When we are creating geo-targeted campaigns, many times we go about this 2 different ways to tackle it from both ends. We create a specific geo-targeted campaign to the region where the services/products are available and we use broader terms with no modifier. Then we also create campaigns on either a national level or you could narrow that down a bit to state level and we bid on keywords that include town/state names as modifiers, as you discussed. This allows us to reach these people in 2 different manners.

So in your case, you could select a region just outside your reach and bid on keywords with town name modifiers. We go beyond the serviceable area with this because some people may not be in the area you are selling in, but perhaps they are looking to buy there. Remember that the geo-targeting information comes from their IP address too, so this may not as reliable as we’d like it since that comes from the Internet service provider and not their actual address.

It sounds like you are on the right track in helping your wife’s site. Good luck to both of you!

I have had some success with GeoTargeted Adwords, although good geotargeting info is hard to come by. My best results have been targeting at the state level using specific town names as modifiers in each add group, i.e. a search for “Interior Design in Westwood” would produce a “Westwood Interior Design” add. My question is, if I add a campaign which is geotargeted more secifically to eastern Massachusetts, so that an “Interior Design in MA” querry produces a “MA Interior Designer” add, are there circumstances where I will end up with more than one add on a SERP, and is this a bad thing?

As soon as we can afford it we will get some professional SEO/SEM help, but for now it’s all on me. Thanks in advance.