Skip to content
    Moz logo Menu open Menu close
    • Products
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Pro Home
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Home
      • STAT
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Home
      • Compare SEO Products
      • Moz Data
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis
      • Keyword Explorer
      • Link Explorer
      • Competitive Research
      • MozBar
      • More Free SEO Tools
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO
      • SEO Learning Center
      • Moz Academy
      • MozCon
      • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers
      • Agency Solutions
      • Enterprise Solutions
      • Small Business Solutions
      • The Moz Story
      • New Releases
    • Log in
    • Log out
    • Products
      • Moz Pro

        Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

      • Moz Local

        Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

      • STAT

        SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

      • Moz API

        Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

      • Compare SEO Products

        See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

      • Moz Data

        Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
      Moz Pro

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

      Learn more
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis

        Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

      • Keyword Explorer

        Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

      • Link Explorer

        Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

      • Competitive Research

        Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

      • MozBar

        See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

      • More Free SEO Tools

        Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
      Moz Pro

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

      Learn more
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO

        The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

      • SEO Learning Center

        Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

      • On-Demand Webinars

        Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

      • How-To Guides

        Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

      • Moz Academy

        Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

      • MozCon

        Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

      Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
      Moz API

      Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

      Find your plan
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers

        Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

      • Small Business Solutions

        Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

      • Agency Solutions

        Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

      • Enterprise Solutions

        Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

      • The Moz Story

        Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

      • New Releases

        Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

      Surface actionable competitive intel
      New Feature

      Surface actionable competitive intel

      Learn More
    • Log in
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Dashboard
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Dashboard
      • Moz Academy
    • Avatar
      • Moz Home
      • Notifications
      • Account & Billing
      • Manage Users
      • Community Profile
      • My Q&A
      • My Videos
      • Log Out

    The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. Home
    2. SEO Tactics
    3. Keyword Research
    4. Include Location in Keywords?

    Moz Q&A is closed.

    After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

    Include Location in Keywords?

    Keyword Research
    6
    9
    14197
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
    • reidsteven75
      reidsteven75 last edited by

      I understand Google's local search automatically searches keywords with the location you are searching from.   For example if I'm searching from Calgary and query "best shoe repair", Google knows I'm searching from Calgary and presents Calgary based results.

      I'm using Google's new Keyword Planner tool which allows for city based search results, meaning I don't have to include "Calgary" in the keywords I submit.

      The question I have is should I be attaching "Calgary" to my keywords for on-page optimization, and why or why not?

      Any help would be greatly appreciated!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • joony
        joony last edited by

        I just want to ask more questions regarding location in keywords.

        Can we treat these two keywords differently?

        "Calgary's best shoe repair" vs "best shoe repair in Calgary"

        or

        "Canadian shoe repair" vs "shoe repair in Canada"

        Searchers' intent is pretty much the same. but we should target two different keywords? if they are both popular?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • MiriamEllis
          MiriamEllis Subject Expert last edited by

          Great discussion here with many excellent points covered by everyone who has responded. I will only add, because I think this is something that may come up frequently, Google's new Keyword Planner Tool only changes the way you might do keyword research - not the way you optimize a site. It is still vital to locally optimize the website. The only difference is that you hopefully now have more and better insight into important terms to include in your optimization.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • reidsteven75
            reidsteven75 @IXBrandSEO last edited by

            Great thanks a lot Paul!

            Those search volumes were just made up, although I did see something similar with my research.  Once I decide what I'm going to do I'll let you know what I've decided.

            Thanks again!

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • IXBrandSEO
              IXBrandSEO last edited by

              Thanks very much Steve!

              I discussed this issue last week with my Google Engage advisor and she recommended focusing on "shoe repair" instead of "Calgary shoe repair" since we'd be targeting the Adwords campaign to a specific city.  My landing pages will be focused on my Houston equivalent of "shoe repair" and "Calgary shoe repair."

              As an aside, it surprises me that "Calgary shoe repair" would have 1000 searches per month and "shoe repair" within Calgary would have only 750 searches.  The keyword planner is supposed to include mobile searches and you'd think that most people wouldn't include Calgary in the search phrase in a mobile device search -- they'd just key in "shoe repair" on the tablet or smart phone.  My impression is that search volumes Google publishes for "Calgary shoe repair" and "shoe repair" within Calgary are not exact and should be considered as kind of "order of magnitude" estimates of search volume.  Please let me know what you decide to do in your campaign and what results you see.

              Thanks again,  Paul

              reidsteven75 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • reidsteven75
                reidsteven75 @IXBrandSEO last edited by

                Hey Paul,

                Thanks for the in depth response, that makes a lot of sense.  Perhaps you can answer my next question...

                I've received monthly search volume from Google's Keyword Planner tool on a bunch of keywords.  With this tool I returned search volume within Calgary as a filter.  Some of these keywords include the word Calgary.  For example lets say I have two keywords that look promising...

                • calgary shoe repair - 1000 searches / month , low competition
                • shoe repair - 750 searches / month , low competition

                Both of these search volumes only include searches in Calgary.  Am I correct in assuming I can choose both "calgary shoe repair" and "shoe repair" as two separate keywords?  Or would it be wise to only choose one of the two?

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • IXBrandSEO
                  IXBrandSEO last edited by

                  Hi Steve,

                  If I understand your question, yes you should include the use of the city name - Calgary - in your on-page optimization efforts.  You want to make it very clear to the search engines where your local business is located so you want your NAP: name, address, and phone number displayed in text prominently on multiple pages of your website.  You also want to make sure that the NAP you use on your site is consistent with the NAP information submitted to online business listings and local business directories like the Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau.

                  For a local business, I'll always use a location keyword in the page titles and meta description tags.  However, in using any keywords on-page in text, Alt tags, and headings, you want to be judicious in avoiding overuse.  So in talking about shoe repair, I wouldn't attach "Calgary" to the keyword phrase "shoe repair" every time I used it.

                  Remember that Google and the other search engines associate a location with a search phrase by associating a location with the IP address used to originate the search.  In many cities with substantial suburban populations, that means that people located in the suburbs and looking for shoe repair in the suburbs will be counted in the city search volumes because their IP addresses are associated with the city.  So if your business is located in the suburbs, you might want to think of using location keywords for the major city and for your suburb location too.

                  I hope this helps!

                  reidsteven75 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • john4math
                    john4math last edited by

                    If you don't use the word "Calgary" on the page, how would Google know your website is related to Calgary for it's location-based results?  They have a location option in the keyword tool so you can see how much traffic that term has in Calgary, as well as the average CPC in Calgary, if you're planning on running an advertising campaign in Adwords.

                    As an aside, for Adwords you no longer have to include "Calgary" in your keywords if your campaign targets the location Calgary.  For your "best shoe repair" example, Adwords default location setting would show ads for "best show repair" for people searching that in Calgary, but also people searching for "Calgary best show repair" around the world.  There is a sub-setting to make it target only people physically in Calgary if you only want locals seeing the ad.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Squee
                      Squee last edited by

                      I would say yes, include your location in your on page text.

                      If I am searching for shoe repair I would most likely search "city shoe repair"

                      If your shoe repair shop does pop up and you have NOTHING about where you are actually located, I might go to the next site that has a location.

                      And location will just reinforce the location shoe repair that Google has already started on.It also would help if I am out of town and a bit lost, knowing exactly where this show place is without having to go to googlemaps or places or another map site...

                      Many times I actually use Yelp (Yelp always has address right easy to find, when websites hide their address)

                      It might not rank your location-shoe repair SERPS that much, but it SHOULD help your buyers conversion...

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • 1 / 1
                      • First post
                        Last post

                      Got a burning SEO question?

                      Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                      Start my free trial


                      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.

                      • See all categories

                      Related Questions

                      • Raymonda

                        German Keywords

                        keyword explorer

                        Hi I wanted to check the volume of a keyword in German but unfortunately, it shows no data available.?
                        Is this actually possible to research German keywords with your tool?

                        Keyword Research | | Raymonda
                        0
                      • AslanBarselinov

                        Which keyword to use (plural / singular)

                        Hi guys. So I'm racking my brain with a question whether I should use plural or singular keyword as a focus keyphrase of my page. The page that I'm optimizing is basically a review page of different websites offering proofreading services. Considering the fact that this is a review and I mention a lot of websites on my page, I decided to rank for a plural keyword that ends with "services". However, this keyword is very unpopular (ahrefs doesn't show any volume for it), while singular "service" has about 100 searches per month. As far as I understand, Google sees both keywords as synonyms, because search results for both keywords are almost identical. Should I change my keyphrase to singular "service" (even though the page mentions a lot of services), or stick with "services" instead? Do I have a chance of ranking for "service" if I stick with "services" in this case? Thank you.

                        Keyword Research | | AslanBarselinov
                        0
                      • Staunton_Rook

                        Keyword Planner not showing exact match

                        hi guys I'm currently trying to optimize a site for 'Recruitment Agency North West' when I enter his term into keyword planner it gives me no results for the exact match, but offers me figures for 'Recruitment Agencies North West' Am I to assume that nobody has ever searched 'Recruitment Agency North West'?!!! and that I should be focusing on 'Recruitment Agencies North West' as my main key phrase? Is there another site other than keyword planner that will give me results for 'Recruitment Agency North West'? cheers M

                        Keyword Research | | Staunton_Rook
                        0
                      • aplnzmarch18

                        Paid vs Organic Keyword Optimisation

                        Hi Im wondering whether I should optimise my site with Organic search terms that drive traffic to the site or the paid terms i use in Google search ads?

                        Keyword Research | | aplnzmarch18
                        0
                      • surabhi6

                        Which keywords are sending traffic to my site?

                        I want to know Which keywords are sending traffic to my site?  What type of strategies behind this ?

                        Keyword Research | | surabhi6
                        0
                      • theLotter

                        Tool for Local Keyword Research by US State

                        I want to find out keyword research about a specific US State but Google's tool only gives me data by Country. Is there something else I can use?

                        Keyword Research | | theLotter
                        2
                      • mr_w

                        Help finding some decent keywords

                        Anyone care to help a SEO Newbie find a couple of key words that would be easier to rank for for my website that provides kayak fishing information? mysite: yakangler.com The key words that I've identified are as follows: best kayak   
                        fishing from a kayak
                        fishing kayak review
                        fishing kayaks   
                        kayak and fishing
                        kayak fishing   
                        kayak for fishing   
                        kayak reviews   
                        kayak rigging
                        kayak weight limit   
                        kayaks fishing   
                        kayaks for fishing But I'm worried I'm missing the point, I don't see hardly any traffic from most of these. I've really tried to rank for "kayak fishing" but seem to be totally lost in the Google Panda abyss. Any advice on a different word or strategy would be greatly appreciated!

                        Keyword Research | | mr_w
                        0
                      • ACann

                        Should we change our site domain name to include our keyword?

                        Our niche has one keyword phrase that is much, much more active than any other comparable phrase. Let's call that phrase "math problems". Within this phrase, the "math" is absolutely the most important keyword, as it is also used in every spin-off search phrase, like "math answers", "math practice", etc. We've had our domain since 1996, and is currently the company name - "Rocketproblems.com". Over the last year (2010-2011) our SERPs have steadily dropped to the point where we're not getting a sustainable level of business from organic search, whereas in 2009 we were doing fantastic. However, we've also had "Rocketmathproblems.com" since about 2000, just gathering dust. What I've noticed from the top search results is that nearly every domain has either "math" or "math problems" in its URL. Do you think it's worth it to switch to the keyword-rich URL? It is a bit more verbose, and the "Rocketmathproblems.com" v.s. "Rocketproblems.com" example perfectly captures the different feeling. My inclination is that SEO is only becoming more competitive, and if we aren't getting worthwhile business from organic search at the moment then we should bite the bullet and make the switch for the future, along with ramping up our content generation. However, I also noticed that in late 2009 a previous webmaster switched to "Rogermath.com" but switched back within a month when our SERP for the key phrase was a page lower - I gleaned this from a Moz Juicy Keywords Report :). Thoughts?

                        Keyword Research | | ACann
                        0

                      Get started with Moz Pro!

                      Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                      Start my free trial
                      Products
                      • Moz Pro
                      • Moz Local
                      • Moz API
                      • Moz Data
                      • STAT
                      • Product Updates
                      Moz Solutions
                      • SMB Solutions
                      • Agency Solutions
                      • Enterprise Solutions
                      Free SEO Tools
                      • Domain Authority Checker
                      • Link Explorer
                      • Keyword Explorer
                      • Competitive Research
                      • Brand Authority Checker
                      • Local Citation Checker
                      • MozBar Extension
                      • MozCast
                      Resources
                      • Blog
                      • SEO Learning Center
                      • Help Hub
                      • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                      • How-to Guides
                      • Moz Academy
                      • API Docs
                      About Moz
                      • About
                      • Team
                      • Careers
                      • Contact
                      Why Moz
                      • Case Studies
                      • Testimonials
                      Get Involved
                      • Become an Affiliate
                      • MozCon
                      • Webinars
                      • Practical Marketer Series
                      • MozPod
                      Connect with us

                      Contact the Help team

                      Join our newsletter
                      Moz logo
                      © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                      • Accessibility
                      • Terms of Use
                      • Privacy

                      Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.