How Do My Customers Search for What I Sell?

The short answer

Search behavior is how customers look for what you sell: the exact words they type or say, whether they use a phone or computer, and where they look first, like Google, Google Maps, a review site, or an AI tool. Record it by asking customers how they searched last time, comparing phrases in Google Trends, and later checking the search terms in your Google Business Profile performance data. These words should guide your categories, services, and page titles.

What this tells Google and AI

Google says relevance is how well a profile matches what someone searched for. When you know the words customers use, you can put those same words in your profile categories, services, description, and website headings, which helps search engines and AI tools match you to real searches. Google’s performance data shows the search terms people used to find your profile, so you can check your guesses against real searches once you’re live.

What this means

The outline asks you to record how customers search for the product or service.

Things to record:

• Words: the exact phrases, like “water heater repair,” “hot water heater not working,” or “plumber near me”
• Questions: full questions people ask, like “how much does a new water heater cost”
• Device: phone, computer, or voice assistant
• Where they look first: Google Search, Google Maps, a review site, social media, a neighbor app, or an AI tool
• Words they add: a town name, “near me,” “open now,” “cheap,” or “best”

Example: a mobile dog groomer assumes people search “pet grooming services.” Interviews show most people searched “mobile dog grooming” plus their town, on their phones, and looked at Google Maps first. A Google Trends comparison shows “mobile dog grooming” gets more relative interest in the state than “mobile pet grooming.” The groomer uses “Mobile Dog Grooming” in service names and page titles.

Why it matters

• Your words may not match theirs. Owners use trade terms. Customers use everyday words.
• Categories and services depend on it. Picking the wrong category or naming services in jargon can make you harder to match (see 14.1.8 Categories).
• It shapes your website. Page titles and headings work best in the words people search (see 19.4.1 Page Titles).
• It tells you where to show up. If customers check Maps first, your profile matters more than ads.

Who this applies to

Every business that wants to be found online.

How to do it

1. In interviews, ask: “How did you look for help last time? What did you type or say?” (see 7.3.1 Customer Interviews).
2. Write down the exact phrases. Don’t clean them up.
3. Ask where they looked first and what device they used.
4. Start a phrase list with every version you hear.
5. Search each phrase on Google and Google Maps in your area. Note which businesses and pages come up.
6. Compare your top phrases in Google Trends. Google says Trends shows relative interest on a 0 to 100 scale, not the actual number of searches, so use it to compare phrases and places, not to count customers.
7. Group phrases by service. Pick the main phrase for each service.
8. Use those phrases in your Google Business Profile (GBP) services and description, and in your website page titles and headings (see 14.1.7 Services and 19.1 Keyword Research).
9. After your profile is verified, check the Searches part of your performance data. Google says it shows the search terms people used to find your profile and updates monthly (see 14.9.8 Performance Data).
10. Update your phrase list each quarter based on real data.

What proof to keep

• Your phrase list with the source of each phrase (interview, Trends, or profile data)
• Dated screenshots of Google Trends comparisons
• Dated screenshots of local search results for your top phrases
• Monthly screenshots of your profile search terms once you’re live

Store these in your marketing folder.

Common mistakes

• Using your own jargon. Customers rarely search the way people in the trade talk.
• Treating Google Trends as search counts. It shows relative interest, not volume.
• Stuffing phrases into your business name. Google’s guidelines don’t allow extra words in the name field (see 14.1.1 Business Name).
• Ignoring Maps. For many local services, people look at the map first.
• Never checking real data. Once you’re live, your profile search terms show what’s really working.

When to get help from a pro

Most owners can start alone. A local search specialist can help once you’re building your website. Ask:

• Which phrases should each service page focus on?
• Do my categories match how people search?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or opinion here. For example, a client whose customers searched in completely different words than the owner expected, or a surprising search term in a client’s profile performance data.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty handles Google Business Profile setup and local search research.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

• [Date I did this:]
• [What I actually did, step by step: the words SiteSmarty customers use to search and where I found them]
• [What it cost and how long it took:]
• [What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
• [Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: my phrase list, a Google Trends comparison, and the profile Searches section]
• [Result so far:]

Questions people ask

What words do customers use to find my service? Ask them, then check. Write down exact phrases from interviews, compare them in Google Trends, and look at your profile’s search terms once you’re live.

Does Google Trends show how many people search? No. Google says Trends scales results from 0 to 100 based on relative interest. It’s good for comparing phrases and places.

Where can I see what people searched to find my profile? In your Business Profile performance data, under Searches. Google says it updates at the start of each month and is only available for verified profiles.

Do people ask AI tools for local businesses? Some do. AI tools draw on public information like websites, listings, and reviews, so clear pages in customers’ own words give them better material (see 19.13.1 How AI Tools Choose Sources).

Audit check

• Question: Does the business have a phrase list built from real customer words and data, and are those phrases used in its profile services and website headings?
• Pass looks like: A phrase list with sources. Trends comparisons saved. Main phrases used in GBP services, description, and page titles. Profile search terms reviewed each month once live.
• Fail looks like: Trade jargon everywhere. Keywords stuffed into the business name. Trends treated as search counts. No review of real search terms.
• Evidence to collect: The phrase list, Trends screenshots, local search screenshots, and profile Searches screenshots.

Where this fits

Do this first: 7.3.1 Customer Interviews, 7.3.6 Buying Triggers

Do this next: 7.4.1 Market Size

Related pages: 14.1.7 Services, 14.1.8 Categories, 14.9.8 Performance Data, 19.1 Keyword Research, 19.4.1 Page Titles, 19.13.1 How AI Tools Choose Sources, 13.4.2 Service Pages

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help, "Understand your Business Profile performance and insights" (checked October 16, 2026)
• Google Trends Help, "FAQ about Google Trends data" (checked October 16, 2026)
• Google Business Profile Help, "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google" (checked October 16, 2026)
• Google Business Profile Help, "Guidelines for representing your business on Google" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.