Nice Find! In my furious typing and looking at results, I didn’t noticed the D.C.! I caught it on the new york search with displays for NYC, but Washington got me!

Some good points have been mentioned.

Mike, this was a very nicely put together piece, and I really enjoyed reading your basic stats. I would guess that we’ll be seeing further rollout of this, nationwide, and for certain terms, it is certainly be helpful to see statewide results. For others, it’s a bit of stretch to imagine usefulness. Why would someone need to see statewide listings, for example, of Italian restaurants? Well, maybe they are traveling and their doctor has ordered them to eat only Italian food? Well…hmm. Nevertheless, for other categories, this is an interesting and useful development. You’ve done a great job covering it.

For some time the smaller eastern states, such as Maryland, Delaware, Mass, etc. have been showing maps for queries with state names.

We operate businesses that optimize for state names and city/town names. We get a good reasonable amount of traffic for searches with state names. I’ve done some keyword research on a limited basis comparing searches with service or product and state name or major city name. The volumes of whether state or city names appear more often have tended to show state phrases more often…but it isn’t a significant difference in some cases and it varies. I can’t say with authority as to what works.

Of the businesses that attract traffic for product or service or reversed product or services…..here is what we experience.

1. We have strong rankings for the state name phrases so we pick up a good bit of service.
2. Our services/products are in demand on a local or regional basis. Frankly, if we are on one side of the state and the searcher has hit our site, even contacted us….and he/she is too far away….we aren’t getting their business (most…but not all of the time).
3. We pick up additional searches, traffic, and business for those searchers that use the state terms and are reasonably near by.

Optimizing for state names can add traffic and business for your site.

I’m not going to say use it all the time or don’t use it. It is a case by case example. I can say that searches with state names are definitely out there.

4. One last observation. If you are searching for something in one of those physically larger states now showing maps, such as Utah…and you are a searcher from the Southwest corner of the state…where there are a group of towns and population….you aren’t traveling up to the Salt Lake Metro region for Utah Italian restaurants and lasagna. :)

If you scroll around the map, and southward to that portion of the state…the map will move with you and the businesses showing up will adjust and reflect the newer geography. You’ll find maps suggestions for restaurants closer to you. Essentially it would be similar to searching for one of those town names in the Southwest corner of the State.

Thank goodness. I love lasagna. I love eating out. I just don’t want to have to drive 3-6 hours each way for a plate of lasagna. ;)

Dave

Every Search is different.. I used did a quick glance using the keyword tool and heres what I found…

Utah Dentist 22,220
Salt Lake City Dentist 8,100

Boise Dentist 5,400
Idaho Dentist (not enough data)

Everyone will have to look at their location and determine if the state or city level is more important, or if both are. Some companies will never need or be able to gain statewide customers, some will.

I lived in Utah for a while and I would be willing to drive from Odgen to Provo for an recommended dentist. The distance does “feel” to far.

But I currently live in Idaho and with so much dead space between cities, I am waaaay more likely to use services that are close by. Even though I could be in Boise, or even close to Salt Lake in 2+ hours.