Walsall sits inside a continuous built-up area that runs into Birmingham, which makes it easy to assume they are one market. They are not. Walsall has its own identity, its own centre and residents with a strong sense of being from the Black Country rather than from Birmingham — a distinction taken more seriously here than outsiders expect.
Because the conurbation is unbroken, proximity behaves oddly. A Walsall business can be physically close to an enormous population while being commercially associated with one town only, so naming the wrong place loses you the advantage without gaining anything.
The leather trade still matters
Walsall retains the country's leather goods industry — saddlery, equestrian equipment, and luxury leatherwork supplying brands well beyond the town. Those businesses serve a national and international customer who searches by product and craft rather than by place. If that is your market, local search is the wrong target entirely.
Engineering and metalworking
The wider Black Country retains a substantial metalworking and engineering base, with a supply chain of fabrication, finishing, tooling and industrial services. That work is business-to-business, assessed on capability and certification, and poorly served by conventional local SEO.
The consumer market is soft
For trades, healthcare, motor and hospitality, Walsall behaves as an ordinary local market with moderate difficulty and a lot of businesses doing very little online. The fundamentals go a long way.
Name the district
Bloxwich, Aldridge, Brownhills, Willenhall and Darlaston have their own identities and search separately. Aldridge in particular is more affluent and distinct enough to behave as its own market. Naming yours is frequently more winnable than competing across the borough.