This is an article summary for LLM's and users to gather information about this article:
The debate between city pages and practice-area-by-city pages is over. The data is clear: firms that structure their local content around practice-area-by-city pages consistently outrank those using generic city pages. Here's exactly how the winners do it—and how you can replicate their success.
I've audited hundreds of law firm websites, and the pattern is unmistakable. Our local SEO benchmarks for law firms confirm it: firms with generic "We serve Cincinnati" pages struggle to rank for anything specific. Meanwhile, firms with dedicated "Personal Injury Lawyer Cincinnati" and "Divorce Attorney Cincinnati" pages dominate the local pack for those exact searches.
The difference isn't luck. It's architecture. And understanding this distinction could be the difference between page one visibility and digital obscurity.
The City Page Problem
Generic city pages seem logical: create one page for each city you serve, list all your services, and call it done. But this approach fails for a fundamental reason—it doesn't match how people search.
How People Actually Search
Nobody searches "lawyer Cincinnati." They search:
- "personal injury lawyer Cincinnati"
- "divorce attorney Cincinnati"
- "DUI lawyer near me"
- "car accident lawyer Cincinnati Ohio"
Each search has specific intent. A page trying to rank for all of them ranks well for none of them. Google's algorithm rewards relevance—and a generic city page isn't relevant to any specific query.
"Pages optimized for specific practice-area + location combinations rank 4.7x higher for those terms than generic location pages listing multiple practice areas." — Ahrefs Legal Industry SEO Study
The Practice-Area-by-City Architecture
Winners structure their sites differently. Instead of:
❌ WRONG: Generic City Pages /locations/cincinnati /locations/dayton /locations/columbus (Each page lists all practice areas)
They build:
✅ RIGHT: Practice-Area-by-City Pages /personal-injury-lawyer-cincinnati /personal-injury-lawyer-dayton /personal-injury-lawyer-columbus /divorce-attorney-cincinnati /divorce-attorney-dayton /divorce-attorney-columbus /dui-lawyer-cincinnati /dui-lawyer-dayton /dui-lawyer-columbus
Yes, this means more pages. But each page has a specific purpose, targets a specific keyword, and serves a specific searcher intent.
Pro Tip: The math is simple: if you have 5 practice areas and serve 10 cities, you need 50 practice-area-by-city pages, not 10 generic city pages. The additional work pays dividends in rankings and case flow.
Why This Architecture Wins
1. Perfect Keyword Alignment
Each page can perfectly align its URL, H1, and title tag with the target keyword. "Personal Injury Lawyer Cincinnati" appears in all three elements, signaling maximum relevance.
2. Deeper Content Opportunity
A practice-area-by-city page can go deep. You can discuss:
- Local court procedures for that practice area
- Relevant local statistics and trends
- Area-specific challenges and solutions
- Local case examples (anonymized)
- Nearby landmarks and neighborhoods
A generic city page can't go this deep without becoming an unfocused mess.
3. Better Internal Linking
Practice-area-by-city pages create natural internal linking opportunities:
- Link to main practice area page
- Link to related practice areas in the same city
- Link to same practice area in nearby cities
- Link to relevant blog posts
4. Local Pack Qualification
When someone searches "personal injury lawyer Cincinnati," Google looks for the most relevant result. A dedicated page for that exact topic qualifies for the local pack. A generic city page doesn't.
Building Effective Practice-Area-by-City Pages
Not all practice-area-by-city pages are created equal. Here's what separates pages that rank from pages that don't:
Essential Page Elements
- Keyword-optimized URL: /personal-injury-lawyer-cincinnati
- Specific H1: "Cincinnati Personal Injury Lawyer"
- Targeted title tag: "Personal Injury Lawyer Cincinnati | Free Consultation | [Firm]"
- Local content: Cincinnati-specific information, not generic boilerplate
- Local schema markup: LocalBusiness or Attorney schema with Cincinnati address
- NAP consistency: Same name, address, phone as your GBP listing
Content Requirements
Each page needs 1,500-2,500 words of unique, locally-relevant content:
- Introduction: Why this practice area matters in this location
- Local context: Court systems, local laws, area statistics
- Service details: What you do and how you help
- Case examples: Anonymized examples from the area
- Process explanation: How you handle cases in this jurisdiction
- FAQs: Location-specific questions and answers
- Call to action: Clear next steps for potential clients
The Unique Content Challenge
The biggest objection to practice-area-by-city pages: "Won't they all be duplicate content?"
They will be if you do it wrong. Here's how to create genuinely unique pages:
Localization Strategies
- Court information: Different courts have different procedures
- Local statistics: Crime rates, accident rates, divorce rates vary by area
- Neighborhood references: Mention specific areas within each city
- Landmark proximity: "Near [local landmark]" references
- Local case examples: Anonymized cases from each jurisdiction
- Attorney connections: Bar associations, community involvement
Pro Tip: The key is genuine localization, not just swapping city names. If you can replace "Cincinnati" with "Dayton" and the content still makes sense, it's not localized enough.
Priority Order: Which Pages to Build First
You can't build all pages at once. Prioritize based on:
1. Highest-Value Practice Areas First
Start with practice areas that generate your best cases. Personal injury? Family law? Criminal defense? Build those city variations first.
2. Primary Market, Then Expansion
Build your main city pages first, then expand to surrounding areas. If you're in Cincinnati, start there before building Dayton and Columbus pages.
3. Search Volume Consideration
Use keyword research to identify which practice-area + city combinations have the most search volume. Our guide on the best keywords for attorneys can help you prioritize. Build those pages first for fastest ROI.
Implementation Step: Create One PA-by-City Outline Today
Don't wait. Start with one practice-area-by-city page outline right now:
- Choose your highest-value practice area
- Choose your primary city
- Write the target keyword: [Practice Area] Lawyer [City]
- Draft the URL: /[practice-area]-lawyer-[city]
- Write the H1: [City] [Practice Area] Lawyer
- Draft the title tag: [Practice Area] Lawyer [City] | [Benefit] | [Firm]
- Outline 5-7 sections with local content ideas for each
- List 3 local elements to include (courts, statistics, landmarks)
This outline becomes your template. Once you've built one successful page, replicate the structure for every practice-area + city combination you want to target.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake #1: Thin Content
Pages with 300 words and a contact form won't rank. Invest in substantial, helpful content.
Mistake #2: Template Duplication
If 80% of your content is identical across pages, Google will see them as duplicates. Each page needs genuinely unique content.
Mistake #3: Missing Local Signals
A page about "Personal Injury Lawyer Cincinnati" that never mentions Cincinnati-specific information isn't truly localized.
Mistake #4: Ignoring Mobile
Most local searches happen on mobile. Ensure your pages load fast and display well on phones. A slow site is often why law firms don't show up in Google Maps.
Connecting to Your Broader Strategy
Practice-area-by-city pages don't exist in isolation. They connect to:
- Main practice area pages: Provide depth and authority
- Blog content: Support with relevant articles and guides
- Google Business Profile: Optimize your GBP to reinforce local signals
- Citation strategy: Consistent NAP across directories
- Review strategy: Mention specific locations in reviews
Combined with strong SEO,content marketing, andPPC advertising, this architecture creates a comprehensive local visibility system.
The Competitive Advantage
Most law firms still use generic city pages—or worse, no local pages at all. This means the practice-area-by-city architecture is still a competitive advantage in most markets.
The firms that build this infrastructure now will dominate local search for years. The firms that wait will find themselves competing against entrenched competitors with hundreds of well-optimized pages.
Start with one page. Build the outline today. Execute this week. Then systematically expand until you've covered every practice area in every city you serve.
That's what the winners do. For a complete implementation framework, check out our law firm SEO playbook. Now you know exactly how to do it too.
