Choosing keywords
How to pick the searches a listing is tracked and graded on, where DigitPeak's suggestions come from, and what to avoid.
A keyword is a search a customer types into Google Maps to find a business like this one. The Map Rank Tracker scans the listing's rank for each one across the grid, and GBP Optimization grades the profile against them.
You choose keywords in setup, in the scan dialog, on a campaign's Edit page, in Listing settings and in GBP Optimization. Each of those boxes has a How to choose the right keyword? bar. Learn more opens a short guide with examples.
#Be careful with changes
A keyword you replace starts its ranking history again. Earlier scans measured the old keyword, so the trend and the movement arrows for the new one begin at its first scan. Change a main keyword only when there is a reason to.
#Think like your customer
Track what someone would type into Google Maps to find this service.
#Service and place, not your name
New customers search for what you do, not for who you are. A business already ranks first for its own name, so tracking the name measures nothing.
| Track | Not |
|---|---|
| coffee shop yogyakarta | Sekar Coffee |
#Use the place people type
Use the city or the neighbourhood, as people write it. Often that is not the official name: people search "jogja", not "yogyakarta".
#No "near me"
Google Maps already searches near the person. A "near me" keyword measures the same thing as the plain one, so it adds a scan without adding anything to learn.
| Track | Not |
|---|---|
| coffee shop sleman | coffee shop near me |
#No generic words
Words like "best", "top" or "cheap" describe every business, so they help none.
| Track | Not |
|---|---|
| grocery shop | best shop |
#Write it the way locals do
Use the language people search in where the business is, with the everyday words they type, borrowed English words included. Google's category name can be a formal word nobody types; track it only if people search with it. Where visitors search in English, track English keywords too.
#Suggestions
Worth considering lists keywords worth tracking for the listing. Nothing is tracked until you add it, and adding one spends nothing until a scan runs.
#Check the trend on Google Trends
Google Trends is free and shows how interest in a search changes over time. Use it to see:
- Seasonal interest: some searches peak at certain times of year.
- Which is more popular: compare two ways of saying the same thing.
- Rising searches: new ways people are starting to search.
#Related
Last updated 18 October 2026