Keeping my keywords local

[Kimberly]

My product isn't available except at my bricks and mortar. I am not interested in competing except with similar businesses in surrounding cities. Is something like this the best way to write keywords?
widget repair seattle, whatsit repair tacoma, widget repair tacoma, whatits repair seattle

[rogerd]

Hi, Kimberley, welcome to WebmasterWorld. I hope I'm interpreting your question correctly. The meta keywords tag isn't too important these days, although doing what you suggest is fine. Just don't get carried away with repeating the same words, which could look spammy. More important are your page titles and headings. Your meta description tag should be relevant, too.

I deal with some regional businesses, and I've created some specific content pages focused on location-related phrases, e.g. "Widget Repair Services in Seattle, Washington". Include the business location words (e.g., Tacoma, Seattle, Washington, etc.) on all of the site pages, too. Google in particular likes to link to individual pages for odd word combos, so be prepared for weird searches like "widget repair shop authorized acme Seattle".

[rmjvol]

Hi Kimberly,

I've also done many sites & pages with a regional focus. Try to make sure you weave the keywords into you copy in a natural sounding way. You may (or may not) get decent rankings with "We are the widget repair seattle leader offering widget repair seattle deals and widget repair seattle specials." But you'll turn off the visitors that you do get.

I've found that case studies, testimonials & client references are an excellent way to target regional search phrases. Maybe have a couple pages talking about recent widget repair projects.

Good luck,
rmjvol