OMG, my local SEO competition is stupid! :D

[orvn]

Okay, this isn't to say that everyone in Toronto who does local SEO doesn't know what they're doing, but wow.

I went onto the Craigslist services category today to have a glance at what I'm up against (I do google analyses frequently, but decided to switch it up).

Oh my goodness.
These guys all talk about Meta keywords and don't even mention backlinks.
They suggest the great effort they must go to to "optimize your site, for 10-15 keywords".

None of them have a portfolio of results (I clicked on 26 ads!).
No wonder people are so p*ssed about SEO fraud.

I mean, of course, on the one hand, this is lovely for me: I get to stand out from the crowd.
But upon rethinking the situation, a lot of people are weary of local SEO's because they've been screwed in the past (following in the footsteps of the web design industry, perhaps?).

How do these guys stay in business with the same website?

(sorry, that was a rant and probably not a genuinely solid contribution to WF..)

[affiliatelabel]

I dont think its just your town , it all local stuff. go to spokane and pick like realtors, or any big subject and youll see top ranked site with no backing in it all. I mean granted there ranked but someone can knock them off easy

[orvn]

Originally Posted by webhostingmasters.com

I dont think its just your town , it all local stuff. go to spokane and pick like realtors, or any big subject and youll see top ranked site with no backing in it all. I mean granted there ranked but someone can knock them off easy

Yeah lol, this is mostly what I do for a living

[yukon]

OP, are you sure the person that posted the Craigslist Ad is really local?

Could be some guy 1/2 way around the world.

Just saying...

[orvn]

Originally Posted by yukon

OP, are you sure the person that posted the Craigslist Ad is really local?

Could be some guy 1/2 way around the world.

Just saying...

Lol, yeah, that's true.
I can usually tell from their grammar and whether or not they provide a local phone #.

* * *
Oh, but since I have you here Yukon, it'd be nice to get your opinion & sense of data mining expertise on something.

I'm trying to figure a way to find highest search volume questions asked in my niche.
I was thinking combining my keyword with a whole bunch of interrogatives: something like
("where are" OR "who is" OR "how can" OR "how do" OR ..... ≈20more)+"keyword"

Of course, this will not really work because there is nothing keeping the proximity of my keyword with the interrogatives.

Did that make sense at all?

[orvn]

Oh, snap, nevermind.
I figured it out!

allintitle:(("how to" OR "how can" OR "how would" OR "why is" OR "where can")+"keyword")

If you have a more efficient alternative, I'm all ears though!

[yukon]

Originally Posted by orvn

Lol, yeah, that's true.
I can usually tell from their grammar and whether or not they provide a local phone #.

* * *
Oh, but since I have you here Yukon, it'd be nice to get your opinion & sense of data mining expertise on something.

I'm trying to figure a way to find highest search volume questions asked in my niche.
I was thinking combining my keyword with a whole bunch of interrogatives, something like:

("where are" OR "who is" OR "how can" OR "how do" OR ..... ≈20more)+"keyword"

Of course, this will not really work because there is nothing keeping the proximity of my keyword with the interrogatives.

Did that make sense at all?

I'm not sure about search volume, but you could try a Wild Card (*) in the Google search string, something like:

site:answers.yahoo.com intitle:"where are" * "Toronto" *

Or, same search without Yahoo:

intitle:"where are" * "Toronto" *