How to choose keywords for a small, local business
-
I have a client who is a small, local business that isn't interested in competing outside of their market. Let's use a Toyota dealership in Anytown USA as an example.
Which method makes more sense?
A: Optimize for keywords like "toyota", "used cars", etc. and hope the search engines show the site to local users?
Or B: Optimize for keywords like "toyota anytown" and "used cars anytown" and take localization out of the equation?
Kind of a newbie trying to figure out how best to approach SEO for sites that are highly geographic.
-
We have had some experience recently with just this task. First I would make sure that our on site optimization is correct for local search therefore title tags should be appropriate eg Toyota Car Sales and Service. Also that there is relevant on page local content and also that your meta descriptions have local context.
Second, I would follow Rand's direction to getlisted.org which will get you on 5 of the most important local directories, qype, yelp etc. Follow this with any other local directories you can find. These all help with local search rankings.
Third build links with local businesses. These local backlinks will help Google localise you and determine that your car dealership is the 'most popular' in anytown.
Fourth Google Places Signup will hopefully mean you will appear google place search
Apart from this general link acquisition will help boulster your position.
-
Go with Option B. Optimizing for "toyota" or "used cars" is going to be super competitive and most of the people performing those searches aren't likely to be relevant to a brick and mortar location. Targeting the more specific phrases will be easier to rank and the traffic the site gets will be more likely to convert. Keyword selection requires that balance of search volume and specificity. "toyota anytown", "used cars anytown", and "Used toyotas anytown" should be a good place to start.
And if you haven't already, you'll want to get the business listed in Google Places.
-
Hi
Anytime you have a "brick and mortar" situation you're dealing with local search, which is a different ballgame for sure than non-local. You may want to have a look at:
http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml
http://www.seomoz.org/webinars/conversion-optimization-for-local-businesses - that deals a little more on the conversion end, rather than rankings, but still of value.
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/category/5 - and the blog category for the local seo verticle. The top 4 or 5 posts there right now have some value.
Definitely where you want to start is to get an overview of local search.
Also, the latest SEO101 podcast on webmaster radio JUST had an entire episode on local.
Hope these help!
-Dan
-
Optimizing for phrases like "Toyota Dealer" Will allow you to still show up for those searches, but I've experienced the best benefit at my car dealership by optimizing for "City Toyota" and "Toyota City". I then followed that up by using "City car dealership" and "City used cars." However, I have over 100 domain links to my website, so It's easy for me to rank well in local search.
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
-
Keyword List stuck on "Gathering Metrics"
Hello! I set up a keyword list over a week ago and the majority of the keywords still say "Gathering Metrics." Any advice on how to get this data to populate? Thanks!
Keyword Research | | mollykathariner_ms0 -
Publish an article for blog before the Keyword research
Hi, my first time in the community. my web site is pretty new and I'm focusing now on the Onsite SEO. I am using an outsourcing company that writing me content, and I want to start my blog and publish it. but, I didn't finish yet my Keyword research, is it useless from google perspective to publish it without any keywords? it can hurt my site if ill publish it without any keywords inside of the article? or it still can be good for my site ranking/power? thanks !!!
Keyword Research | | TalPard10 -
When I use the Google search console to discover keyword phrases being used to drive visitors to my site I see some keywords that have the city name repeated (ex: web design sarasota sarasota, fl). Why?
When I use the Google search console to discover keyword phrases being used to drive visitors to my site I see some keywords that have the city name repeated (ex: web design sarasota sarasota, fl). Why does this happen?
Keyword Research | | Noblemoz1 -
Bulk Keyword Position Checker - Urgent
Can anyone recommend a good bulk search engine keyword position checker.
Keyword Research | | seoman10
I need to check a few hundred keywords against our own domain. Thanks in advance.0 -
National keyword results v local keyword results
If the keyword contains the location term like "SEO company London" is it better to use the wider results over local? Additionally, some best practice examples of national v local result tracking would be great 🙂 Darren
Keyword Research | | SEODarren0 -
Newbie Keyword optmization question
I'm optimizing this page: http://gainesvilleholistichealthcare.com/treatment-options/acupuncture/ This is for a local, Gainesville, Fl acupuncturist. The words that show the most search volume on GKT for the city of gainesville are "acupuncture" followed by "acupuncture gainesville fl". Will optimizing for "Acupuncture in gainesville" or "Your Gainesville Florida Acupuncture solution" optimize it for both of these important terms? I guess my question really is, how specific does the match between the searcher's phrase and the KW's I use need to be.
Keyword Research | | Graphbyte0 -
Assesing which keywords to target
Hi Looking for some advice: Situation: Starting and SEO campaign for the French market. We have extensive keyword data from our adwords account as this has been running for a few months. Questions: What should we be looking out for in relations to keywords to target in the seo campaign? How many keywords is it sensible to target or chase? (one person dedicated to the French seo campaign) Thanks for your help, Andrew
Keyword Research | | fleurya0 -
Keyword Optimization for 2 Brands
We carry two brands, Buick & GMC. All of the most trafficked keywords that I'm finding in my research are structured like this: buick denver buick service gmc denver gmc service How should I approach this situation so that I'm optimizing for both brands?
Keyword Research | | kylesuss0