Is “near me” a valuable keyword phrase or do search engines understand it as implied? Here’s an overview.
In September of 2015, Google shared that searches that used “near me” or “nearby” (for example, “chiropractors near me”) increased 2x from the previous year.
Two years later, changes continued. The data now reported that searches without the qualifiers had grown 150% faster than those with the qualifiers.
Similarly, searches with zip codes (Mexican restaurants 80501) decreased by 30% over this time period.
The change is the result of people expecting local relevancy on searches without having to use explicit inputs. It’s part of geo-targeting technology. Google knows where you are, and delivers local results to match the intent of the search. If you ask Siri if it’s going to rain today, you don’t have to remind it where you are. That information is assumed by the search engine.
So do you need to use “near me” or other location keywords for your SEO? For example, is it worth it to put “near me” or a zip code into your title tags?
Make Sure Google Knows Your Business Location
The short answer to this question is that for most local businesses, using location qualifiers as keywords – in the traditional sense – is not necessary. That is, don’t worry about keyword placement or density with location modifiers.
In various search tests, the only sites that appear to be getting any ranking benefit by using terms like “near me” as a keyword are review sites. For example, in this for “massage therapy near me”, two review sites ranked organically.
In no searches on any business vertical did it we see an individual business that ranked on page one because they appeared to optimize for the location qualifier.
A couple of considerations as to why this is happening.
First, the individual businesses that rank for “near me” appear to do so because they are optimized for the location keyword. So we did a search for massage therapists in the city of Fort Collins, and it was sites that are explicit about their location (city name in title tag and page headers; complete address in footer; Google map embedded on site) that did best in organic listings.
This suggests that at the keyword level, Google is equating the relevancy of “near me” to location qualifiers on web content. The conclusion is that you’re probably better off optimizing for regional keywords (city name, region, state) than “near me”.
Consider that on reviews sites, they’re meeting the intent of the search but don’t have an exact location to optimize for. This is likely why “near me” works as a keyword on these websites.
What About Paid Search?
You can use “near me” modifiers successfully on paid search. We have multiple campaigns that gain leads from these keyword phrases.
The key is to use exact match or broad match modifier so that your business vertical and the qualifier must be used to trigger your ads. For example, +rent +tuxedo +near +me.
With paid ads, the individual words used in the search matter. If your location is in the area of search and your site is optimized for that location, your quality scores should be fine for these searches.
It’s also useful to grab top spots for “near me” searches because the suggestion tool often shows those phrases:
It’s also worth considering that people use prepositional qualifiers with voice search. Today, a person can do a voice search while driving in their car with phrases like Google, where’s a good sandwich shop nearby? Paid search can help you rank for those searches.
Google My Business
For both organic and paid search, it’s vital to set up your Google My Business account. This is, in fact, the primary way Google understands where your business is.
Also, it’s now necessary to link your Google My Business account to your Google Ads account to use location extensions.
Setting up a Google My Business account is mandatory for all local businesses. Without it, Google won’t have a verified way of knowing what searchers you are near to, and you’ll miss a lot of organic and paid traffic.
Near is a Preposition
It’s important to remember that “near me” is a preposition phrase. It’s not a concept you can create content around.
For example, say you have an article describing a sport motorcycle compared to a dual-sport motorcycle. Each of those terms is a topical subject you can create content around. You can use the term as a keyword in the content your create.
A prepositional phrase like “near me” is not a topical concept you can create content around. If you optimize for it by placing it prominently, it will detract from the meaning of your content – and from the user experience.
This is another important reason you don’t want to create an unnatural keyword density with these terms. If you start trying to optimize for something like a prepositional phrase, your writing, frankly, will be poor. Just how are you going to fit “near me” into headers and links without sounding like you’re keyword stuffing?
We know for sure that Google is not looking to rank content just because it uses “near me” as a content-based keyword target. It want’s to show relevant businesses for the searcher, and will do so, even with paid search results.
So in summary:
- Optimize your website for location rather than “near me” phrases.
- Use “near me” in paid search, testing exact and broad match modified phrase match.
- Set up and optimize your Google My Business account so Google can verify your location.
Worry less about “near me” as a keyword phrase and more about making sure Google understands that you’re nearby consumers who are searching for what you offer.
