I’m wondering if I should even bother tracking ‘keyword + near me’ for reports.
As a service business, is this still worth tracking, or should I just focus on my main keywords? Maybe I should use ‘keyword + city’ instead?
‘Near me’ works more like a function than a keyword. Focus on your main keywords and make sure Google knows your location.
Tracy said:
‘Near me’ works more like a function than a keyword. Focus on your main keywords and make sure Google knows your location.
Totally agree. And please don’t use ‘near me’ in backlink campaigns 
Tracy said:
‘Near me’ works more like a function than a keyword. Focus on your main keywords and make sure Google knows your location.
Actually, it can be a keyword. You can rank for it and even see it in keyword reports.
@MaryJane
Lol for real
@MaryJane
I didn’t think it worked either, but a client pushed me to try it, and it did work. It made me realise how simple Google’s algorithm can be sometimes.
Johnstone said:
@MaryJane
I didn’t think it worked either, but a client pushed me to try it, and it did work. It made me realise how simple Google’s algorithm can be sometimes.
It’s true—it’s pretty basic in many ways. Props to you for testing it out! Too many people cling to their beliefs instead of experimenting. SEO has so much superstition, doesn’t it?
Tracy said:
‘Near me’ works more like a function than a keyword. Focus on your main keywords and make sure Google knows your location.
Google Trends shows ‘near me’ searches have been dropping since their peak in 2021.
For some industries, it’s still useful to include in titles, but for others, not so much. Keep in mind Google can figure out a user’s location, especially on mobile. So, ‘massages near me’ and just ‘massages’ will often return similar results.
It really depends on your business.
Track both ‘near me’ and your regular keywords in Google Search Console to see which performs better. For many, ‘near me’ is still relevant.
Why not just use your city name instead of ‘near me’?
terrydon said:
Why not just use your city name instead of ‘near me’?
Because people actually search using ‘near me’, and Google uses their location to show results. Try searching for ‘summer camp near me’ and see what comes up on the map.
Is water wet?
It still works, but you don’t need to overdo it. Mention it once in your content, or even not at all. Bigger keywords will often cover it anyway.
I thought using ‘keyword + city’ helps you rank for ‘near me’ searches too. But honestly, I’ve been out of SEO for six months, so take it with a grain of salt. 
Google already knows your location. To rank for ‘near me’, make it clear where you are by using local pages, mentioning landmarks, or highlighting specific regions.
No one looks up local businesses like that anymore.
Harper said:
No one looks up local businesses like that anymore.
Wait until you need a dentist at 2 a.m. 
Definitely not.
Trust me, Google doesn’t care if you explicitly add ‘near me’. It already knows.