The Smart Way To Use a Location Name

Name Dropping a Location? Make it Exclusive

Geographic-targeted content or creating content based on a location can be a great way to reach a particular audience ... when done well.

Geographic-targeted articles done well can be helpful because they ...

• speak to those people in or around that community
• show travelers what may be in-store for them when visiting
• help visitors and citizens understand the locality (i.e., markers, history, events, etc., about that location)

When geographic-targeted content isn't done well, it can be problematic. Scenarios include ...

• stuffing location-based keywords into articles, hoping it will increase rank (it doesn't)
• writing information about a location that's applicable to dozens of other locales (e.g., services available)
• promising a location, but disappointing readers with vague, generic, or misleading information

3 Smart Ways to Use a Location Name

You don't have to be a travel writer to write about valuable geographic-targeted topics in your niche. Try these location-inspired angles in your next article:

• Write about topics that may not be directly in your niche, but are certainly relevant to it. We typically don't live and work in silos, so we're bound to bump into one another (or into another business). Discussing businesses, services, or topics that are exclusive to your area and (even inadvertently) relate to your niche show your awareness and strong networking capabilities.
• Share localized information. What's happening in your community? How does it affect your niche in the grand scheme of things? Present the local facts for backstory and then reflect how current events in that particular locale affect your niche in that area.
• Write for the traveler or newcomer. You don't have to write a travel guide (unless that's your area of expertise of course)! Consider how you can provide location-exclusive information that's relevant to your niche for people or businesses moving to your town as well as think on what aspects of your niche tourists or visitors would be interested in.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself if the Location Is Appropriately Placed

If you're going to name a specific location, then you need to provide specific details about that location. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether you are providing valuable details to warrant the location usage:

• Does it pass the substitution test? If you're writing an article targeting local search, then use the substitution test to confirm that your article has enough location specific information. Simply substitute any other location name in the article title and body. Does the article still make sense? If so, then your article isn't quite unique enough to the locale.
• Am I providing location-specific details that cannot be applied elsewhere? The article has content that covers what's unique about the location and the information can't be applied to any other locale.
• Is it organic and the context uninterrupted by the location usage? "New York Dentists," "Seattle SEO," or anything of that ilk is simply unacceptable. It screams "I write for SEO."

Before you start writing, know exactly what makes your locale unique. Once you are able to pinpoint those unique details, you'll be on your way to writing the valuable geo-targeted article your readers want.

SUMBER