If I build links that point to my page with the text "keyword + City + Abbrv. State" i.e. "widgets chicago il", will this be recognized by the search engines if someone just types in "widgets chicago" or "widgets il". My thinking, and tell me if I'm wrong, is to have all three words in the link and if the searcher doesn't happen to use all three then I'm covered. Right or Wrong?
I dont seem to get your question? So, I will answer what i see... First, Anchor Text helps increase serp, yet the words you pick and the content on your site determine how much they will help, also the number of backlinks also determines. Your saying that? Anchor Text for the links -> Keyword A , B , C If someone searches A and B, then your site gets a little juice or help from the anchor text but not that much. When building your Anchor Text, try to use more then just 1 text. I mean google isnt stupid -_- Mix it up Keyword A, B, C, Keyword A, C, D ect... Dont mix to much just make it look "natural" Final Tip -> Make a Google Webmaster account, this helps out a lot because they giave you reports about your site and then they also help with other stuff. Now I believe you are right..
Except for considerations about having all your anchor text being spookily the same, you're right. It's not that you'll get less search engine respect for "widgets" than you get for "widgets chicago". At least, you won't get much less. It just will do you much less good on the "widgets" search, since the competition is so much stiffer.