Rank for niche keywords without adding location

[goupipoopi]

Hi,
My business tagerts california cities. I currently rank in LA, San Francisco and other major cities when the location is added to the keyword. So for instance, if you google "photo retouching services" my page won't show up in the first 3 results unless you add a location to that search such as "photo retouching services San Francisco"

I can't get myself to find good quality backlinks and I can't have a GMB because i'm not local to California.
I have a pillar blog for california that connects to blogs and pages for cities within the state. I was hoping this will give it a push but my website seo work started around December so things are kind of new.

Can someone help me figure out how i can improve things?

 

[Titans]

The keyword "photo retouching services San Francisco" is low competition, and it is a location based local intent keyword. It doesn’t require much authority to rank well. But "photo retouching services" is highly competitive, and it is a generic keyword. It will need stronger authority to reach the top positions.

So, if you’re already ranking for one keyword, Google won’t automatically put you in the top results for a more generic keyword with a different search intent. You’ll need to focus on building more trust and authority for your site to improve rankings for those types of keywords.

 

[goupipoopi]

The keyword "photo retouching services San Francisco" is low competition, and it is a location based local intent keyword. It doesn’t require much authority to rank well. But "photo retouching services" is highly competitive, and it is a generic keyword. It will need stronger authority to reach the top positions.

So, if you’re already ranking for one keyword, Google won’t automatically put you in the top results for a more generic keyword with a different search intent. You’ll need to focus on building more trust and authority for your site to improve rankings for those types of keywords.

According to google keyword planner, "photo retouching services" has a low competition with an avg. monthly searches of 100 - 1K. Why are you saying it's a highly competitive keyword? How did you figure it out?

Currently, I add the targeted city in my slug and mention it somewhere on the page as well as have it in the seo title and/or seo description. Should I change my strategy? Keep in mind, i am not located in California so it's pretty hard for me to rank also my DA is very low since I started with my SEO last December. Previously, my website was a complete mess.

 

[72indica]

Since you can’t get a GMB, you’ll need to rely on building strong location relevance through content and backlinks. Keep your California pillar page and city-specific pages interlinked, but also work on getting backlinks from California-based sites — local blogs, event listings, photography communities, even sponsorships or guest posts tied to those cities.

Also, make sure your on-page SEO for each city page is dialed in: unique content, local landmarks or references, and schema markup for service areas. Over time, this can help you rank for non-geo-modified keywords too, especially if you combine it with a few high-authority, niche-relevant backlinks.

 

[goupipoopi]

Since you can’t get a GMB, you’ll need to rely on building strong location relevance through content and backlinks. Keep your California pillar page and city-specific pages interlinked, but also work on getting backlinks from California-based sites — local blogs, event listings, photography communities, even sponsorships or guest posts tied to those cities.

Also, make sure your on-page SEO for each city page is dialed in: unique content, local landmarks or references, and schema markup for service areas. Over time, this can help you rank for non-geo-modified keywords too, especially if you combine it with a few high-authority, niche-relevant backlinks.

can you recommend someone to build trustworthy backlinks?

 

[72indica]

can you recommend someone to build trustworthy backlinks?

If you want to outsource, check the services section here on BHW there are a few reputable sellers offering niche edits, guest posts, and local backlinks. Just vet them carefully, ask for sample links, and make sure the domains have real traffic and aren’t spammed.

 

[bartosimpsonio]

i'm not local to California.

That's your main issue right there. Local search is basically phone tracking. The more people check into your business, the stronger the signals. You'll need to buy local signals somehow.

 

[Titans]

According to google keyword planner, "photo retouching services" has a low competition with an avg. monthly searches of 100 - 1K. Why are you saying it's a highly competitive keyword? How did you figure it out?

I already shared the screenshot of the keyword competition from SEMrush, and it is based on the authority of the sites already ranking in the top positions. The competition & the search volume in the keyword planner were different, and it is based on how many advertisers are bidding on the term in Google Ads. I hope it's clear now.

Currently, I add the targeted city in my slug and mention it somewhere on the page as well as have it in the seo title and/or seo description. Should I change my strategy? Keep in mind, i am not located in California so it's pretty hard for me to rank also my DA is very low since I started with my SEO last December. Previously, my website was a complete mess.

Since you’re not located in California and your DA is still low, to increase the serp results, you can focus on optimizing and increasing the authority of the page by adding strong internal and external backlinks.

 

[goupipoopi]

I already shared the screenshot of the keyword competition from SEMrush, and it is based on the authority of the sites already ranking in the top positions. The competition & the search volume in the keyword planner were different, and it is based on how many advertisers are bidding on the term in Google Ads. I hope it's clear now.

Since you’re not located in California and your DA is still low, to increase the serp results, you can focus on optimizing and increasing the authority of the page by adding strong internal and external backlinks.

thank you for your answer. Google keyword planner shows them as low competition for both california and the us with low volume.