Creating "Localized" Blogs

(Ok, reading my slightly hastily written reply I realized that I didn't really answer your question, so I have made some clarifications in my response)

The short answer is YES!

You should do everything you can to "localize" these templates for your clients, because together with "NAP Consistency" and user behaviour this is one of the most important ranking factors.

You should do the following (at a minimum)

1. List a local number, (verifiable - not Skype number or similar), preferably a land line, together with the local business address on every page. I suggest in small'ish font in the top right-hand corner of every page on the site.

2. You should "claim" your client's local business here: https://support.google.com/business/.../2911778?hl=en and connect it with the website and fill out the local company profile as much as possible. Don't underestimate the value of a complete profile, many do!

3. When you set-up your "Google My Business" listing you should really try to use a Seattle IP address. You can use proxies for this, or perhaps you could register the Google Account while you are in Seattle or ask your client to do it there.

Google knows that a business can have a non-local webmaster of course, but the more consistency you have the better it will be for your client.

4. Google has bought rights to the entire Whois database, (of course), so make sure that the Whois information reflects a local business address, preferably the same one listed on your website.

5. I would also advise setting up a Facebook page as a local business (there is an option for this) and connect it with the site by linking to the site from the page, and using a plugin to link from the site to the page.

You can perhaps charge extra for this as well, but just explain to the client that it will enhance their rankings long-term.

Once you have set-up the page you can just hand over the Admin rights to the site owner so they have full control of it.

In order for the clients using your template to rank as a local business they will also need to have good "NAP Consistency". This really helps a lot with local rankings, especially if everything else seems consistent and trustworthy to Google.

"NAP Consistency" basically just means that your site needs to be listed, (as a local business), in a lot of different places online, like local business directories such as Yelp.

The best place (IMO) to find these type of directories is https://www.brightlocal.com/

Hope this helps!

Alexandra

PS. I realize that if you are just "selling a template" to your clients then a lot of what I have written above might not be applicable for you, unless you decide to offer a "done-for-you" service as an OTO! My boss owns more than 300 websites, (some of them local), and these are basically the steps we take to make sure they rank, so yeah do whatever you can to make the template "more local" to your clients. The map idea is also very good!