Does Optimizing Content for “Near Me” Work for Local SEO?
There has been a debate among SEO professionals about whether adding instances of “near me” terms onto a website can increase its ranking for “near me” keywords. At a recent LocalU Advanced event, 44% of the attendees said no while 56% said yes.
At Dazzolesy, we have extensively tested this optimization strategy and found that adding instances of “near you,” “nearby,” and “near me” to the content of a page (including meta tags) does have a positive impact on ranking for “near me” terms. To demonstrate this, take a look at the top pages with near me in their titles, ranking on first page in Google.
In addition to this client’s success, we also have a ranking tracker for another client that saw improved rankings after implementing the “near me” optimization strategy.
While this optimization has a more significant positive impact on organic ranking and traffic for “near me” terms than it does on local ranking and traffic from the 3-pack, it still has value as a part of a comprehensive SEO strategy.
One surprising finding we discovered is that the majority of “near me” searches are happening on desktop rather than mobile, contrary to popular belief.
In conclusion, optimizing content for “near me” terms can have a positive impact on rankings for those specific keywords, but it should not be the only focus of a local SEO strategy. As always, creating high-quality, user-friendly content that provides value to your audience is a critical component of successful SEO.