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Good Local Business Keywords: Marketing and SEO for Small Business Online
Although Google Keyword Tool gives no search volume, Google Instant suggests several additional words that are being entered live into its search box. The local modifier is suggested for a Melbourne searcher.
Keyword research is important but as my mate, Bob, points out, search volumes are likely to be below the reported Google radar. There may not be much local traffic but, just think, but where else should you get traffic from when you have a Local Business?
You need to put on your thinking cap and get into Sherlock Holmes mode. Hunt around, drill down with your logic. Bob seems to think, if there are reasonable numbers without the local modifier, then it’s better to target the higher traffic.
Sure you should look for the ideal, high volume terms for marketing and SEO. But it doesn’t make sense to go for a phrase just because it is searched often. If it isn’t a buying phrase related to your business, I’d leave it to Bob.
When deciding on low volume keywords for small business marketing and SEO, I use two main cues.
Google Instant and PPC.
- Unlike the regular keyword tool, Instant delivers up real-time suggestions based on what people are searching for now, not what they were searching for days ago.
- Pay Per Click will tell you exactly how many times that term is searched. But if you don’t want to spend money to find out, you can take a guess, like I often do.
Let’s take Bob’s “Local Business Marketing Melbourne = zero searches” as our example.
It's just 480 monthly searches without local modifier but the modifier is entered by someone closer to buying
If we leave off “Melbourne” we can see that there are about 112 daily searches for that term. The GWT reports 480 local monthly searches or about 16 a day. Small, but not zero.
If you yourself add a location when you want to buy locally (wherever that locally is), it’s clear that others do too.
3rd place for a 240 monthly search volume with no local modifier is better than nothing and seeing all those paying ads could mean that those advertisers are making money with that keyword
But this is my favoured position even though the volume is low. I prefer my clients to dominate the first page of Google rather than to be an also ran back in the pack on high click traffic battle with everyone else.
This term gets clicks to my site and you can see why. This site is all over the front page for this term and I frankly don't have a problem that the local modifier doesn't rate in Google Keyword Tool. And there are more PPC ads on this page than on the high traffic page.
When it comes to a real life local Business Marketing and SEO choice between fighting for a slim grip on the Google wall fighting for a spot among the big guys, what’s you decision?
Fight a costly war for small turf or own your own first page of Google?
Hey Bob, in your world of Marketing and SEO, is it Local Business Marketing or Local Business Marketing Melbourne?