How to target local audiences with geographic optimization
1. Add your website to Google Places
If your website would benefit from geographic optimization, the first thing to do is get listed in Google Places. It's a free listing and provides several benefits for SEO. Google displays a map next to search engine results showing your location and it also can help on click-through rates if searchers see that you are a "real" business and know exactly where you are.Click here for instructions on how to get listed in Google Places.
2. Build a keyword list of geographic terms
While you wait for Google to confirm your listing, add geography-based keywords to your site. These can vary depending on the area you serve, and of course the larger the area, the more choices you have. It's generally best to focus on cities since more people search for a city name and a product or service rather than a state. However, a state-based search could also bring in highly qualified long-tail leads.You can use the Keywords tool to build a list of geographic keywords to target. You can find the Keyword tool under Optimize > Keywords.
Click the Add Keywords tab.
Click the Geographic Search link to the right of the big text field.
You can then search by City/ZIP code or by State.
You'll then see a list of cities appear. Highlight the text and copy them (Ctrl-C).
Then click the back button on your browser twice to go back to the Keywords tool. Paste the city names into the Add Keywords text box. Now take a keyword you'd like to rank for, and add it to the geographic term, as shown in the example below. They keyword you add can be more broad; you'll be making it long-tail with the use of the city name.
3. Create a Geographic Keywords campaign
Before you add the keywords, you should add these keywords to a Geographic Keywords campaign. This will allow you to easily filter your keyword list by your geographic terms. click the Add Campaigns link below the text box.Create a new Geographic Keywords campaign, and click Save Campaign List.
Then click the Add Keywords button.
4. Optimize website pages for geographic keywords
On the Your Keywords tab, you'll now be able to filter by your Geographic Keywords campaign.Remember, you will want to target keywords that have a low difficulty and a decent monthly search volume (so for example, if Keyword A and Keyword B both have a diffuculty of 50, choose the keyword that has the higher monthly search volume). Once you decide on what geographic keywords to target, you can:
- Create a page such as "Areas we serve" and list all the locations you provide services for, with your keywords in mind
- Optimize existing website pages for these terms
- Create new website pages dedicated to particular geographic areas
5. Create blog posts for geographic keywords
Another option is to create a blog post for each geographic keyword you'd like to target. Perhaps you can write a post focusing on an event, promotion, or feature story from the city you're targeting. Don't just replicate the same exact blog post for 10 different cities, and swap out the city name. Your readers will catch on to what you're doing, and won't find your blog appealing to read.Click here to see how to create optimized blog posts.
