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Keywords or Keywords + City, which should I use?

by zoro
19 replies
  • SEO
    • |
I have a local biz website that has internal pages covering surrounding cites/towns. I'm not quite sure about how to best optimize each page with keywords?

Now that Google already knows a users location when they are searching online, what type of keywords is best to go after. I mean, should I just use the "Keyword" on its own, or should I combine it with the location eg, "Keyword + Location". ?

Thanks for your help in advance.
#city #keywords
  • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
    The best rankings that I'm seeing are using both. Let me explain.

    I'm doing an international city in Europe. I'm using very long tail keywords like: how to use public transportation buses and trams in Livingston Texas.

    I'm not in Texas that's just an example.

    Then I'll use combinations of this throughout the post such as:

    how to use trams in Livingston Texas
    how to use buses in Livingston Texas
    public transportation in Livingston
    transportation buses and trams
    And so forth.

    What this does is get's me tons of long tail traffic and variations. All this ads up to be a goodly sum of targeted traffic on my site.

    Patrick
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  • Profile picture of the author pororo
    If you're targeting audiences locally, my advise it to use keyword + city as it is easy to rank for. But if your targeting a more broad audiences, use both!
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      City + keyword. Better, yet, keyword + city. Better yet, both and keyword + in + city.

      Well, in my experience, keyword + city gets more visitors / impressions than city + keyword.

      Same page in the same position. Most months, visitors to impressions in Webmaster tools ratio: for every 1% of city + keyword, I get 2-4% for keyword + city.

      Might have to do with my particular way of writing... But worth testing, don't you think?

      And, like enfusia said, long keywords gets me a lot of visitors from keywords with 0-10 searches a month... about as many as I get from the keywords I go after + the short keywords I don't go after but end up on page 2 or 3 for anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author Erbrains
    If your targeting locally its better to use keyword + city
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    • Profile picture of the author zoro
      Originally Posted by Erbrains View Post

      If your targeting locally its better to use keyword + city
      Yes, but will website also rank without the City Name? Because when a user types into the search bar, Google already knows where they are located. What is best ranking practice now?
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      • Profile picture of the author pororo
        Originally Posted by zoro View Post

        Yes, but will website also rank without the City Name? Because when a user types into the search bar, Google already knows where they are located. What is best ranking practice now?

        Yes, but the competition between 2 keywords is different.

        Use both and check for the competition of each keyword.
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      • Profile picture of the author DABK
        No, it will not. Unless you target that too.

        By that, I mean, you have backlinks that have only the keyword pointing to that page of yours.

        People who type the city + keyword or keyword + city are far more likely to convert, though.

        When I type car insurance in the search bar, I'm not looking to buy car insurance but doing research. When I was ready to buy, I added the city... Ended up buying from a national firm that got me speaking to some guy in 5 states away at first, then gave me somebody local. So, I stayed with them for a while... I think most people do it the way I do.

        But, if you're in Kansas City but want people in La Jolla to see your site on the first page, you have to go after the keyword without city too.

        Originally Posted by zoro View Post

        Yes, but will website also rank without the City Name? Because when a user types into the search bar, Google already knows where they are located. What is best ranking practice now?
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        • Profile picture of the author zoro
          Originally Posted by DABK View Post

          No, it will not. Unless you target that too.

          By that, I mean, you have backlinks that have only the keyword pointing to that page of yours.

          People who type the city + keyword or keyword + city are far more likely to convert, though.

          When I type car insurance in the search bar, I'm not looking to buy car insurance but doing research. When I was ready to buy, I added the city... Ended up buying from a national firm that got me speaking to some guy in 5 states away at first, then gave me somebody local. So, I stayed with them for a while... I think most people do it the way I do.

          But, if you're in Kansas City but want people in La Jolla to see your site on the first page, you have to go after the keyword without city too.
          Thanks for the clarification. My website is like a directory. All the internal pages are geared for a different local business (same service though) and each page is targeting a different location. So I guess I should best stick with "Keyword + City" for each page. Yes?
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          • Profile picture of the author DABK
            Look at sites like yelp.com, zillow.com, trulia.com, realtor.com, better business bureau's site and do what they do. They're making big money ranking for many city+keyword combos.

            Originally Posted by zoro View Post

            Thanks for the clarification. My website is like a directory. All the internal pages are geared for a different local business (same service though) and each page is targeting a different location. So I guess I should best stick with "Keyword + City" for each page. Yes?
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  • Profile picture of the author Samfakroon
    you should use Both then track them all. In fact use both wih all Match Types be it Broad, Phrase and Exact. then Track the campaign and the Optimise by seeing the Goal Achievement the scale and separate the ad-groups per working keyword.

    If I were you I would spy what my Competitors are doing and do it better.

    Thank You

    Sameer
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  • Profile picture of the author lindseynicole
    Keywords + City is can be used to target city.
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  • Profile picture of the author Omics
    Hi Friend

    Your are right people will search only keyword, But here is a question.
    For example: I am giving services in jacksonville but my client is searching in some other place but he need service in jacksonville itself. Now tell me how can he reach to my website.

    That's why we should place keywords with location because google bots or crawlers are identifying the ip or area wised keywords.
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  • Profile picture of the author N8fighter
    Use both and track. There is no fixed rule so no one can tell you what keywords you should use exactly. So it is better to use both, track and analyze – and see for yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author InitialEffort
    For Local SEO, target keywords like keyword+city (example: locksmith seattle) in order to rank in your area. This should also help you rank for locksmith and locksmith services when a user searches from the Seattle area. In addition, build links from domains with high authority.
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  • Profile picture of the author thakurblogger
    If your are looking for to target relevant audience from a specific location then adding city to your keyword will be great for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisjohn93
    If you all looking for only Austrian market then it is better you should use keyword+city name. This will easy to get ranked.
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  • Profile picture of the author smasif15
    i think it's better to go with both ways, as different method will give you more output
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  • Profile picture of the author uday11
    first check whether are their any cities with same name in any other place. For example "restaurants in washington", but washington exist in most of the states of US.

    If city names are available in another countries, then go with - keyword + state + city

    if there are no city names, then go by keyword + city.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasminemartin
    Put your region or city name in your keyword but it will have to looks genuine not looks that this is using only focusing to get website on top rank on region wise keyword.
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