Surprising Results Of Local/Offline Search Keyword Analysis

[MarkR]

I do a ton of SEO / website design work for offline businesses. As a results, I've always wondered whether more people type in "cityname business" or "business cityname". I've never seen it discussed anywhere. I personally search for "business cityname". So, I analyzed it myself.

I search for both combinations in LA, Dallas, Detroit and Chicago, and for doctor, dentist, lawyer, and auto repair. Not all combinations showed up with results, but here's what I found in this tiny test of mine.

I looked "exact" matches only. I tracked which combination (city/biz or biz/city) was used in more searches. Out of 15 combinations that showed up, 9 times (60%) the "cityname business" format was searched for more than the "business cityname" format with 6 times (40%). For some reason, Dallas only searched for "cityname business" (4 out of 4 combinations), which swayed the results. The other cities were pretty much evenly split between both combinations.

I found out I'm in the minority with the way I type in searches.

I wonder if any of you have researched this and have any thoughts that are based on real analysis (as opposed to gut feels)?