How to rank for keywords without location-related wording or "near me" instances

[Timur]

Hello! What I got are pretty high rankings in the city my business is located. But I don`t quite understand why my website does not appear for the main search "appliance repair" even at the bottom of the first page whilst "appliance repair near me" "appliance repair Irvine" shows me at positions 3-5.
Any input would be appreciated!

P.S. All the searches are made from the target city

 

[ElizabethRule]

It's much harder to rank for implicit terms compared to explicit terms. This article explains it well The Difference Between Implicit and Explicit Local Searches

You will need to do more onsite optimization for your main keyword and all it's variations, as well as related keywords. I recommend optimizing for long tail keywords that include or are similar to the main keyword. For example, "best appliance repair" "appliance repair cost" etc - targeting related keywords like this will help you rank for your main keyword.

You should also target related keywords such as specific appliances you service or even brands. Example, "dishwasher repair", "oven repair", "LG washer repair" etc. Doing this type of optimization onsite will help rank for the root term too.

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

Adding to what @ElizabethRule has shared, Google has separate algorithms for Local SEO versus Organic SEO. I was able to re-locate a really great article by @krystaltaing I read awhile back that does a fantastic job explaining the differences: Difference between Local SEO vs Organic SEO

Also, while not going into as much detail about the differences, this Moz article does a great job of summarizing the differences but focuses mainly on the local algo.

Just my personal opinion, when serving a local audience, I believe it is much more important to rank highly for the local search terms (that include city and near me) people searching using those terms are more likely prospective customers with the intent of looking for a local appliance store. Often times the "organic" results may not include local businesses and just aren't as relevant for the searcher's intent.

 

[ElizabethRule]

Just my personal opinion, when serving a local audience, I believe it is much more important to rank highly for the local search terms (that include city and near me) people searching using those terms are more likely prospective customers with the intent of looking for a local appliance store. Often times the "organic" results may not include local businesses and just aren't as relevant for the searcher's intent.

I agree with this too! Plus optimizing for explicit terms also helps optimize for implicit terms so it's a win win!

 

[Timur]

Thanks for the explanation @ElizabethRule and @JeffClevelandTN! I`ll implement what you have said, and will report how it goes!

 

[ElizabethRule]

Good luck!!

 

[Timur]

Hi guys @ElizabethRule @JeffClevelandTN
I implemented your recommendations as well as some other ones. Thank you again for the help!

Now very interesting things are happening.

This page jumped to the 2nd place for the implicit search "appliance repair" Appliance repair in Newport Beach, CA - Certified Experts Near You

But this page although it`s almost identical (texts are rephrased, but content-wise they are the same), and despite the fact that it`s actually for the main city, does not appear at all for the searches "appliance repair" or "appliance repair near me". It`s only visible when the city name is added: "appliance repair Irvine" (8 position).

Call 949 419 6165 - Appliance repair in Irvine, CA

We offer professional & cost-effective appliance repair in Irvine, CA. Free consultation. 24/7 online booking.

www.myappliancecrew.com

That confuses me! Is it just due to competition? All the searches were made using the Google anonymous ad preview tool and from the actual locations.

 

[ElizabethRule]

The Irving page has the phone number in the front of the title page, I would move "appliance repair" up and see if that helps the Irving page show in Irving.

Beyond that I would write more unique continent about Irving and your specific services you do in Irving and add it to that page. The Irving page seems more sparse content wise compared to the Newport Beach page. For example, the Irving page is missing an FAQ section, the NB page has one, so you can add that to Irving for more unique content.

For some reason Google doesn't like the Irving page as much as the NB page, you need to fix that by making Google LOVE the Irving page and all the helpful content on it. I have more tips on things you can add to the page to do just that here How to Create Unique and Helpful Service Area Pages for Local Businesses - Sterling Sky Inc

I also strongly recommend relying on a local grid tracking tool to track rankings across your service area, and not just manual searches. This is the best way to tell what your true rankings are in any specific part of your service area with the least amount of variables. Places scout is a great tool for doing this. Local SEO Software Tools and Solutions - Places Scout

 

[bdlowery]

I also strongly recommend relying on a local grid tracking tool to track rankings across your service area, and not just manual searches. This is the best way to tell what your true rankings are in any specific part of your service area with the least amount of variables. Places scout is a great tool for doing this. Local SEO Software Tools and Solutions - Places Scout

If you have contact with places scout, tell them "request a demo" is a huge blocker. I want to buy the service for $xx amount a month. I don't want to request a demo, get upsold on their service, and then pay $xx a month...

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

@ElizabethRule, is absolutely correct, the key here is to create highly optimized local city pages. I'd also suggest watching this free course by @Claire Carlile. Even though it is about location pages which are typically associated with a unique GBP location, the same "content" logic applies. You want to have relevant content for each of the city pages you are wanting to target. Don't just copy and paste the same content to multiple local city pages and change out a few words. Google has recently penalized sites that have repetitive content also known as "thin content". We've had great success with numerous clients getting top SERPs for "search phrase CITY" with well written and relevant local city pages.

Lastly, obtaining "near me" SERPs is a different animal. You may want to experiment putting in "near me", "nearby", etc in your Page Titles and/or H1. Sometimes this can very effective. However, there has been a lot of disruption associated with "near me" searches. Google has been favoring national brands and large directory sites over individual local business webpages for "near me" searches. Depending on your vertical, it can be extremely difficult (near impossible) to out perform the big brands. Specific locations, industries and keywords have been really hit hard, like medical, for "near me" searches. It has been almost a year, and things haven't gotten better. Take a look at this thread for more info: Change in "near me" searches for non-map (organic) results? | Local Search

 

[Timur]

Thank you, guys, @ElizabethRule and @JeffClevelandTN that is a huge help!

So let me report what I've done so far.

Adding "near me" and "near you" instances didn't seem to be helpful. Furthermore, it seems to drown the Irvine page out of search results for any inquiries except for the explicit search "appliance repair Irvine."

So I deleted almost all "near me"s, added FAQs, and included more optimized pictures with alt attributes (I found out that Google prefers photos with people). I also rewrote the text (this part is never-ending, is it?).

Within a couple of days, the Irvine page is back to the first page, positioned at 9-10 for both implicit and explicit searches.

The Newport Beach page is not well-optimized and somehow jumped to second place on the first page.


P.S.
I use BrightLocal to track keywords and performance. I was about to switch to Places Scout and filled out the request form about a week ago, and nobody has contacted me since. It didn't really inspire trust lol

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

So I deleted almost all "near me"s, added FAQs, and included more optimized pictures with alt attributes (I found out that Google prefers photos with people). I also rewrote the text (this part is never-ending, is it?).

Just an FYI, Google recently announced limitations on FAQ rich results except for authoritative government and health websites. Our personal experience over the last 18 months or so, is that using Table Of Contents (TOCs) has been a more beneficial way of getting rich results in organic results and also has been favorable for Google indexing. If you are using Wordpress, this plug-in makes quick work of what used to be a manual coding process. BTW, a shout-out to @Conor Treacy for his post that steered us in the TOC direction New in SERP - H2 tags showing as tabs | Local Search

While we haven't seen the tabs like he originally posted about, it has definitely helped with rich results.