures accurate geographic targeting
- Centralized management ensures content stays professional and on-brand
How They Avoid Duplicate Content
- Each page has a unique URL and geographic reference
- Dynamic insertion makes each page read naturally for that city
- Pages are not copied; they are generated from a single, well-maintained parent page
Navigation and Indexing
- SAPs are not in the top nav
- Dynamically listed on the
Contact Us page
- Under the
Contact Us global navigation, a sub-nav labeled
"Serving Area" anchors to the section where the full list of SAPs appears
below the contact information
- The
Serving Area section and anchor are included as a hidden section on the Contact Us page
- Also linked via a
footer link
labeled “Surrounding Areas”
- Service Area Pages do not display breadcrumbs
Editing and Support
- Clients can add or remove individual towns at any time by contacting support
- Content changes are made to the parent page, not individual city pages
Gallery Section
If a gallery is included, it uses the same images and description as the core service page. This keeps things consistent and builds trust through real examples of the business’s work.
Geo Pages (GEOs)
What Are Geo Pages?
Geo Pages are location-specific pages for businesses that operate from a fixed location. They are designed to attract customers from surrounding towns who are willing to travel to the business. For example: “family dentist in Bexley.”
GEOs focus on getting people to
come to the business, not the other way around.
Key Details
- Up to
10 Geo Pages per business
- Must have
Hibu One
- Cannot be sold if the client has or is purchasing SAPs
- Written with
AI-generated copy that is
reviewed and edited by a content writer
- Pages include
location-specific SEO in title tags, meta descriptions, H1s, and body content
- URL format: domain/areas/served/keyword/city-st
- Linked from the
Contact Us page or
Location Category Landing Page (if the client has Additional Locations)
How They Avoid Duplicate Content
Each page is custom-edited to reflect the specific town it targets. Copywriters make sure each Geo Page:
- Uses the correct geographic name
- Includes language like “While we are located in [HQ town], we also serve customers in [Geo town]”
- Does
not mislead users into thinking the business is physically located in the target town
SEO & EEAT Benefits
- Improves visibility in local search results for surrounding towns
- Builds trust by clearly stating service reach
- Supports Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines by showing experience, authority, and transparency
Navigation and Indexing
- Not shown in the top navigation
- Linked through the
Contact Us page or a
Location landing page
- Also accessible via a footer link labeled
“Areas Served”
- Structured for easy indexing by search engines
Gallery Section
If included, the gallery pulls from the business’s main service page. It uses even rows and 4px spacing for a clean layout. This ensures visual consistency and reinforces credibility by showing real work examples.
Quick Comparison Table
