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Local SEO - What # of monthly searches do you look for?

by RobInCharlotte
3 replies
I'm researching what keyword to optimize for (selling leads to local businesses)...

And I realized I'm not sure what # of searches I should be looking for.

Do I want to optimize for and try to compete with other businesses for a phrase that has 70 searches per month or 1,000?

Less searches for the one but probably less competition and more potential business on the other but more competition.

Thoughts? Thanks!
#local #monthly #searches #seo
  • Profile picture of the author George Schwab
    depends on the value of the keywords,

    70 searches does not sound like much, but if your client makes $1000 per conversion
    then it suddenly makes sense, doesn't it?

    In "normal" markets of course most go for a 1000 searches minimum, because when
    something is more popular we know there is an actual market, not a tiny super niche

    but remember, tiny super niches can be lucrative as heck, boats, yachts, airplanes by model.....
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    No right answer exists, in general terms.

    2 clients:
    • A guesthouse. Earns an average of $1,000 for each new converting lead.
    • A BMW dealership. Earns an average of $60,000 for each new converting lead.
    To both clients, 70 searches a month will sound like a lot. Having dealt with local businesses myself, I can tell you that what sells them amount to 2 things, more than any others:
    1. Wide Net. Ranking for a wide net of phrases, in order to avoid leaving money on the table, but mostly to secure the likelihood of them retaining a number of strong ranking positions for a great deal of time. A typical client will not want to rank for 1 high-volume keyword alone; they'll worry about you getting them ranked, but then losing that position in 3 months time. They want that wide net.
    2. Traffic Assets. Local businesses are not afraid of spending money and it's common practice (a given) to devote a portion of monthly expenditure to advertising. Everyone from a local plumber to a plastic surgeon expect to lay down monthly cash for ads. But nowadays they don't just want the traffic, the exposure; they want exposure, yes, but they also want that exposure to grow traffic platforms: socials, mostly.
    The trick (with this model) is to secure stable, ongoing business clients, not one-shot deals.

    - Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by RobInCharlotte View Post

    Do I want to optimize for and try to compete with other businesses for a phrase that has 70 searches per month or 1,000?

    Rob,

    Whenever I see a question like this it reminds me of all the keyword guides, ebooks, and reports I've read over the years where some randomly decided number become a "threshhold" or magic number that delineates some boundary or standard.

    There are no magic numbers. There are no professional standards that say you will be successful if you target 1,000 searches a month and you will fail if you target on 999 searches a month.

    The best advice I can give is to have a plan to target as many different but appropriate keyword phrases as you can over time (given your resources available). Be aware that some keyword phrases have more commercial "intent" than others, but that certainly varies by niche and marketplace.

    Steve
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