You may be no stranger to Local SEO best practices when it comes to keyword research and optimization; however, in case you're in need of a quick refresher, here are a few tips to selecting keywords that will provide you with relevant and actionable local citation results. You do not need to add the city name, the tool does this for you when you select your location.

A) Start with the very basics; what industry are you in?

For example, say you own a jewelry store in Portland, some of your top searches would be:

"Jeweler",

"Jewelry Store"

"Jewelry "

B) Step into your customers’ shoes. What are some of the keywordsthey are going to be searching? Perhaps you offer niche services or specialize in a particular area within your industry; be sure to cover all your areas of expertise and product offerings.

For example, it could be very specific to their needs or more general:

"Engagement Rings"

"Jewelry Appraisal"

"Antique Jewelry"

"Jewelry Repair"

"Custom Jewelry Design"

"Watches"

Do yourself the added favour of taking a few minutes to write out at least 5 kewords and find out their local search volume figures in Google's AdWords Keyword Planner Tool (this will help you prioritize your searches and can give you new ideas for searches as well)!

C) Go broad. Search general keywords that cover a wider scope of your industry. This can provide a higher quantity of results and new listing sources.

For example:

"Weddings"

“Gifts”

“Anniversary”