I have been involved in the SEO industry long enough to remember when keyword stuffing was an acceptable practice. I have been around long enough to know the value of the phrase ‘near me’ for local search purposes. But things have changed. Is ‘near me’ still a valid option for longtail keywords?
My reason for asking is rooted in the rise of mobile search. Smart phones are equipped with GPS. Like it or not, our phones always know our locations. So if I were searching for SEO services near me, perhaps the ‘near me’ phrase would be superfluous. Then again, maybe not.
Expressing Search Intent
Search engine algorithms and their developers are constantly dealing with search intent. A developer needs to program an algorithm in such a way as to leverage data to determine the intent of a particular search. The task is a lot more difficult than it might sound.
The phrase ‘near me’ has long been useful for determining search intent. If someone uses the phrase when searching restaurants for example, it is a pretty safe bet the person is hoping to find a decent eatery within close proximity. The same would hold true for searches involving ‘SEO services near me’.
The examples of restaurants and SEO services play a keen role in understanding this principle. Let’s say I am in Salt Lake City at dinnertime. I am hungry. Even if I don’t use the phrase ‘near me’, a mobile search for restaurants is virtually guaranteed to account for my current location. Why? Because I am not going to travel to New York to get a good steak.
On the other hand, I can avail myself of SEO service providers located all around the world. I don’t have to work with a local provider. But if I am interested in doing business with a company like Salt Lake City’s Webtek Digital Marketing, it is important that I search the phrase ‘SEO services near me’.
Triggering Certain Ranking Factors
Regardless of the search engine I use, the ‘near me’ phrase is likely to trigger certain ranking factors. We know what some of those ranking factors are with Google because the search engine giant has published them. They include:
● Google Business Profile – Google loves business profiles. So much so that they encourage businesses to create and maintain them.
● Local Citations – Local searches inform search engine algorithms to look for local citations via business directories, online directory sites, data aggregation sites, and so forth.
● Backlinks – Backlinks from credible websites add authority to a local business’s online reputation. As such, local searches trigger backlinks as a ranking factor.
● Speed and Responsiveness – Search engines assume that a majority of local searches will be conducted on mobile devices. Therefore, they rank sites that are fast, responsive, and mobile friendly.
● Optimized Content – Content optimized for a local audience is like gold on local searches. Search engines love to see such content because it speaks directly to the very people running local searches.
That last point of optimized content cannot be understated. A company expecting local searches to lead visitors to its website really needs to provide content visitors actually want to consume. When it is a local search, visitors want locally optimized content.
Despite the prevalence of mobile search using GPS equipped smartphones, the ‘near me’ phrase remains a valid option for longtail keywords. If the majority of your customers are found locally and you’re not making use of the phrase for SEO purposes, maybe it’s time to change things up a bit. ‘Near me’ could do wonders for your SEO performance.
