Keywords that Return Local Results

[Daniel C Berman]

Has anyone found Google to return local results some place at some time for geo-modifers + keywords that outside of the Google + Local categories or synonyms that Mike Blumenthal has listed in his category search tool -> Category Search at least in English?

Or for local SEO can we actually limit ourselves to just working on the client's geo modifiers, + keywords, and synonyms Mike has listed if we set aside organic ranking for a moment?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hi Daniel,

Which keywords trigger local results can change depending on things like:

• how often the term is searched
• number of businesses in that city

These can change over time, so there can sometimes be local results where there once wasn't and vice-versa.

 

[Daniel C Berman]

Which keywords trigger local results can change depending on things like:

• how often the term is searched
• number of businesses in that city

These can change over time, so there can sometimes be local results where there once wasn't and vice-versa.

Makes sense on one level, but what if for instance "ZZZ Snapwidgets" became popular in Dallas and everyone started selling them? Could/would "Dallas ZZZ Snapwidgets" start returning local results based on what we know of the algorithm now?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

I think that would be a possibility, yes.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Daniel, Colan gave you some good answers.

I don't personally think ZZZ Snapwidgets would pull local necessarily. Depends on volume AND local intent and I think she has a list of KWs she considers local. For instance SEO and web design searches don't usually pull local results regardless of how many searches it gets.

Here is info I wrote in another post:

LOCAL INTENT: Certain keywords are a little hit and miss because Google is unsure if the query is really local. A good example is computer repair type KWs. Google is sometimes not sure if you are really looking for a local business or if that's the type of help you can just get online. So for example sometimes computer repair WON'T pull local, but if you change it to computer repair SERVICE or computer repair IN CityX then it will.

DEMAND by City: Certain lower volume keywords like Laser Dentistry, for example, WILL pull local in some bigger cities but smaller cities some show and some don't. So I think it depends on how many queries.

DEMAND volume: Another example that proves my demand theory... A consultant hired me for help on a listing for a roofer. I checked and notice one of the KW in his cats was not pulling local and told him it was a waste of space and to find another. He said "but back in April when I checked I am positive it was pulling local." Well back in April was the rainy season so there were likely more searches for that type of roof repair. When the weather dried up so did the queries and the local results went bye bye.

 

[sergiuliano]

Hi Daniel,


I have monitored google organic rankings for keywords as "web design" or "horoscope", which has nothing to do with local. About 9-12 months ago, long time after the Venice update, all of them were ranking the same in all major US, locations, but, in the meantime, it seems that google has identified different local factors, which made the Local Rankings possible.

For example, one of the local factors for "web design" being seen as a local keyword by Google, is that many companies are using the term "web design" in their bran name, which is used on all citation sources in their NAP.

In my opinion same thing can happen with any other keyword, with no relation between the keyword and its real meaning or industry/niche. As long as Google will identify enough local factors for that certain keyword, then it will start generating Local Rankings for it.

 

[Daniel C Berman]

Thanks guys! Its good to know the Google Algorithm is flexible enough to adapt to just about anything, now to keep experimenting in my local market to start seeing actual customer conversions for myself and my clients.

 

[JoshuaMackens]

Google definitely adapts. I have clients that rank on their own in Local #1 and everything after them is a normal, universal listing.

I've always theorized that Google also looks at how many businesses there are in Google that can get tagged as belonging to a certain keyword and after a certain threshold, begins to return them for the given keyword.

For instance, for "Zzz snapwidgets in Dallas" if there was only one Dallas G+L listing that Google felt was relevant to that keyword, maybe they don't show local results. Fast forward 6 months later and there are now 10 Dallas G+L listings that are relevant to that keyword, Google may start returning local results.

 

[sergiuliano]

I agree with Joshua, once the Local SEO competition level start increasing, meaning that google is finding local factors on different websites, for the same keywords then it starts generating Local SERPs