Local Search Engine Optimization Tactics to help Performance Online

When you are a local business trying to be shown online over your competition, you have come to the write spot. We have been helping locals for over the past 10+ years now.

We have noticed that most searches are either 'near me' or based off your IP address to show what is near you for your keywords when looking for specific businesses. Make sure you are doing these things when trying to be found online.

Why you do not need to use the phrase 'near me' in your keywords

There's no need to optimize the phrase 'near me' in a keyword. Despite its frequent usage in searches, there are more effective approaches for optimization.

Google takes the 'near me' component from a user's search and pairs it with businesses and websites it deems are the most geographically closest and relevant to the user. So instead of 'Emergency plumber near me,' you would have 'Emergency plumber in London,' for example.

Therefore, for local businesses aiming for local rankings, including your specific target location within your keywords and tailoring your SEO strategy around them is advisable. In doing so, Google will understand the business's location and can recommend it to users who are searching for services 'near me.'

Optimizing for local keywords that suit your target area can significantly help your website's SEO or how well you appear in online searches. For example, if you're an electrician in Miami, most of your customers will be located nearby. That means you should include your target location in your keywords to include this area.

When people around your target area search online, they usually want to find businesses nearby. Google helps with this by checking websites to see where they are targeting. So, putting local keywords in your metadata and copy helps Google know where you are targetting. This can make your website appear higher in search results when people search for these keywords.

How to conduct local keyword research?

To do effective local keyword research, there are a few essential steps to follow:

List Your Business Solutions

In this step, you want to come up with a list of all the products or services that your business offers, along with what your business is about.

For example, if your business is a bicycle shop:

Bicycle shop
Bicycle repairs
Mountain bikes
Bicycle accessories
Bicycle helmets
Bicycle gloves
Bicycle rentals

…, and the list could go on! Of course, list only those products and services that you actually offer.

Add Keyword Modifiers

Next, you want to modify your phrases with keyword modifiers, that fall into the following categories:

Quality: Best, TopPrice: Cheap, Cheapest, Lowest PriceOccasion: Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall, Birthday/Wedding/etc, Easter/Christmas/etcType: [A Product or Service your Business Offers]Features: Same-Day Shipping, All-Inclusive, Gluten Free, etc.Intent: Buy, Order, Reserve

Add Location Modifiers

The next step is to add location modifiers that explicitly mention a landmark, street, postcode, neighbourhood, town, city, county, or area, for example:

Greater Denver Area
Denver
80020
North/East/West/South Denver
City Centre Denver
Larimer Square
Coors Field, Mile High Stadium, Denver Art Museum, etc
Broomfield, Co
Baker Street
RiNo

Modifier + Keyword + Location Combinations

Based on the previous steps, you can now generate a large list of keyword phrases based on the modifiers, business keywords, and locations. You can also leave out modifiers or places if you want a broader term. Here are some examples:

Explicit: