Previously, I wrote about the local search microcosm and how itโs a crucial factor for any local SEO campaign. By deriving context from the local search microcosm, marketers and business owners alike can prioritize the pieces of local SEO that matter most.
While the concept of the local search microcosm focuses primarily around search engines, the Internet, location, and services, thereโs one piece of the puzzle we havenโt yet discussedโusers.
A local website isnโt made for the business owner or the marketer or the web developer. Itโs made for the user; the guy who needs a decent taco; the stressed-out building owner with a broken pipe; the mom who wants to make sure her childโs doctor is trustworthy; anyone who might be searching on Google for what they need.
Users matter. This post discusses the various states of intent behind an online search for local businesses, with specific caveats around whatโs useful to consider as a marketer.
What Users Want
When you fire up the olโ keyword research process, where do you start? In my earlier days, I was content to type โplumberโ into a fancy SEO tool and receive a list of similar terms and search volumes. BUTโI was wrong! Local keyword research doesnโt start with a sprawling list of 2,000 random words. It starts with an assessment of how the website helps people. By establishing the core intent of the website, we can refine our keywords accordingly.
User intent comes from the fundamental understanding that people are looking for stuff. After all, thatโs why youโre in marketing and itโs why youโre reading this post. Everyone has a reason why they need or want somethingโas a marketer, you should figure out what that reason is.
While several styles of categorization have been defined for user intent, for local SEO I recommend consideration of Googleโs metrics defined in 2016 as โmicro-momentsโ on mobile search:
The โKnow,โ โGo,โ โDo,โ and โBuyโ categories of user intent can generally align with the different sections of a website:
- โKnowโ is usually website blog content, or a Yelp listing
- โGoโ is the Google My Business profile
- โDoโ is a service page or a location page on the website
- โBuyโ is a CTA on the website or eCommerce functionality
Of course, these micro-moments extend far beyond general associations with parts of a website. They can also come with some challenges unique to the local keyword research and the local search microcosm. Rather than expound ceaselessly on the multitude of micro-oments, Iโll cover a few specific details of what not to do when looking at user intent.
Hereโs how each type of user intent can be applied to local SEO:
Know (AKA Stay Away From โBestโ)
We see โknowโ less frequently at the local SERP levelโpeople looking for services nearby will typically hold some general understanding of what they need. However, people often search locally for โthe bestโ lawyer/restaurant/HVAC contractor near them.
If youโre trying to use keyword research to get your website to rank for โbest,โ I wish you luck. Not a lot of on-page SEO magic can go into helping a local client rank for โbest,โ unless that recognition was earned outside of the website. In fact, โbestโ is a keyword ranking typically reserved in the SERP for citation websites (type โbest dentist near meโ as an example).
When we dig deep and truly explore the local user intent behind โbest,โ as a query, what does a user really want? Do they want a pediatrician who claims he is the โbestโ with no real proof on the webpage (and just two reviews on his Google My Business profile)? Or, do we want a list from healthgrades.com with a clear and trustworthy vetting process?
Now that we understand what users want from a โbestโ ranking, we can refine our local SEO strategy accordingly. While a local website canโt show up in the SERP, a local business can get recognized with a high-value backlink from Yelp, Healthgrades, FindLaw, or a local news publication. This is the part where PR and off-page SEO become important to a Local SEO strategy.
When completing local keyword research, itโs worth explaining to a stakeholder that โbestโ rankings can happen, just not directly on their website. With the right resources and quality day-to-day operations, a local business can benefit greatly from recognition in local media outlets and beyond.
Go (The โNear Meโ Search)
When people want to โGo,โ theyโre typically looking to engage with a location nearby. Enter the โnear meโ search; a ranking of common pursuit in the local SEO arena. Google regularly publishes data to indicate large year-over-year increases in โnear meโ searches.
The continued increase in โnear meโ searches also means that itโs valuable to rank for them. But this is easier said than done.
When people type โnear me,โ what do they really want? They want something almost completely out of the marketerโs controlโproximity. Location is part of the local search microcosm (how and why Google chooses your site), but itโs also a factor considered by users. Beyond setting up shop at an address in the center of town and verifying a Google My Business profile at that location, the business cannot โSEOโ their โnear meโ rankings.
However, all hope is not lost with a far-flung location on GMB. A strong understanding of user intent can guide search engines and users toward a local website. When trying to rank for โnear meโ keywords, the focus should be less about the use of โnear meโ in the content and more about the specific keyword next to it.
โNear meโ rankings only happen for high-demand, often urgent user queries. They will only happen if the marketer and the stakeholder align on what to target because they understand what users want.
Letโs consider an HVAC contractor who at first only wants to rank organically for โAC installationโ or โAC replacementโ keywords, because these services make more profit than AC repair. In these situations, itโs important to remember the larger sales cycle behind the user intent.
Users might not type โAC replacement,โ because they donโt understand the service they actually need. A user is more likely to search โAC repair near me,โ because they donโt realize their unit is beyond repair, leading them in a roundabout way to the more profitable services. The best local keyword research considers the genuine value of user intent behind a โgoโ keyword, rather than its perceived value. If a website knows its users, it can probably rank for those high-demand โnear meโ searches.
Do (Or โHow Toโ Not Do Local SEO)
I provided a sassy parenthetical to this type of user intent because at the local level, users can either choose to DIY or hire someone locally. Iโm only going to talk about DIY here because, well, as a marketer you probably are aware of people wanting to buy things.
โHow toโ searches are typically associated with national search results. If I am a dad Googling โhow to tile the shower,โ Iโm unlikely to pick up the phone and call my local contractor (probably to my wifeโs chagrin). After all, Iโm in dad mode. This makes a ranking for โhow to tile the showerโ relatively useless for organic lead generation.
As a trickle-down effect, nationally-ranked blog content can lead to some stellar local rankings. When Google trusts a website as a whole and rewards it with national rankings for โhow to lay concrete,โ that website may have established the necessary trust to also rank for โconcrete leveling service Portland.โ Butโthis strategy is typically putting the cart before the horse in local SEO. Rather than focus on keywords that give away information and wonโt result in a call, itโs probably better to start with the phrases that result in qualified leads (sorry, dads).
Buy (โDeliverโ The Best Services)
This type of local user intent became big at the onset of the pandemic. Users pivoted from casually shopping around town to frantically discovering nearby resources for delivery or pick-up. This is a space where itโs up to the business to innovate its digital or remote offerings, and up to the local search marketer to ensure effective communication of those offerings.
The crucial piece of user intent here is making it easy for users to connect with you directly. While itโs not a direct ranking factor with search engines, Iโll always check to see if a local websiteโs mobile version has click-to-call functionality enabled in its most prominent spaces.
A basic understanding of conversion rate optimization can go a long way to improve engagement across a website, and rankings as a result.
Be Purposeful
Ultimately, user intent drives local keyword research because it allows the marketer to hone in on the phrases that will make the biggest impact. By defining keyword terms that will truly drive conversions, rather than muddle our marketing message, we refine our goals. When we understand our objectives, itโs that much easier to achieve them.
This larger series of posts on How to Do Local SEO is focused on finding the right keywords for a local campaign. In my next post, Iโll cover how marketers can leverage local search volume data (in the context of user intent and the local search microcosm) to achieve those local rankings and help those moms find that pediatrician.
The post How to Do Local SEO, Part Two: User Intent appeared first on Portent.