What is a Geographic Modifier?
A geographic modifier - aka geo modifier or geotag - is a keyword used to find a local business.
For example, if you search for just "pizza", you get general results about pizza. But if you add a location like "pizza near me" or "pizza shops in NYC", it helps you find pizza places in a specific area.
When people look for a local store or restaurant, they often just search for a basic term like "pizza". But search engines don't know what location you want unless you add something like "in NYC".
Using a geographic modifier filters the search results to show options in a particular city or near your location. This helps you find local businesses more easily.
Why are the geographic modifiers important?
Geographic modifiers provide important details about a specific place. They help differentiate one location from another.
This extra information helps people understand the history, culture, or environment of that area. For example, saying just "New York" refers to the state. But saying "New York City" specifically means the city located in that state.
Similarly, the "Rocky Mountains" refers to a whole mountain range stretching from Canada to New Mexico. But the "Sierra Nevada Mountains" are a distinct range mainly in California.
So adding an extra detail like a city name or mountain range name helps avoid confusion about exactly what you mean.
This is useful when talking to people who may not be familiar with the area. The modifiers give critical context so people better understand the unique location you have in mind.
How do geo modifiers affect local business ranking?
Here are a few ways that geo modifiers can affect local business ranking:
Improve local relevance
Using geographic modifiers in your website content, meta descriptions, and title tags can show search engines that your business is relevant to a certain area.
For example, including your city name or region can make your website appear more often when people nearby search for businesses like yours. This helps you get found by local customers searching online.
Increase visibility
Including location-based keywords in your website’s content can help your business appear in "near me" searches, which are becoming increasingly popular among mobile users.
Attract local backlinks
Adding location details to your website content can help you get backlinks from other local businesses or groups. Getting these links from local sites can move your website higher in search results in your area.
Boost Google My Business listing
Including your location and service area in your “Google My Business” profile can improve your local ranking.
This can help your business appear in the "Local Pack" or "Map Pack" at the top of search results for local queries.
Geo modifiers are an important part of local SEO and can have a significant impact on local business ranking.
Including these keywords in your website content and optimizing your ”Google My Business” profile can improve your chances of appearing in local search results.
Do keywords with geo modifiers produce the highest ROI?
The performance of keywords with geo modifiers can vary depending on the specific context and goals of the advertising campaign.
While they can be effective for targeting users in specific locations, they may not necessarily always produce the highest ROI.
In some cases, using keywords with geo modifiers can be highly effective for local businesses, as they can help attract local customers who are more likely to convert.
For example, a restaurant in New York City might use keywords like "best pizza in NYC" to attract local customers searching for pizza in the area.
However, for businesses that primarily operate online and do not have a physical presence, using geo modifiers in keywords may not be as effective.
In these cases, broader, non-geographic keywords might be more effective in attracting a larger audience.
Ultimately, the best approach for maximizing ROI with keywords will depend on the specific context of the campaign, including factors such as the target audience, business goals, and industry competition.
Best practices for beginners to rank locally
If you are a beginner looking to improve your local search ranking, here are some best practices to consider:
Claim your Google My Business listing
Google My Business is a free tool that helps businesses manage their online presence across Google, including search and maps.
Make sure to claim your GMB listing and fill out all the necessary information such as business name, address, phone number, website URL, hours of operation, and photos.
This will help potential customers find you more easily and give them a better understanding of your business.
Optimize your website for local search
Make sure your website is optimized for local search by including your city or region in your website’s metadata, titles, and content.
This will help search engines understand that your website is relevant to local searches.
Build local citations
Local citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites.
These citations help build your business’s authority and can improve your local search rankings. Make sure your NAP is consistent across all citations.
Encourage customer reviews
Positive customer reviews can improve your local search ranking and give potential customers confidence in your business.
Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business listing and other relevant review sites.
Use local keywords in your content
To improve the visibility of your business in local search results, consider incorporating local keywords in your website content, such as the names of nearby neighbourhoods, landmarks, or attractions.
This will signal to search engines that your business is relevant to local searches.
Monitor and analyze your local search performance
Regularly monitor your local search performance by tracking your website traffic, search rankings, and customer reviews.
Use this data to identify areas for improvement and adjust your local search strategy accordingly.
Takeaway
Geographic modifiers or geotags are keywords used to locate a local business.
These modifiers provide additional context and specificity to a particular location, differentiating it from others and providing crucial information about a location's cultural, historical, or environmental features.
Geo modifiers play a significant role in local search engine optimization and can improve local relevance, increase visibility, and attract local backlinks.
The use of geo modifiers in keywords can be highly effective for businesses with a physical presence in a specific area, but for online businesses, broader, non-geographic keywords may be more effective.