Local/Geo-Targeted SEO Keywords
-
Hey everyone,
I work for a local jeweler who only has one store and wants to rank for geo-targeted and local results. We want to rank for "jewelry Minneapolis", "Minnesota engagement rings" and terms like that, since we're not an e-tailer we don't need to rank nationally... just in the MSP metro.
I've been trying to find a service that has accurate search volume information for local search. I want to see how many searches are being conducted for various terms so I know where to focus our time and effort to rank for these terms.
Does such a service exist? Or something that is more geared toward a strictly local strategy such as ours?
Thanks in advance for all of your assistance!
Jayme
-
Hi Jayme,
Unfortunately, there is no tool that offers reliable local keyword information. This is due, to my understanding, to the different location of data centers. Even if you are in a major metro location like Los Angeles, the numbers cannot be relied upon.
So, here is the method that I and other Local SEOs I know follow:
- Do your keyword research without any type of local modifiers. Create a document with a list of your findings. This might look like:
jeweler
jewelry store
diamond engagement rings
fine jewelry
costume jewelry
etc.
-
Now, create a list of your geographic terms. These might include city names, county names, regional names, neighborhood names and zip codes. An interesting tool that can help you turn up geo keywords is here: http://www.localmarketingsource.com/local-keyword-research-tool/ This is solely for looking up the different geo terms - not geo/service/product combinations.
-
Once you've got your 2 lists, combine them. So now, your keyword sheet will look like:
jeweler minneapolis
jeweler minneapolis, mn
jeweler twin cities
jeweler 85342
jewelry store minneapolis
etc.
What you've accomplished by the end of this is a very big list of keywords that you can use. These can be reflected in your title tags, meta description tags, headers, alt tags, link title and anchor text and on-page copy. Off-site, you will, of course, want to know about these kw terms in any linkbuilding you may do.
Some of the terms may be reflected on the core pages of your site, whereas others may be set aside for userful blog posts the jeweler plans to write. I do a ton of professional copywriting for local businesses, and I am always interested in seeing keyword research that turns up terms that can easily be worked up into a Q&A-type blog post. For example, let's say we see a term come up like:
'judging diamond quality'
We can turn this into a blog post entitled:
Judging Diamond Quality 101
or
Judging Diamond Quality While Visiting A Local Jewelry Store
The post will then give tips for beginners who want to be able to tell the quality of the diamonds being offered by jewelers. And, of course, it can contain information like:
At Village Jewelers in Minneapolis, MN, every diamond we sell comes with a a legal certificate certifying its quality...etc.
So, the point is, you will want to find places for all of your keywords over time. Building a strong, beautifully, locally-optimized website is the cornerstone of any Local SEO campaign. This work includes the optimization of various elements of the website and the crafting of exceptional copy for every page. And, it can include the development of an on-site blog, enabling the business owner or hired copywriter to create great copy on an on-going basis.
Offsite, there will be more work ahead, of course, in your pursuit of high rankings. This will include getting your local business profiles created and claimed, beings sure you don't violate any guidelines, building citations and earning reviews at a steady, but not hurried, pace. Lots to consider!
Jewelry stores are fun clients because their products is so easy to write about and their clientele is generally pretty happy! Good luck!
-
Well, you can check KWs that include a location term in the Google AdWords KW tool. That suggests that, for example, [engagement rings minneapolis] has an approx. search volume of 140/month. Insert usual caveats about relying on the AdWords tool. You can also use Google Insights to drill down by location, so you can see a search like "engagement rings" in Minneapolis.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How to check for Duplicate Content Locally
Hi All, Scenario
Competitive Research | | Mark_Ch
I have Instant Wordpress installed on my local machine.
I am in the process of redesigning my website; content, articles, etc.
I have internet access on my local machine. Question
I would like to cross check all internal links/pages against each other for duplicate content.
I would also like to check all internal pages against external www page instances for duplicate content. How can I achieve the following. Thanks Mark0 -
Localized SERP Rankings - Multiple Questions...
The Google SERPs for my keywords are pretty regional. We are in the "IT Support Company" space. I've checked with friends in other parts of the country, and we don't show up in the SERPs in other parts of the country for KWs that we are ranking for locally. Questions: 1. I see both national and local players showing up in the SERPs. Is there any kind of formula for how Google decides who gets on the first page? 2. Some of my keywords trigger Google+ listings. How long does it take to show up in Google+, assuming we're optimized appropriately, and we have earned a placement? 3. For Moz's keyword ranking tool, how does it handle regional searches? Moz's tool is going to show different KW rankings than what I will see. My immediate concerns are rankings in my area (NY Metro), but we want to go national. How do we track rankings in different areas? 4. Is it possible to be on the 1st page with Google+ and Organic listings? 5. Do the Google+ 7 packs have generally better, or worse CTRs than similarly placed organic listings?
Competitive Research | | CsmBill0 -
Help! New site won't rank locally but should...
any help would be greatly appreciated... picked up a new client, a used car dealer in New Jersey. Have a VERY spammy site before, tons of keyword stuffing and lots of dupe content. also had a horrible design. (www.coopscars.com) We updated the design and the content, made it relevant and unique, fixed title tags, etc. Now he's not ranking for anything locally other than his business name. He's got a decent number of links, we've added relevant citations, his social signals are much stronger than they were... We do lots of SEO for car dealers, and we know that he should be ranking SOMEWHERE at this point - not saying he should be page 1, but he should at least be somewhere in the top 5... and yes, bing/yahoo are different, but he ranks over there... one page 1 for "used cars south river" - so why completely non-existant on Google? just as a test, he put up a free website at www.coopscars.net just last week - and it's already ranking for several local terms. I'm completely confused here - i'm not a noob, I know the tactics we've used on him work for other dealers. Thinking there's got to be something that's blocking him, especially since there aren't but maybe 15-20 car dealers to compete against locally and he still doesn't show up... thought i'd come over here and see if anyone has any ideas...
Competitive Research | | Greg_Gifford0 -
What am I Missing on a Simple Targeted Phrase?
We have a bundle product page with a unique title, description and image. Other companies have similar items, but not a duplicate of what we offer. There are a few key phrases that we are trying to target with this product because they describe the product perfectly by nature. There are other similar ranking conundrums on our site, but I chose to ask about this one because it is a fairly simple and straight forward case. Attached is the ranking difficulty tool results. From this test, I don't see any reason why the number 1 ranking is better than our page in the SE's eyes. We don't have any problems or warnings in WMT either. I'm open to ideas/suggestions on why our pages are ranked so much lower for a simple search term. I have tried tweaking the title, text and added internal/external links as well as built social indicators. Nothing is making the difference I'm expecting. Because this is a fairly non-competitive, low-income phrase, I figured it would be easy to move up the rankings. I'm almost thinking it has more to do with our site template/design than anything, but that's hard for me to say. [Our site is 19&20 in the report] 8MXHJ.png
Competitive Research | | iJeep0 -
Question about Keywords & Ranking
I hope this isn't too basic of a question, but I am confused about something. If you use the Keyword Research tool and type in "Stained Concrete Flooring", the 3rd result (stainedconcrete.org) has the lowest numbers of any of the sites in the top 8-10... Is it because they have a large amount of traffic? or is there some other factor that I am missing?
Competitive Research | | Timvroom0 -
Use of competitive kw search software for KW discovery for SEO
I use traditional methods for keyword discovery, but occured to me that perhaps competitive keyword software should be applied to competitor's sites for further possibilitites. Any opinions or experience using this strategy? I know it used primarily for PPC, but value for SEO KW discovery? Any personal recommendations on which programs considered most effective? Thanks. Alan
Competitive Research | | ahw0 -
What is the difference between "external backlinks" & "referring domains" on Majestic SEO?
According to Majestic SEO's glossary, a "Referring domain, also known as "ref domain", is a domain from which a backlink is pointing to a page or link." Given this definition, I'm not sure what an external backlink is?
Competitive Research | | nicole.healthline0 -
How do you perform competitive research for SEO?
What metrics tell you the most when you're looking at your competitors across the search landscape? PageRank/MozRank Inbound links Keyword rankings Alexa/QuantCast/etc. Pages indexed Something else entirely? What numbers speak volumes to you when you want to get an idea of how you benchmark against your competitors? And how do you communicate these results?
Competitive Research | | jcolman2