Suggestions for Local Search Keyword Research?

desanctifier · 10-22-2009, 01:34 PM

Hi,

I've got a couple of jobs for some local offline businesses looking to generate leads, and I have some questions about keywords for local search.

Specifically, I am having trouble identifying any terms via the Adwords tool that show any significant search volume (just as often, none at all). These keywords, by the way, are not even geo targeted. If I add geographical modifiers, most of the terms drop to no detectable traffic...or at least a number that Google is willing to give to me

Many of the broader terms that show potential in phrase match look sketchy when I take a closer look at them in Market Samurai's SEO Competition Matrix:

Many of the top 10 results are root domains (as opposed to interior pages)
Domains are often 5+ years old
Pages in the SERPs often have 100s, and sometimes 1000+ backlinks

BUT the pages are also often poorly optimized:

No TITLE tag optimization
Not listed in any directories
The keyword phrase I'm targeting is often not mentioned on the page (but parts of the phrase are)

So I have two questions here:

How do I choose keywords for local search that won't be time wasters (and money wasters)? I know I can target many of these "blind" terms (no available search volume) and rank for them, but is that worth my effort for my clients?
Given the SEOC data I mentioned above for the broader terms, would you say those pages might be vulnerable to a well optimized page? And by "vulnerable", I guess I mean without necessarily having to out backlink them.

Thanks for any input!

beachrat · 10-22-2009, 01:50 PM

Have you tried Google Insights? It should be a great start to identify what keywords are being searched in a specific area.

Once there, check the check box that reads search by locations, select your locations, and enter a search term. The results should include alternate searches in your specified area, along with rising searches.

It's worth looking into. I would post a link but I do not have 15 posts yet =)

debra · 10-22-2009, 06:49 PM

The url is:

Google Insights for Search#

10-22-2009, 01:34 PM	#1
desanctifier Shaven Head Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Suggestions for Local Search Keyword Research? Hi, I've got a couple of jobs for some local offline businesses looking to generate leads, and I have some questions about keywords for local search. Specifically, I am having trouble identifying any terms via the Adwords tool that show any significant search volume (just as often, none at all). These keywords, by the way, are not even geo targeted. If I add geographical modifiers, most of the terms drop to no detectable traffic...or at least a number that Google is willing to give to me Many of the broader terms that show potential in phrase match look sketchy when I take a closer look at them in Market Samurai's SEO Competition Matrix: Many of the top 10 results are root domains (as opposed to interior pages) Domains are often 5+ years old Pages in the SERPs often have 100s, and sometimes 1000+ backlinks BUT the pages are also often poorly optimized: No TITLE tag optimization Not listed in any directories The keyword phrase I'm targeting is often not mentioned on the page (but parts of the phrase are) So I have two questions here: How do I choose keywords for local search that won't be time wasters (and money wasters)? I know I can target many of these "blind" terms (no available search volume) and rank for them, but is that worth my effort for my clients? Given the SEOC data I mentioned above for the broader terms, would you say those pages might be vulnerable to a well optimized page? And by "vulnerable", I guess I mean without necessarily having to out backlink them. Thanks for any input!

10-22-2009, 01:50 PM	#2
beachrat Warrior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: California Posts: 27 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Suggestions for Local Search Keyword Research? Have you tried Google Insights? It should be a great start to identify what keywords are being searched in a specific area. Once there, check the check box that reads search by locations, select your locations, and enter a search term. The results should include alternate searches in your specified area, along with rising searches. It's worth looking into. I would post a link but I do not have 15 posts yet =)

10-22-2009, 06:49 PM	#3
debra Just Me War Room Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Texas, USA. Posts: 1,348 Thanks: 37 Thanked 130 Times in 114 Posts Contact Info	Re: Suggestions for Local Search Keyword Research? The url is: Google Insights for Search#
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