Choosing local keywords

What makes a keyword local

A keyword is simply the words someone types or says into a search box. It becomes local when the best answer is a place the person can visit. "How to whiten teeth" is a question. "Teeth whitening" typed on a phone at lunchtime is someone shopping for a dentist.

Local keywords usually describe one of three things:

• What you are: "dentist", "Thai restaurant", "hair salon".
• What you do: "emergency tooth extraction", "brake repair", "balayage".
• A need with urgency or a place: "open now", "walk-in", "in Westfield", "downtown".

These searches are valuable. Google data, as cited by Ahrefs, says 78% of people who search for something nearby on their phone visit a business within a day, and 28% of nearby searches end in a purchase.

"Near me" and hidden local searches

Some searches say outright that they're local: "pizza near me", "gym in Riverside", "vet open Sunday". Those are explicit local searches.

Many more are implicit. Someone types "pizza" and Google, knowing their location, shows pizza places nearby on a map. They never typed a place, but the intent is clearly local. For most businesses, these short, implicit searches are where the volume is.

That matters for you because you don't need to stuff "near me" into your website or profile. Google already adds the location. What you need is to be clearly relevant for the service and close enough, and prominent enough, to be chosen.

The map pack test

Here is the simplest check, and it's one Ahrefs recommends: search for the term on Google. If a map pack (the map with three businesses under it) appears, Google treats the search as local. If you only see articles and online shops, it isn't a map keyword, however relevant it sounds.

Try it on a phone in your own area. "Invisalign" may show a map pack, while "Invisalign cost" may only show articles. The first belongs on your map keyword list. The second is better answered by an FAQ on your website, which can help with AI answers.

Categories vs keywords

These are easy to mix up.

• Your primary category is the one label you choose in Google Business Profile, such as "Dentist" or "Auto repair shop". It is one of the strongest relevance signals you have. You can add secondary categories for other things you genuinely do.
• Keywords are the many ways customers search for what you offer. One category, "Dentist", can cover keywords like "dental cleaning", "emergency dentist" and "kids dentist".

Categories tell Google what kind of place you are. Keywords guide what we put in your services, posts, website answers and brand mentions, and what we measure. Getting the category right comes first. A wrong primary category can hold back every keyword.

Examples by business type

These show the kind of mix we look for: a core term, specific services, and searches with urgency or a place in them.

Real lists depend on what you actually offer, what makes money, and what passes the map pack test in your area.

How we pick your keywords

We agree your keywords with you in week 1, during the visibility audit. We look for searches that are:

1. Local: they pass the map pack test where you are.
2. Valuable: they match services you want more of, not ones you'd rather not do.
3. Winnable: your category, location and competitors give you a realistic chance.
4. Varied: a few core terms that bring volume, plus specific services where you can stand out sooner.

Your plan sets how many keywords we optimize for. A smaller number of keywords also get map grid tracking, so you can see them street by street.

Ten keywords suit a business with one main service. A dental practice or auto shop with many services usually gets more from 25 or 50.

Changing keywords and adding more

Your business changes, and your list can too. If you launch a new service, drop one, or notice a search we missed, tell us and we can swap keywords at the monthly review. We'll suggest keeping your core terms steady, because a keyword needs a few months of tracking before its trend means much.

If you need more, add-on packs give you 10 extra keywords for $49 a month each, on any plan, up to 5 packs. See plans and add-ons.

What Local Booster does about it

• Week 1: we research and agree your keyword list and check your categories in the visibility audit.
• All plans: we work your keywords into your Google Business Profile services and descriptions, Google posts (4, 8 or 12 a month) and brand mentions.
• Pro: FAQ and schema updates on your website target the questions behind your keywords.
• Extended: one local service page written a month, built around a keyword that needs its own page.
• Every month: we report on the keywords, and check related questions in ChatGPT and Gemini (10, 25 or 50 depending on plan).

What you can do yourself

• Write down the exact words customers use on the phone. They are often better keywords than industry terms.
• Run the map pack test on your phone for your top five services.
• Check your primary category against the businesses that rank first for your main keyword.
• Make sure every service you want customers for is listed in your Business Profile and on your website.
• Avoid stuffing keywords or a town name into your business name. It breaks Google's guidelines and can get your profile suspended.