The importance of keywords for your local SEO campaign is undeniable. The right keywords can help you get more traffic, and improve the visibility of your website. In this article, I will show you how to find the best ones for your small business. I will also share with you some tips that will help you to optimize your site in order to rank higher in the search engines. So if you are new to this topic and want to learn more about it, read on!
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What is Local Keyword Research anyways?
SEO keyword research is the method of determining the search phrases that people use while looking for an answer to a query in search engines. When it comes to the search engines themselves, we obviously know about Google, but there is also Bing, and even Youtube (which is owned by Google haha).
One of the main focuses of optimizing web pages for search engines in determining the specific relevant keywords or phrases people are searching for. Then, by including these keywords in your website, you should be able to rank well on search engine results pages (SERPs) when people look for them.
Getting started doing Local Keyword Research
After working with hundreds of small businesses, it is clear that the vast majority are completely unaware of exactly what their potential customers are typing into Google to find their business. Without knowing this, you’re completely shooting in the dark. While keyword research might not be finite, it helps us get a broad picture of the market, the competition, and the intent of users who are trying to find a business just like yours.
Let’s go over some of the key things you need to evaluate on your end.
What do you know?
You’re going to want to know what people are already searching, for and what they’re searching for in your industry.
- What keywords are people already using? You can find that out by doing keyword research on Google (or whatever search engine you use) and then looking at the keywords that have the highest number of searches, like “Roofers in Austin”. You can also use a keyword research tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs to get access to keyword data for any website or domain name you choose.
- What is the local search volume? This will give you an idea of how much interest there is in a particular topic from users who live near your office location. Search volume is important because it can help gauge some of the most advantageous targets. For example, if one term had 100 people a month searching for it vs another that only had 10, you can guess that you’re like to get more traction in terms of site visitors (and even leads), with some of the larger search terms.
- That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tap into those smaller volume inquiries, but the likelihood is that those smaller terms wouldn’t have a page dedicated to them. Remember something key though, the bigger the volume, the higher the difficulty it likely is to rank for.
What are your customers looking for?
To find out what your customers are looking for, you’re going to have to go through a few steps.
First, check your Google Analytics and look at your top keywords—the ones which got the most clicks on the website.
Second, check the keyword data in Google Search Console (formerly called Webmaster Tools). This is where you’ll see all of the keywords that people searched for before they arrived on your site.
Third, take a look at Facebook Insights. If you have an active Facebook page, you should use this tool to dive into some social media data about what people are asking about and talking about online within their community or network of friends.
Fourth, check Yelp! You might not be able to get access directly to analytics from Yelp but there are plenty of tools out there that can help give insight into how customers perceive your business based on reviews left by others on Yelp pages across various cities around the country or world depending on where they live!
What do your competitors offer?
- Check out your competitors’ websites.
- Check out their local listings.
- Look at reviews for each business, and check out the social media profiles of reviewers who have reviewed your competitors.
- Look on their contact pages to see how they handle customer service inquiries, as well as phone numbers, email addresses, and so on.
What is your USP/ Unique selling point?
If you’re not sure what your Unique Selling Point (USP) is, don’t worry – it’s okay to take a minute and think about it. To be honest, this is one of the hardest questions for small businesses to answer.
If you’re still having trouble coming up with an answer, try asking yourself these questions:
- What makes your business unique? What makes you stand out from your competitors?
- What makes you special?
- What makes you different? (and better)
- What makes your business different from other similar businesses in the area?
Check your Adwords keywords with the keyword planner tool
Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to check those results against the keyword planner tool.
The keyword planner tool is a free tool from Google that offers insight into trends and potential keywords that people in your target audience are searching for. It will show you which search terms are most popular, how competitive they are, and if they’re relevant to what you do or sell as an organization.
It’s a great way to get started on understanding the local search landscape and can also help narrow down your list of keywords based on what people are actually searching for when looking for something similar to what you offer.
Google says their data shows that most people use their smartphones while out and about – whether they’re driving or walking around town – so this is another reason why it’s important not only to know who these searchers are but also where they go when looking up information about your business or product offerings online!
Use these steps to find out what keywords you should use
If you want to rank for local keywords, then the first thing you should do is find out what they actually are. To do this, there are a few different ways:
- Use the keyword planner tool. This can be accessed through Google Analytics (which is free) or by downloading AdWords Express and creating an account (which costs money). The former will give you a list of keywords that people have searched for online in your city or town; the latter gives more detailed information about how many clicks and impressions those keywords have received in certain areas. Both are useful for finding out which search terms might help bring more customers into your business.
- Use Google itself! Type “keyword tool” into any search bar and click on one of the top results—this will take you to an overview page where you can enter either a single term or multiple terms at once, along with starting locations like North Dakota or New York City if necessary.”
Conclusion
So there you have it: An easy framework for finding good keywords for your business. Keep in mind that this isn’t an exact science; keyword research is a process, and it will take some time to know what works best for you and your business. Keep at it, though, because the benefits are well worth it!
If you’re looking for a local SEO company to help you with your online visibility, book a free call with us today and we can go over a winning strategy to help your business reach new heights!
