How Do You Do Keyword Research for a Local Small Business?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

Keyword research is writing down the exact words your customers use when they search, then deciding which ones deserve a page. For a local business, collect four kinds of terms: how customers describe their problem, your service names, the places you serve, and common questions. Sort each by what the searcher wants, then rank them by relevance, demand, competition, and how much the work is worth to you.

Why it matters

If you write pages using your own trade words and customers search using different words, they won’t find you. A roofer may say “roof replacement,” while homeowners search “roof leaking after storm.” Keyword research closes that gap.

It also keeps you from wasting time. Without a list, it’s easy to write about topics nobody searches for, or to chase searches that bring in jobs you don’t want. Google’s own guidance warns against content made mainly to attract search visits. Good keyword research is about matching real people’s needs, not stuffing words into pages.

19.1.1 Customer language

What it means: The words customers use to describe their problem, before they know what service they need.

How to do it: Write down phrases from phone calls, emails, reviews, and customer interviews (see 7.3.1 Customer Interviews). Look at Google’s autocomplete suggestions as you type a problem. Google says those predictions come from real searches. Check the search terms in your Google Business Profile (GBP) Performance report (see 14.9.8 Performance Data). For a house cleaner, this might be “house cleaning before moving out” or “deep clean after renters.”

Common mistake: Writing only in industry jargon. Customers say “air conditioner blowing warm air,” not “refrigerant recharge.”

19.1.2 Service terms

What it means: The searches for each core service you sell.

How to do it: List each service from your Master Business Record. For each one, write the plain name and the common versions people search. “Drain cleaning,” “clogged drain,” and “drain snaking” may all point to the same service. Google Keyword Planner shows estimated monthly searches. Google says it’s free, but you need a Google Ads account, and its help page says you must enter billing information to use the basic features. Bing Webmaster Tools also has a free keyword research tool.

Common mistake: Chasing services you don’t offer or don’t want more of, just because they’re searched often.

19.1.3 Location terms

What it means: Searches that include a place, like a city, neighborhood, or “near me.”

How to do it: List the cities and areas you actually serve (see 7.7 Define the Service Area and 14.1.3 Service Area). Pair your main services with those places and check which combinations show up in your tools. Note that Google says it uses distance in local results, so “near me” searches depend more on your location and Google Business Profile than on a page title.

Common mistake: Targeting towns you don’t really serve. Google’s spam policies treat many near-identical city pages that funnel people to one page as doorway abuse, and lists of city names stuffed into text count as keyword stuffing.

19.1.4 Question terms

What it means: Questions customers ask before they buy, like “how much does a new water heater cost” or “how often should I service my furnace.”

How to do it: Collect questions from calls, emails, and the front desk. Look at autocomplete and related searches on Google and Bing. Write each one in the customer’s words. These often become answers in a questions section or helpful articles (see 19.9 Writing Answer-First Content).

Common mistake: Answering questions your customers never ask because a tool listed them.

19.1.5 Intent

What it means: What the searcher wants to do. Sort each term into one of five kinds:

Informational: wants to learn (“why is my faucet dripping”)
Comparison: weighing options (“tankless vs tank water heater”)
Local: wants a nearby business (“plumber in Boise”)
Transactional: ready to buy or book (“emergency plumber now”)
Support: already a customer and needs help (“reset my thermostat”)

How to do it: Add an intent column to your keyword sheet. Search the term yourself and look at what Google shows. If the results are articles, it’s informational. If they’re maps and business listings, it’s local.

Common mistake: Putting a “how to” topic on a sales page. People who want to learn bounce off a page that only says “call now.”

19.1.6 Priority

What it means: Deciding which terms get pages first.

How to do it: Score each term from 1 to 5 on four things: relevance (do you sell this?), demand (do people search it?), competition (how strong are the pages already ranking?), and business value (what’s a job worth to you?). Start with high relevance and high value, even if demand is modest. Recheck your list every few months against your Google Search Console Performance report, which shows the queries that brought people to your site along with clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position.

Common mistake: Ranking terms only by search volume. A low-volume term that brings a high-value job can beat a popular term that brings tire kickers.

When to get help from a pro

A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist: if you’re in a crowded market, serve many areas, or want help reading Search Console and Keyword Planner data. Questions to ask:

Which of my services have real search demand in my area?
Where am I already showing up in search but getting few clicks?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a gap you found between how a client described their service and how customers searched for it, or the one free tool you lean on most.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty builds websites around real local search terms.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: where I collected SiteSmarty’s customer language, which tools I used, and how I scored priorities]
[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: SiteSmarty’s keyword sheet and the Search Console Queries tab]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

What free tools can I use for keyword research? Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, Bing Webmaster Tools, Google autocomplete, and your Google Business Profile search terms.

Is Google Keyword Planner free? Google says it’s free, but you need a Google Ads account, and its help page says billing information is required for the basic features.

What is search intent? It’s what the searcher is trying to do: learn, compare, find a local business, buy, or get support.

How do I choose which keywords to target first? Pick terms that match services you want more of, that people actually search, that you can compete for, and that bring valuable work.

Should I add city names to my keywords? Only for places you really serve, and only on pages with real local content. Don’t stuff lists of cities into text.

Audit check

Line	Question	Pass looks like	Fail looks like	Evidence to collect
19.1.1 Customer language	Did the business record how customers describe their problem?	A list of phrases taken from calls, reviews, and interviews	Only trade jargon, or no list	Keyword sheet with source notes
19.1.2 Service terms	Does each core service have its search terms listed?	Each service has 2 or more real search versions	Services missing, or terms for services not offered	Keyword sheet service tab
19.1.3 Location terms	Are location terms limited to real service areas?	Only places the business serves	Towns it doesn’t serve, stuffed city lists	Keyword sheet and service area record
19.1.4 Question terms	Are common customer questions recorded?	Questions in customer words, with source	No questions, or tool-only lists	Question list
19.1.5 Intent	Is each term labeled by intent?	Every term has one of five intent labels	No intent column, sales pages for learning searches	Keyword sheet intent column
19.1.6 Priority	Are terms ranked by relevance, demand, competition, and value?	Scores on all four, reviewed in the last 6 months	Ranked by volume only, never reviewed	Scored sheet with review date

Where this fits

Do this first: 7.1.4 Ideal Customer, 7.3.8 Search Behavior, 7.7 Define the Service Area, 7.1.2 Core Offer

Do this next: 19.2 Content Strategy

Sources

Google Ads Help, "Use Keyword Planner" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google, "Keyword Planner" (checked October 16, 2026)
Search Console Help, "Performance report (Search results): Overview and basic setup" (checked October 16, 2026)
Trends Help, "FAQ about Google Trends data" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Help, "How Google autocomplete predictions work" (checked October 16, 2026)
Bing Webmaster Blog, "Start Using Bing Webmaster Tools to Improve Your Site Visibility" (June 2025) (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "Spam policies for Google web search" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content" (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.