Local SEO Is Its Own World
"Plumber" — unrankable.
"Plumber in Bondi" — very rankable.
"Emergency plumber Bondi Junction open Saturday" — almost certainly rankable. And that caller has a burst pipe and a credit card.
Local keywords are where small businesses can compete with anyone. For a deeper dive into local SEO, check out our local keyword research guide.
Types of Local Keywords
Explicit Local Keywords
"Dentist in [city]" / "[Service] near [suburb]" / "Best [business type] [location]"
The searcher includes the location. Clear geographic intent.
Implicit Local Keywords
"Coffee shop open now" / "Emergency plumber" / "Hair salon"
No location mentioned, but Google shows local results because the intent is inherently local.
"Near Me" Keywords
"Restaurants near me" / "Mechanic near me"
Google uses the searcher's location to personalise results. You don't need "near me" on your page — you need proper local optimisation.
The Local Keyword Research Process
Step 1: List all your services and products.
Step 2: List all the geographic areas you serve (city, suburbs, neighbourhoods, regions).
Step 3: Create combinations: [service] + [location] for each combination.
Step 4: Check search volume and difficulty. Some combinations will have data; many won't. Target them anyway — the traffic is real.
Step 5: Check the local pack (Google Maps results). If a local pack appears for the keyword, Google Business Profile optimisation is critical.
Local Keyword Modifiers
Don't just use city names. Try:
The Local Advantage
Big national sites can't easily compete for local keywords. This is where small businesses have a genuine advantage.
After 500+ campaigns, local SEO consistently delivers the highest ROI for small businesses. Google's own SEO guide has dedicated sections on local search best practices.
Get Your Local SEO Right
SEO Checkup includes local SEO tasks in its 113-point checklist. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.