Top 10 Ranking Factors for Google Local July 2012 - Keywords

Category and Geographic Keywords Placement #9 of 10 Top Ranking Factors for Google+ Local and Google Places

Missing from my top ten is "address near city centroid."  I know this matters, but feel that it is unlikely that many businesses will move to accomplish the benefit, which could as easily disappear next week.  However, overcoming the specific address issue is a time honored way to improve rankings in the critical cities you care about. 

You want the primary category keyword and the most critical city name to appear in as many of the following places as possible.

Associated Website

•     URL - www.chicagoBankruptcyLawyer.com or chicagoBankruptcyAttorney.com or chicago-bankruptcy-attorney.com or bestbankruptcylawyerinChicago.com etc.
•     Title tag - Trusted Chicago Bankruptcy Attorney | Individuals | Corp | 312-555-5555
•     Headline - Chicago Bankruptcy Lawyer - 35 Years Serving Individuals and Companies
•     Use the term 5 or so times in the content of 5 or more paragraphs of content
•     Internal links - Link the word Chicago to an internal page about Chicago
•     Footer - Chicago Bankruptcy Attorney | Cook County Bankruptcy Attorney | Chapter 11 Bankruptcy lawyer in Chicago | Chapter 13  etc.
•     NAP - Name, address, phone number block.  At least one

   
Google Places and Plus

•     Reviews - Ask your reviewers to include your category keywords and geographic keywords in their reviews.
•     Google+ Page - Make at least a few mentions of these same keywords on the static content

Off Site

•     Back links - Have incoming back links that use these terms as anchor text.
•     Citations - Get local citations from directories.  Do a search for Chicago directories

If you are located in a suburb or adjoining city to the major population center, and you want to be found in that other city, and you don't want to move, then all of the above should be pointed at that city.  Use terms like lawyer near chicago or chicago area attorney. 

Side note - Google seems to be gunning for faux or virtual offices.  Latest statement is that any claimed Place that you show on your listing must have a sign designating that you have a true Place.  If you designate that the address is not a place where customers visit, then it is less clear how Google will deal with the location.  Unclear if this will be enforced, but we do know they are doing location video now, not just from the car or plane, but on foot.