How to Do Keyword Research for Local Business

What Is Keyword Research and Why Local Businesses Need It

Keyword research is the process of finding the words and phrases people type into search engines when looking for products, services, or information. For local businesses, it's even more critical: 46% of all Google searches have local intent (Google via Search Engine Roundtable). That means nearly half of all searches are potential customers looking for a business near them.

Think of keywords as the bridge between what your business offers and what your customers search for online. Without that bridge, your website sits invisible while competitors capture the traffic. Good keyword research removes the guesswork and replaces it with data-backed decisions.

The Local Search Opportunity Is Massive

The numbers tell a compelling story. According to the SOCi Consumer Behavior Index 2024, 80% of US consumers search online for local businesses at least weekly, and 32% do so daily. These aren't casual browsers. They're people actively looking for someone to hire, a restaurant to visit, or a store to shop at.

It gets even better for brick-and-mortar businesses. Google's own data, published on Think with Google, shows that 76% of people who search locally on their smartphone visit a store within 24 hours. And 28% of those visits result in a purchase. That's a direct line from keyword to cash register.

Why Guessing Keywords Doesn't Work

Business owners often assume they know what customers search for. A plumber might optimize for "plumbing services" when the real high-intent search is "emergency pipe repair near me." A dentist might target "dental clinic" while patients actually search "same-day tooth extraction Sacramento." Keyword research reveals these gaps so you don't waste effort ranking for the wrong terms.

How Does Search Intent Shape Local Keyword Strategy?

Search intent is the reason behind a person's query, and it matters more than raw search volume. A keyword with 50 monthly searches and strong buying intent will outperform a keyword with 5,000 searches and zero purchase motivation. According to Backlinko, 42% of searchers click on Google Map Pack results for local queries, showing that local intent heavily favors businesses with strong geographic relevance.

The Four Types of Search Intent

Every keyword falls into one of four intent categories. Understanding these helps you match the right content to the right search. Here's how they break down for a local plumber:

Why Intent Beats Volume Every Time

A common mistake is chasing high-volume keywords without checking intent. The term "plumber" gets thousands of searches, but what does the searcher actually want? A definition? A career guide? A local pro? Contrast that with "24-hour plumber Sacramento CA" — lower volume, crystal-clear intent, and a much higher chance of converting into a paying customer.

For local businesses, transactional and commercial keywords generate the most revenue. Informational keywords build awareness and authority over time through blog content. A solid strategy covers all four intent types, weighted toward the ones that drive calls and bookings.

Should Local Businesses Focus on Long-Tail or Short-Tail Keywords?

Long-tail keywords are the sweet spot for local businesses. An Ahrefs keyword database study found that 92.42% of all keywords get 10 or fewer searches per month. That sounds discouraging until you realize those niche terms carry far stronger intent — and long-tail keywords convert at rates 4.15% higher on average than short-tail terms, according to Seer Interactive.

Short-Tail vs. Long-Tail at a Glance

The Local Long-Tail Formula

For local businesses, the most effective long-tail pattern follows a simple formula: [service] + [city/neighborhood] + [qualifier]. Qualifiers include words like "emergency," "affordable," "same-day," "best," or "near [landmark]." Here are examples:

• "roof repair Folsom CA free estimate"
• "family dentist Roseville open Saturday"
• "commercial HVAC maintenance Sacramento downtown"
• "affordable kitchen remodel Elk Grove"

Each of these terms has lower volume individually. But collectively, they add up to significant traffic from people who are much closer to booking a service. That's the long-tail advantage.

What Are the Best Free and Paid Keyword Research Tools?

You don't need expensive software to start keyword research. Free tools from Google handle most of what a local business needs. Paid tools add depth once you're ready to analyze competitors and track rankings at scale. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the most practical options.

How Do You Find Local Keywords Step by Step?

Finding local keywords doesn't require a marketing degree or expensive software. The process is methodical: start with what you know about your business, then validate with data. We've refined this five-step approach across dozens of local business keyword campaigns, and it consistently produces results.

Step 1: List Your Services and Service Areas

Open a spreadsheet and create two columns. In the first, list every service your business offers. Be specific. Don't write "plumbing" — write "drain cleaning," "water heater installation," "sewer line repair," and "faucet replacement." In the second column, list every city, neighborhood, and zip code you serve.

Step 2: Build Service + Location Combinations

Combine each service with each location to create your initial keyword list. A plumber serving three cities with five services instantly has 15 keyword combinations: "drain cleaning Sacramento," "water heater installation Roseville," "sewer line repair Folsom," and so on. These form the backbone of your local keyword strategy.

Step 3: Validate With Google Keyword Planner

Log into Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account) and enter your combinations. Filter results by your target geographic area. The tool returns search volume estimates and related keyword suggestions. Don't ignore low-volume terms — remember, 92.42% of all keywords get 10 or fewer monthly searches (Ahrefs), and those low-volume local terms often carry the strongest buying intent.

Step 4: Check Autocomplete and People Also Ask

Type your service + city combinations into Google and watch what Autocomplete suggests. These suggestions reflect actual search patterns. Also scroll through the "People Also Ask" boxes that appear in search results. These questions make excellent blog post topics and FAQ content. Write down every relevant suggestion you find.

Step 5: Analyze Competitor Keywords

Search for your top services in your primary city and study the businesses ranking on page one. Look at their page titles, headings, and content. What terms do they target? Which topics do they cover that you haven't? If you have access to SEMrush or Ahrefs, enter competitor URLs to see exactly which keywords drive their organic traffic. This reveals opportunities they're capturing that you're missing.

How to Map Keywords to Pages on Your Website

Keyword mapping assigns each keyword to a specific page on your site. The core rule is simple: one primary keyword per page. When multiple pages target the same keyword, they compete against each other in search results — a problem called keyword cannibalization. Proper mapping prevents this and gives every page a clear purpose.

Keyword-to-Page Framework

Each page should also include two to three secondary keywords and a handful of related terms. These appear naturally in your body content, subheadings, and image alt text. The primary keyword goes in the page title, H1, meta description, and first paragraph.

Need help building out a full content plan from your keyword map? See our content strategy service for a structured approach. And make sure your site's technical foundation supports your content efforts with a technical SEO audit.

How Are AI Overviews and Voice Search Changing Local Keywords?

Google's AI Overviews are reshaping how local search results appear. According to a BrightLocal and Semrush 2025 study, 40.16% of local business queries now trigger AI Overviews. That means for nearly half of local searches, Google generates an AI-written summary above the traditional results. This changes which keywords drive clicks and how you need to structure your content.

What AI Overviews Mean for Your Keywords

AI Overviews pull information from pages that answer questions clearly and concisely. If your content provides a direct, well-structured answer to a local search query, Google's AI is more likely to cite your page. This means question-based keywords ("how much does roof repair cost in Sacramento?") and answer-first content are more valuable than ever.

Adding schema markup for local business also helps search engines understand your content structure, which improves your chances of appearing in AI-generated summaries.

Voice Search Creates New Keyword Patterns

Voice searches are longer, more conversational, and more often phrased as questions. Someone typing might enter "plumber Sacramento," but someone speaking to their phone says, "Who's the best plumber near me that's open right now?" These natural-language queries require you to think about keywords differently.

To capture voice search traffic, include conversational phrases in your FAQ sections and blog posts. Write headings as full questions. Use natural language in your answers. The businesses that sound like real people answering real questions will win in both AI Overviews and voice results.

What Keyword Research Mistakes Should Local Businesses Avoid?

Even businesses that do keyword research make avoidable errors. We've seen the same patterns across hundreds of local business websites. Here are the most damaging mistakes and how to fix them.

Frequently Asked Questions