The idea of casting a wide net for keywords was what I told him. From my personal SEO experience, I definitely don’t agree with his approach of targeting keywords in the form of “xxxx near me”.
Screenshot from SEMrush: The search volume for “near me” keywords in their industry is extremely huge.
If your business doesn’t have a physical office in the United States, then it may be very difficult for you to rank for keywords of the type “xxxx near me” in the US market. This is because these keywords are usually location-based and rely heavily on local search signals, such as your actual address, local phone number, and Google My Business profile.
I don’t agree with his targeting of “xxxx near me” type keywords, and I will list the following points as my insights. On the contrary, if your independent website meets the following requirements, you can target “near me” type keywords.
- Location signal/Local address information:
If you own a coffee shop in New York and someone searches for “coffee shops near me”, and the actual location is in Manhattan. If you have accurate and up-to-date location information on Google My Business, confirming that you are close to the searcher, then Google is more likely to display your business in local search results. - Google My Business profile:
If you own a restaurant in USA and your Google My Business profile is fully optimized with accurate business information, high-quality photos, and positive reviews, when someone searches for “restaurants near me” or “the best restaurants in Chicago”, Google is more likely to display your business in local search results.
The Google My Business profile shown in Google Maps
- Website content:
If you own a plumbing business in San Diego and your website has location-based landing pages with relevant keywords and content targeted at local search queries, such as “emergency plumbers in San Diego” or “plumbing services near me”, Google is more likely to display your website in local search results for these queries. - Backlinks and citations:
If you own a landscape design company in Portland, and your website has high-quality backlinks from local websites and citations on relevant directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, and the Yellow Pages, then Google is more likely to consider your business as a trustworthy and authoritative source of information for local search queries. - Reviews and ratings:
If you own a hair salon in Los Angeles and your Google My Business profile has positive reviews and high ratings from satisfied customers, then Google is more likely to display your business in local search results for “hair salons near me” or “the best hair salons in Los Angeles”. - User intent and behavior:
If you own a pet store in San Francisco and someone searches for “pet stores near me” on a mobile device, and the actual location is in the Mission district, Google may give priority to pet stores that have a mobile-friendly website, a positive mobile user experience, and a convenient location that is easily accessible from the searcher’s current location. - Business information consistency:
If you own a car rental company in Miami and your business information is inconsistent or inaccurate across different online platforms and directories, then Google may have difficulty determining the true location of your business and its relevance to local search queries. It is important to regularly review and update your business information on all online platforms to ensure consistency and accuracy.
If you meet all of the above conditions, I think you can target “Near Me” type keywords, and the conversion rate should be very high.