Start with the geography your firm actually serves
The Census record identifies Muskegon city and its relationship to Muskegon County. Those are not interchangeable reporting areas. A firm may serve people in the city, elsewhere in the county or in other Michigan locations, but the dashboard should not blur those boundaries. During evaluation, ask how a city target differs from a county target and how the firm will interpret results when a caller’s location, search location and matter location do not match. The population estimate gives scale to the municipality; it does not establish that residents are searching for a particular legal service or that a page will produce a matter.
Recommended approach
Write down the geographic definitions you want reviewed before the consultation. Keep Muskegon city, Muskegon County and any wider Michigan coverage as separate decisions. Ask to see how rankings, calls, leads and city reporting would be labeled so a partner does not mistake one geography for another.
