Local keyword research is an integral part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as it relates to the process of finding what people are looking for on search engines. It also involves tailoring the research to the local areas in which you operate.
In short, the goal is to find localized keywords that will drive targeted local traffic to your website, a tedious process, it’s pretty simple and incredibly useful. To break it down into digestible nuggets, doing local keyword research allows you to develop an accurate understanding of what your target audience is looking for when looking for the services and products you offer.
This is extremely important for business owners who have a ingrained desire to expand their reach in specific geographic areas.
Now that it is explained in a little more detail, it may seem fine and noble. However, a big question remains, how do you conduct local keyword research effectively?
In this article, we’re going to dive into the depths of local keyword research and everything you need to know about it to make it work for your business.
WHY FINDING LOCAL KEYWORDS MATTERS
Let’s face it, many of us have asked ourselves this question before. Essentially, doing local keyword research is important as it will give you useful insight into the words people use on search engines when looking for business products or services that might be right for your business.
After entering these keywords, Google or other search engines will show you websites which it considers to be the best solutions. Simply put, you want your website to appear at the very top.
People may wonder if it is possible to guess which keywords are the best, but frankly this is a disaster awaiting local SEO trends.
Since this can have a huge impact on your business, it is in your best interest to dig in-depth with local keyword research. Now that you’ve found the top keywords your target audience is looking for, it’s time to include them in your website text.
Once you do, you will see an increase in your rankings and website traffic while generating regular sales over many years.
HOW TO DO LOCAL KEYWORD RESEARCH
Local SEO is an important part of keyword research
It can be difficult to pinpoint all of the keywords that your business can rank for as there are many that can be associated with the products and services you offer, luckily we’ve put together five easy steps to help you create one Must research to follow local keywords.
Step 1. Make a list of all the services you offer
Let’s start by identifying the type of products and services your business provides to its customers. In order to do this effectively, we recommend:
1. Brainstorming and thinking
Start by brainstorming and writing down every single product and / or service your company offers and make sure you don’t leave anything out!
Most of the time, the type of services you offer are broader than you initially think.
For example, an SEO agency can prioritize SEO, but also offer digital marketing strategies, website design optimization and support for Google ads.
Same thing, if you work for another company make sure you get a full and complete list of products and services.
2. Push the research further
Local keyword research is very important for SEO
Brainstorming is necessary, but identifying the local keywords that will help you get on the first page of Google or any other search engine is rarely enough.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when you think about all of the relevant keywords that people are looking for when looking for the product or service you have provided.
To summarize, do the following and you’ll get a pretty good idea of the related keywords that you need to target.
- Enter your ideas in Google bar
- Select your region
- Look at the related words and sentences that come up
- Refine your list
Once you find the local keywords, check them out yourself, with your team, or with the company you work for to make sure you have the most accurate and appropriate keywords.
This part is incredibly important so it’s best not to rush it!
Instead, use all of the time it takes to build a strong platform to start with that has relevant and effective keywords that will keep your ranking , Drive up your traffic and sales.
Step 2. Look for local intent
Local intent refers to any query in which the user is looking for a local result only. For example, someone who lives in Brighton and is looking for a social media agency in London is still performing a search query with local intent.
The main goal with local SEO is to rank high for certain keywords in the region you are targeting. Because of this, you want to target people in your target area who are specifically looking for local businesses that offer the product or service you want.
You may be wondering how to effectively measure local intent. We’ll cover you.
Essentially, there are two ways to look for local keywords depending on where you and your business are located:
If you live in the same area where you offer your services, the easy way to rate local keywords is to search for your services on Google. In this case, it’s easy to identify the intent as Google will automatically use your location to personalize your search. To identify local keywords, review the information on the card package and identify the local businesses that rank organically on the search engine results page.
If you live outside of the region where the business is located, use Google’s ad preview tool to see a results page from a local search engine.
To do this, enter the search term for your services in Google’s ad preview tool, choose a location and click Search. Find the keywords that local businesses rank well for and analyze the card package.
To attract customers in a specific area and catapult your sales, local SEO and local keyword research is the way to go.
Step 3. Analyze search volumes
The majority of SEO tools available are high in volume, which makes it difficult to get accurate search volumes for local keywords.
The truth is, search volume isn’t critical to your local SEO success. Since you work in a very specific area and address it specifically, there may not be a large influx of visitors.
However, it’s still important to identify the local keywords you need and get your page ranked as high in search results as possible to make sure it gets visible to the people you’re trying to reach.
So how can you find the local search volume? Nice that you asked.
When it comes to local keywords, you can either find volumes for implicit or explicit keywords:
1. Finding search volume for implicit keywords
Implicit keywords refer to the keywords people use to find local results without mentioning the location. Example: marketing agency.
The problem with implicit keywords is that when you check search volume with a keyword research tool, the results do not reflect your target region.
Below is the process to check the volume of implicit local keywords in the location of your choice using Google Keyword Planner:
- On Google Keyword Planner, click on get search volume and forecast
- Type your implicit keywords and services
- Type the location you wish to target
Google Keyword Planner is one of the best tools to evaluate the search traffic of implicit keywords, so ensure you use it wisely!
2. Finding search volume for explicit keywords
Explicit local keywords refer to research where the users specifically indicate the location they are looking for when browsing for specific products or services. For example: Marketing agency in Singapore.
In this case, the keywords are pretty simple and already have local intent.
Thus, it is best to use a keyword research tool to check the search volumes of your local keywords.
Step 4. Group and map keywords to URLs
It’s important to note that local keyword research isn’t limited to just finding keywords. It’s also about understanding your target audience searching for these terms and the ideal ways to target those keywords so that they can see your product or service.
Realistically, your homepage will not be among the top sites for every product or service you offer. Because of this, it’s important to create separate pages for each product or service.
While this may sound like a long and tedious process, take a step back and consider which products or services will be most useful to your visitors. Once you have that in mind, you need to create different pages tailored for that particular product or service.
Step 5. Find other things to mention
While it’s tempting to include as many keywords as possible in your content, the truth is, it’s going to do more harm than good.
This is because keyword stuffing is a form of black hat SEO that results in your website being penalized by Google and other search engines.
Instead, it’s beneficial to find things that are relevant and useful to your audience. For e
If you are struggling to find things to mention, use the following as a guideline:
- Check how keywords are ranking on similar pages
- Analyze the top-ranking page and their content
- Check for common questions that your target audience is asking in the People also ask Google section.
- Finally, tracking keyword performance on a consistent basis is crucial to continually improve your ranking.
WHAT IF I NEED TO TARGET MULTIPLE LOCATIONS?
Targeting multiple locations through SEO and keyword research
If you have your product or service in multiple locations, don’t worry. You don’t have to do everything from scratch. Just add your locations and business details on your contact page or create a specific landing page for each location.
LOCAL KEYWORD RESEARCH FOR BLOGS
In all fairness, blog posts are highly unlikely to bring a lot of business to you. This is simply because the keywords that blogs rank well for rarely have local intent.
If you want to attract customers from your local area, your main focus should be on your website rather than writing blog content.
THE KEY-WORD TO SUCCESS
Local keyword research is one of the best ways to target people near you and attract customers. Once you’ve found all of the keywords you want to target, it’s time to focus on your websites SEO. This may be a lot more complex, but the rewards are so cute as it can drive traffic to your website through the roof and catapult your sales to incredible new heights.
Should you require any support with local keyword research or SEO, or have further questions, please feel free to contact us.
