Ranking for <term> <Cityname>, vs, <term>

[HoosierBuff]

Hey all,

I'm trying to come up with a good way to think about the differences in search results for "term only", "term <cityname>, and "term near me"

For example:
If I'm in downtown denver, and I search:
AC Repair
AC Repair Denver
AC Repair Near Me

My shorthand understanding is this
- adding "denver" decreases the impact of Proximity in the map.
- Traditional organic can be swayed by keyword relevance of "denver". Almost all organic results have "denver" in title tags
- Near me seems to focus the map a little tighter than "term only". Definitely different than "term only"
- Near me and "term only" are roughly the same in Organic. ("term only"has more non-provider results - like how to DIY etc., "near me" seems to have more auto AC repair results

 

[Phil Rozek]

@HoosierBuff, you hit it pretty much on the beak. (If my understanding is any indication, at least.)

The only big point I'd add is that those principles play out differently depending on the density of local competitors for a certain term. For instance, if you don't have many competitors in town, or in your part of town, then adding "near me" to the query doesn't make as much of a difference. Or if you've got a TON of competitors nearby, and everyone is targeting Denver, then proximity once again matters more because Google can cherry-pick.