Generating keywords for local business is usually less complicated than people tend to make it. If we are trying to rank a local business, specifically in the maps pack- there are pretty clear rules to follow for best practices.

Our keywords are going to be based primarily off of our GMB Categories, Secondary Categories, Qualifying Keywords, and then additional terms we want to rank for...

So to start, I usually take the #1 result in the maps pack and figure out exactly what their GMB category and sub-categories are. The primary category is clearly listed, but the secondary categories take a little digging.

For this example, I'll use the Atlanta Dental Center and will show you a trick on finding their secondary GMB categories.

• Click HERE to see their Google Business Listings in Google Maps
• Right click next to the word "Dentist" (their GMB Category) and click "View Page Source"
• Press CTRL+F (PC) or CMD+F (Mac) and search for the word "dentist" as we know that's their primary GMB category. You'll notice that it appears 22 times in the source code.
• If you click through each instance of the word "dentist" and look closely, you'll find a list of the secondary categories. I've highlighted them in the screenshot below. They are:
  • Dentist (Primary Category)
  • Cosmetic Dentist
  • Dental Implants Periodontist
  • Denture Care Center
  • Emergency Dental Service

So there you have it... A complete list of the secondary GMB categories for the #1 Local results for "Dentist Atlanta GA". Repeat the exercise with the top several competitors and you'll see some variations in their secondary categories. Obviously rule out the categories that don't pertain to your business, but mimic the similar keywords as closely as possible amongst the top competitors of your industry. Make your list of primary and secondary categories, and we'll use that as the start of our list.