If your homepage is outranking your service page, you’ve got an internal fight on your hands—and Google doesn’t care which page you meant to rank. It’s picking the one that looks like the best match. Nine times out of ten, the problem is your own setup: homepage titles stuffed with service keywords, duplicate-looking content, or weak internal signals. The good news? The fix is straightforward. In this post, I’ll show you how to stop pages from cannibalizing each other and make your service page the obvious choice for Google.
Table of Contents
What is happening and why it matters
When Google shows your homepage for a service search, it usually means two pages on your site are fighting for the same keyword. The homepage and the service page look similar to Google. They both seem to match the search. That makes Google pick one. Often it picks the homepage. That is a problem if you want the service page to bring in visitors who want that exact service.
We see this a lot in local SEO. People put service keywords on the homepage title. They use titles like “Driveways, City, Brand.” That makes the homepage look like the service page. If you have a separate service page, the homepage should not compete with it. The homepage should be about your brand. Let the service page be the page that ranks for service searches.
Short rule of thumb
- Homepage title: lead with the brand.
- Service page title: service + location + brand (for single-location sites).
- Make a strong contextual link from the homepage to the service page.
- Resubmit both URLs to Google for indexing.
The full plan — step by step
We will lay out the exact steps to fix the issue. Follow them in order.
Change the homepage SEO title to lead with your brand.
Make the homepage a brand-first page. For example, the title can be “Acme Paving” or “Acme Paving — Trusted Contractors in Metro County.” Do not start the title with the service category if you also have a dedicated service page for that category.
Make the service page title specific: “Service — Location — Brand” for single-location businesses.
Example: “Driveway Paving — Springfield — Acme Paving.” This tells Google the page is specifically about driveway services in Springfield. It will stop the homepage from looking like the service page.
Adjust the homepage content to be broad and brand-focused.
Keep a short “who we are, what we do, where we do it” block. This is a broad statement that covers all services. It should not be optimized to outrank any single service page.
Add a contextual link from the homepage to the service page.
Place the link inside the main content of the homepage. Do not rely only on the navigation, footer, or sidebar. Write a sentence like: “We offer driveway paving across Springfield — learn more about our driveway services.” Link the words “driveway services” to the driveway page.
Make the link more meaningful where possible.
You can increase the link's weight by placing it in an H-tag or by using strong anchor text inside a paragraph. Links in menus, sidebars, and footers carry less weight than links in the body content.
Resubmit both the homepage and the service page to Google Search Console.
Use the URL Inspection tool. Request indexing for both pages so Google can re-crawl and re-evaluate them.
Wait and monitor.
Ranking changes can happen in days or a couple of weeks, depending on how fast Google crawls your site. Check your rankings and the indexed page for the service queries.
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Single-location vs. multi-location sites
Not all sites are the same. How you set titles and pages depends on whether you serve one location or many.
Single-location businesses
If you only serve one city or town, include the location in the service page title. This helps Google match local search queries to that page. For example:
- Service page title: Driveway Paving — Springfield — Acme Paving
- Homepage title: Acme Paving
Here the homepage is the brand. The service page is where the service + location ranking happens.
Service-area or multi-location businesses
If you cover many cities and towns, your homepage should target the broadest region. That might be a county or metro area. Then leave the location out of the service page title. This avoids making many duplicate pages like “Driveway Paving — City A, Driveway Paving — City B” and so on.
Example pattern for service-area businesses:
- Homepage title: Acme Paving — Serving Metro County
- Service page title: Driveway Paving — Acme Paving (no city)
The service page should be written to serve the whole service area. Use the content to explain where you work. Use location mentions naturally on the page rather than as a title modifier.
Why link placement matters
Not all links are equal. Links in the main text have more meaning than links in menus or footers. That is not a rule from us alone — it is how search engines treat signals. We see this in tests often.
To give a link more influence:
- Place it in the body content of the homepage.
- Use a clear and descriptive anchor text for the link.
- Consider wrapping the link in an H-tag if it fits the content structure.
These small steps help Google see that the service page is the primary page for the service keyword.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Putting the service keyword at the start of the homepage title when you also have a service page.
- Using the same SEO title pattern on the homepage and the service page.
- Relying only on navigation or footer links to point to the service page.
- Creating many location-specific service pages for every city when you cover a large area—this can cause low-quality duplicates.
Example changes for a driveway business
Here is a concrete example for a single-location driveway contractor:
- Old homepage title: Driveways, Springfield, Acme Paving
- Old service page title: Driveways, Acme Paving
- Problem: Both pages look like they target “driveways Springfield.”
Fix it like this:
- New homepage title: Acme Paving
- New service page title: Driveway Paving — Springfield — Acme Paving
- Add a contextual link from homepage content to the driveway page with the anchor “driveway paving in Springfield.”
- Submit both URLs for reindexing in Search Console.
That set of changes makes the service page the clear match for driveway queries.
What to expect after changes
Once you change the titles and add the contextual link, Google will recrawl and re-evaluate both pages. You can speed this up by requesting indexing. In many cases, the service page will replace the homepage in search results for the service queries within days or a few weeks. Keep an eye on Search Console for any crawl errors or indexing notes.
Extra tips
- Keep titles unique across the site. Each page should target a clear topic.
- Use consistent language. If you call the service “driveway paving” on the service page, use that same phrase in the anchor text from the homepage.
- Write in-depth content on each service page. The title change helps, but the content needs to match user intent.
- Don’t create thin, city-by-city copies of the same page. That leads to duplicate content issues.
Quick checklist
- Change homepage title to lead with brand.
- Update service page title to “Service — Location — Brand” for single-location sites.
- Add a contextual link from homepage to service page.
- Place the link in the body content. Use descriptive anchor text.
- Submit both URLs to Search Console and request indexing.
- Monitor rankings and Search Console for updates.
FAQ
Q: Can we keep a service keyword in the homepage title if we only have one service?
A: If the business truly only offers one service, you can make the homepage the service page. In that case the homepage should be the main service page and can use the service keyword. If you have separate service pages, do not put the service keyword first on the homepage.
Q: What if Google still shows the homepage after I change titles?
A: Give it time. Submit both pages for indexing. Also check the content. Make sure the service page is clearly focused on the service and location. Strengthen the internal link and use clear anchor text. If needed, add more relevant local content to the service page.
Q: Should we include the city in the service page title if we serve many cities?
A: No. If you serve many cities, treat the service page as a page for the whole service area. Use the homepage to target the broad region (county or metro). Avoid making a separate service page for each city unless you have unique content and a real business presence in each city.
Q: Do links in the footer help push the service page to rank?
A: Footer links help with navigation, but they don’t carry the same meaning as a link inside the body content. Use a contextual link in the main content for stronger effect.
Q: How should we name the homepage title if we serve a large area?
A: Use the brand name and a broad region. For example “Acme Paving — Serving Metro County” or “Acme Paving — Serving Greater Metro Area.” Keep it brand-first and broad.
Wrap up
When a homepage is outranking a service page, it usually comes down to page titles and internal linking. Make the homepage brand-first. Make the service page the clear target for the service-term and location. Use a strong contextual link from the homepage. Then ask Google to reindex both pages. These changes are simple, but they work. We have tested them many times and we see the shift back to the service page when the site structure is clear.
If you follow the checklist and the steps above, you will stop your pages from fighting each other. You will give Google a clear choice. That is the fastest path to getting the service page to show for service searches.