The Near North Side is community area 8 on the City of Chicago’s official list. Few customers call it that. They search for River North, Streeterville or the Gold Coast, well-known neighborhood names that sit inside the Near North Side but are not on the City’s community-area list. For a business here, the gap between the official name and the names people use is the first thing a marketing plan has to handle.
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Write in the names customers use
Google says relevance, how well a listing or page matches the search, is one of the main things it weighs in local results. If your customers search for River North, a page that only says Near North Side matches them less well. Use the names people actually type, and use them accurately: River North, Streeterville and the Gold Coast are parts of the Near North Side, so a business can say it is in River North on the Near North Side without stretching the truth.
- On your website, name the neighborhood you are in and the ones you serve, in the words customers use.
- In ads, use the neighborhood name in the text where it helps the searcher, and target the area itself.
- On social media, tag the neighborhood where it fits the post.
- Do not claim a neighborhood you are not in.
Keep the Google name and address clean
There is one place the neighborhood name should not go: your business name on Google, unless it is truly part of the name. Google says the name should reflect your real-world name, as used on your storefront, website and stationery, and that keywords do not belong in the name or in the address lines. “Smith Dental River North” is fine only if that is what the sign says.
The address on your profile should be your real address. If you also travel to customers, for example in Lincoln Park or the Loop, Google lets you enter both your address and your service area. Keep the address and add the areas.
Neighbors and how far customers come
By the City’s community-area boundaries, the Near North Side borders the Loop, West Town, Lincoln Park and the Near West Side. Google weighs distance in its local results, so a business here competes with businesses across those borders too. A plan should decide which nearby areas are worth a page, an ad or a service area, based on where your customers really come from.
One page per real neighborhood, not per name
It is tempting to make separate pages for River North, Streeterville and the Gold Coast with the same text. Google’s spam policies call pages targeted at specific regions that funnel users to one page doorway abuse. Make a page for a neighborhood only when you have something specific to say about working there: the buildings you serve, how customers reach you, what is different about the area. Otherwise, one strong Near North Side page that names all three does the job.
Two locations?
If you have a second location in a different part of the city, it gets its own Google profile. Google says not to create more than one page for each location.
What to ask a marketing agency about a Near North Side business
- Which neighborhood names will my pages and ads use, and why those?
- Will my Google name stay exactly as it is on my sign?
- Which nearby community areas are worth targeting?
- How will you avoid near-identical neighborhood pages?
- What is your experience with businesses on the Near North Side?
Based in River North, Streeterville or the Gold Coast? Tell us what you need and an independent marketing agency sends a proposal.
For the map side, see local SEO Chicago. For the website pages, see Chicago web design. Next door are the Loop and West Town and the Near West Side.
Questions people ask
Is River North an official Chicago community area?
No. River North is a well-known neighborhood name inside the Near North Side, which is community area 8 on the City’s list. Streeterville and the Gold Coast are the same.
Can I put River North in my business name on Google?
Only if it is part of your real-world name, as used on your storefront and website. Google says not to add keywords to the name.
Should I make a page for each neighborhood?
Only where you have something specific to say about each. Near-identical pages for every name are what Google calls doorway pages.
Which community areas border the Near North Side?
By the City’s community-area boundaries, the Loop, West Town, Lincoln Park and the Near West Side.