Simple Guide to Local SEO Keyword Research for Beginners

Simple Guide to Local SEO Keyword Research for Beginners

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Sayed Hasan

Technical SEO Consultant

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Local SEO keyword research determines the specific words and phrases searched for by potential customers within your geographical area for your business. 

This is done to adopt appropriate editorial measures and marketing strategies for their local audience. 

It helps improve the site’s search ranking and converts traffic into customers.

In this case, however, we will define what local SEO keyword research is and how to do it step by step, what tools can help in this task, and what the best practices are.

What Is Local SEO Keyword Research?

Local SEO keyword research holds the key to the success of the local SEO process, to be specific, defining the local marketing focus of a business.

For this purpose, it determines the search phrases that people or companies use to search for goods or services in a specific location.

Local SEO Keyword Research 0101

These “local keywords” also cover terms relating to a certain area and are important in ensuring that your website shows up in searches where business within the vicinity is being sought.

Local keyword research examines the queries people in the targeted geography are searching for and the amount of competition available for these queries.

Those keywords should then be used in site or blog content, meta tags, and more to raise the ranking of local search results.

Explicit Vs Implicit Local Keywords

Comparison of explicit and implicit local keywords.

Local SEO can be defined as incorporating explicit and implicit local keywords into business web pages to be visible in certain local areas. Here’s a breakdown of each type:

Explicit Local Keyword

Explicit local keywords of geo schools are the keywords that contain clear geographical identifiers. So, the user’s search in such a case is very obviously location-based. The words often include names of particular cities, localities, or regions. They assist businesses in reaching out to search queries that are localized to Certain geographical areas.

Example: “list of top sushi restaurants in New York” considers the phrase “New York” as the request in search at the end of the sentence will be confined to that area only. Another example is “Plumbers in Miami Beach,” which focuses on how desirable this location is for your business.

Explicit Local Keyword

Implicit Local Keyword

Implicit local keywords are, however, devoid of any location but devote their research to indicate where the context of the input given very much suggests a local intent. They are keywords that depend on the search engines to know that the search made by the user is localized, even if the user does not declare any area.

Example: “good top florists” does not include the name of a place; however, it implies that the person is looking for top florists in proximity. This is also the case for “best Italian food.” That can also be an implicit local search in which the user ready to order Italian food does not mention the region but looks for an Italian scope.

Implicit Local Keyword

As we comprehend the importance of local SEO strategy, it is also necessary to note the role of both the explicit and implicit keywords in having a complete local SEO plan that ensures most businesses are visible in the searches, with and without the location information.

Benefits Of Local SEO Keyword Research

Benefits of local SEO keyword research infographic.

Local SEO keyword research is crucial to the success of some organizations that want to enhance their reach in a particular locality. The following are seven key benefits of local SEO keyword research that any business should take advantage of:

Enhanced Search Visibility

One of the straightforward advantages of local SEO keyword research is optimizing the target audience’s search queries in local searches. 

Since 46% of all Google searches are done with a locality in mind, companies and other entities that actively optimize their content for suited local keyword phrases stand to benefit a lot. 

It helps businesses determine the search queries that prospects will make when searching for specific services or products in their area. 

By concentrating on such query words, they can rank better than opponents in the SERPs and, in the case of Google’s local pack, which is key for every establishment.

Increased Number of Visitors

An effectively executed local SEO plan may result in increased website traffic. Local searches are responsible for 22.26% of all traffic referrals; therefore, this source of customers should be addressed. 

By utilizing local search terms, customers can be driven to the companies from the vicinity where products and services are being offered. 

The local traffic gained not only gives an immediate return in terms of sales but also optimizes the SEO of your website since more traffic attracts higher rankings by search engines such as Google.

Improved Conversion Figures

A good local SEO keyword research will inevitably lead to increased conversion rates. As high as 80% of mobilized searches are local, and it is estimated that 78% of local searches result in offline purchases. 

This is primarily because localized searches normally yield ready customers, people looking for the product or service instead of general information. For instance, a person typing in “best pizza places near me” is, in most cases, not scouting for information on his way to the restaurant. 

When used appropriately in writing, the local keywords lead to high conversion rates as those customers, even in brick-and-mortar purchases, have high tendencies to purchase goods.

Ascend in Local Participation

Integrating local keywords in the website, the blogs, and the metadata encourages audience retention from the local population. 

According to Google, “near me” searches are followed by 76% of customers visiting the business the next day, while 88% of those who did such searches will visit the store within a week. 

Companies can take advantage of this participation by concentrating on area-specific terminologies. 

Adding location-specific keywords, like the city’s name or neighborhood, increases the probability of being found by local customers searching for related products and services.

Strengthened Voice Search Optimization

Using voice search features for local SEO is becoming more prevalent in practices. Company reasons are changing since, as studies prove, 58% of consumers use voice search queries to ask about business places in their vicinity. 

Longer and more conversational language is used in voice searches to make the keyword optimization criteria more inclusive of long phrases.

It was also found that a local voice search is three times more likely than a text search, hence the need for optimization in two aspects. 

A focus on voice-related local keywords helps businesses come up with searches for services around them that involve voice search.

Generated Highest Returns on Local SEO Campaigns

Putting money into local SEO will warrant significant returns on investment. Reports show that 40% of specific local SEO strategies attract more than 500% return. This impressive figure is because local keyword research focuses more on particular demographics. 

By narrowing down on specific geographical terms businesses use, they can strategically target marketing, such as those near a specific service or good, and move into making a purchase. 

The closure rate for local SEO leads is also more or less 15%, which is very appealing for companies aiming to expand their client base within their operational regions.

Impact on Reviews and Google Business Profile

A strong localized SEO keyword research strategy not only brings in search rankings and traffic but also maximizes the use of online reviews and your Google Business Profile. 

Studies reveal that 9 out of 10 local businesses know how local reviews can affect search results. This applies to the mood in Google Business Profile and the consumers’ positive mood, suggesting more reviews. 

This is important as having an optimized Google Business Profile enables one to appear more frequently in the local pack and Google Maps, enhancing the chances of being found by customers.

How To Do Local SEO Keyword Research?

Steps for local SEO keyword research.

Here’s the step by step process to do keyword reseach for local SEO:

1. Make a List of All the Services You Provide

Enumerating any service your business provides is a good starting point in your local SEO keyword research. When describing and looking for these services online, you must consider the alternative language customers use. 

Each of these services needs to have a description since that will make it easier to develop suitable keywords for every service.

For instance, in the case of a bakery, the services included in the list could include wedding cakes, custom cupcakes, and catering. 

After a complete list of all the items and all the services that make a bulwark has been prepared, it will be possible to develop a core plan for searching topical queries that are more likely to be used by the business audience. 

The more detailed the list is, the more effective the program will attract clients empowered by specific services.

2. Find Local Keywords That Will Be of Use

At this point, you can look for pertinent local keywords relating to the list of services you’ve established. Identify local keywords through Priority Region Keywords, such as SEMrush, which performs keyword evaluation by looking for search behavior patterns, average monthly searches, and keyword trends. 

Local SEO Keyword Research

Input one of your core service-related terms and accompanying website into the tool; it will give you core data relative to your business. The tool will provide a long list of keywords relevant to websites like yours in the general vicinity for people’s services.

Local SEO Keyword Research

Use filters to ensure that you are left with only geo-modified keywords. Use place names as geographic modifiers for your seed keywords. 

For instance, if you offer plumbing services in Dallas, use terms like ‘plumber in Dallas ‘or ‘Dallas plumbing services’ search. These are so-called explicit local keywords that contain pointers to locations while searching. 

Also, use implicit local keywords, which do not include local characteristics in the keywords but target local clients like”plumbing services dallas” when searched from Dallas.

Keywords Details

Look at the listed keywords and choose only competitive yet attainable ones that attract a lot of traffic. 

Most aggressive computer programs focusing on search engines offer Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD) as one of the metrics, which can be used to determine the degree of competition regarding the given keyword and one’s website authority. 

Try to concentrate on keywords with a lower PKD percentage and a higher number of searches, as this targets more and higher ranking keywords.

Keywords Difficulty

Once you have filtered and evaluated target keywords, primary store assets will be created and saved as a local SEO keyword list. You will use these later to optimize the website’s content, titles, and meta descriptions to enhance the chances of appearing in local searches.

3. Measure the Local KPIs

After generating a list of possible local keywords, the next step is to measure each one’s KPIs to determine which ones should be pursued. First things first, begin by selecting the keywords you would have a greater chance of ranking for in your target areas. These will give you the quickest wins in terms of local SEO.

Keyword Overview

If you wish to measure or test such keywords, you may use SEMrush’s Keyword Overview tool. Type in the query, select the region to target, and click Search. 

A local search can yield insights like search volume, competition, and keyword difficulty.

Search volume and keyword difficulty

As you analyze your keywords, analyze the search volume and difficulty. Go for those that are moderately difficult to rank on but command a higher search volume in the local markets. Low-competition keywords with moderate traffic potential can help you maximize your SEO efforts.

If any of the words you have saved do not have a high volume of searches or are irrelevant to any of the target regions, those words should be deleted from your list. 

Deliberate the words you would call and do them ineffectively; why bother ‘wasting your time and resources on a term where your contribution provides the least value?

4. Research Your Competitors’ Keywords

Learning your competitors’ keywords helps you search for gaps in your local SEO and craft a proper strategy. For example, if you own a plumbing company in Dallas, searching for Dallas plumbing services will show you the key online players in this market.

Find Your Competitors

First, get the competitor keyword for the terms you want to know and type them into the search engine. 

In turn, businesses such as Dallas Plumbing Experts and Plumbing Solutions of Dallas ranked for the keyword you typed in. 

You can do a comparative analysis with their competitors, especially concerning the services and internet presence.

Using SEMrush tools will also help improve your analysis further. For this purpose, begin with the Domain Overview tool:

  1. Type in the address of your website.
  2. Pick the appropriate country and hit the “Search” button. If your plumbing business runs local-specific service pages, look for URLs like your website.com/services/dallas.
  3. Change the “Subfolder” to “Exact URL” and go back to “Search.”
  4. Concentrate on local competitors.

Among the results, you would find a section titled Main Organic Competitors.

Main Organic Competitors

Heed the domains highlighted as businesses likely to be competitors within your market area. This section lets you see the detailed reports of specialized keyword analytic tools that must be archived.

Competitors Keyword Research

Then, the Keyword Magic tool will help you find the same level of keywords your opponents hold while your site is not. You must input your URL and up to four competitor URLs, making sure you use specific links. After this, select your target location and click ‘Compare.’

Change from the ‘Desktop’ results to the ‘Mobile’ results, as most searches are local searches done through mobile devices. 

Go to Position > Competitors > Top 10 to identify the keywords your competitors are already winning on, and add filters if necessary.

Most importantly, you should refrain from using the competitors’ names in your keyword strategy except in one or a few cases. With the help of the “Advanced filters” feature, you may do so without using these brand names in your search.

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Last, use the location-specific keywords you collected earlier to perform a search with an explicit local aspect. Tick ‘set fields’ to ‘Include,’ ‘keyword,’ and ‘Containing’ to your desired keywords.

Finding Competitor’s Keywords

You will also find keywords in the “Untapped” tab, through which you have not launched any marketing campaigns, but competitors have been using this keyword efficiently. Look through all the keywords available for each term and include businesses that would maximize the keyword’s relevance based on your competitive nature on the market. 

5. Track & Map Your Local Keywords

As an enhancement of your local SEO approach, tracking and mapping your local keywords is fundamental. It allows you to determine the changes in market engagement strategy based on the period in which specific keywords perform.

First, identify a good keyword tracking tool such as SEMrush, Moz, or Ahrefs to track your local keywords. These tools are designed to enter your geographical focus and observe their positions. 

You can create a project after entering the specified keywords in the tool. Use keywords from the previous pages, and don’t forget to include those geared towards your specific location, e.g., plumbing services in Dallas best coffee shop in Fort Worth.

This will mark a start for those keywords to be checked against. Most of these tools are equipped with features that present data in charts on the performance of given keywords to monitor their changes over a given period. Such information can decide which words are still relevant and would be profitable with content creation and which may be abandoned.

Map Your Local Keywords

Mapping local keywords means identifying the specific geographical areas where your keywords are targeted. For example, you may want to know the difference between “Dallas plumbing services” and “plumbing services in Fort Worth”. Local intent keywords help better consolidate content and the search engine optimization efforts on local searches.

Track Your Local Keywords

A better approach would be to design a keyboard tracking Excel or other natural mapping tools to improve. In your spreadsheet, include:

  • The keyword.
  • Current ranking of the keyword.
  • Search volume of the keyword.
  • Keyword difficulty volume.
  • Difference in rank.
  • It’s SEO before the changes.

This will help you clarify which areas are effective and which are underperforming.

Analyze and review your keyword strategy diligently, and update it after about three months. 

If some keywords are static, omitting the performance they were assigned to, it’s time to look again at the content strategy and, more likely than not, the on-page strategy to embed some deserving color.

Keywords Position Tracking

In addition, monitoring local keywords will help you understand the seasonal pattern. For example, it may occur to you that “air conditioning repair in Dallas” smells better is a popular search in summer. It is likely to look for such content in summer and prepare for changes to the content or activities during summer.

Keywords For Multiple Locations: Towards An Efficient Approach

Map with pins and local SEO keywords.

When local keyword research is required for multiple locations, the best approach is to be as efficient as possible. In this case, the whole research procedure should be separate for every site; instead, utilize practices that pinpoint each site that is administrated on your site.

For more localized SEO, mentioning every site on the contact page could benefit businesses with only a few sites.

This not only enables the users to easily access information that is actually useful but also increases the relevancy of the sights to the local users.

For example, a sandwich shop in a particular area will always have all the branches of the location listed in a single section.

When online users tend to do direct searches like ‘best sandwich shop downtown,’ it is possible for even the main page to show and, therefore, have all locations competing without creating keyword research.

If your business covers several locations and has a wider presence online, consider having separate landing pages for each storefront. This strategy enables you to rank for keyword phrases related to physical locations even better.

For example, an accounting firm may create location-based landing pages for each city with an operational presence, such as “Accounting Services in Dallas” or “Dallas Tax 

Preparation.” Each page can target some applicable local keywords unique to that region and offer relevant content to that region’s market.

You must also ensure that every landing page has local details like the address, telephone number, and a map. Any client testimonials or referring to local events may also add value to every page.

Each of those pages may benefit from applying local schema markup, too. In general, schema markup gives search engines information about the business’s geographical nature, enhancing ranking for local searches.

These tactics will help you perform well even when dealing with local keyword research for multiple physical locations, ensuring that every site gets the treatment it needs for optimum local SEO performance.

Local SEO Keyword Research: Alternative Strategies

Local SEO keyword research strategies infographic.

While local SEO keyword research is important for gaining localization leads, other strategies can be used to boost your exposure within the relevant target market. Here are two strategies that work well for that purpose.

Launch A Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing Campaign.

Some social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, allow one to run ads that are quite important in reaching local audiences. 

Social media advertising is a significant departure from traditional keyword-based advertising, where the targeting is done based on user preferences and geographic location. 

For example, if you own a fitness studio somewhere in Miami, you can run ads to women in that area who are above the age of twenty-five.

Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing campaign

With good pictures and sound promotional items, one can advertise these local activities, limited-time discounts, and sale of club memberships. 

Other informative content, such as success stories from the clients, can generate trust and spur conversion to interested parties. 

Furthermore, you can generate potential leads interested in your products/ services by using appropriate hashtags and actively participating in your community on social media.

Verify Your Company’s Listing On Google My Business

These types of partnerships can be highly beneficial for the firm in the external marketing of its services. 

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I’ll use a catering service collaborating with a wedding venue as an example. This way, on the other hand, the company will market its business to the other partner’s customer base and vice versa.

Another method of inviting the local target audience is using the events as advertising. For instance, a yoga school can offer a free class and a nutrition workshop in cooperation with the adjacent organic food shop. 

This brings residents who might be inclined to both businesses, increasing the brand’s visibility and lead generation.

Adopting these approaches expands the frontiers for businesses and provides the market for local customers without restricting them to the normal sweet spot keyword search techniques. 

Many of these methods can be incorporated into a local SEO strategy to further enhance the advancement of traffic and conversions.

Top Keyword Research Tools For Local SEO

Keyword research tools for local SEO.

There is proper and effective local SEO keyword research for businesses that operate within specific growing geographic regions. To help make this easier, several tools provide excellent insights and data. Here are the six best local SEO keyword research tools that will give your strategies a facelift:

1. SEMrush

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SEMrush is an all-in-one SEO tool for professionals who specialize in keyword search. 

You can search for local keywords and find out how many people are searching for that keyword and how much competition is for that keyword through their large database.

If you input a seed keyword relevant to your business, SEMRush will list long tail keywords, considering local preference. 

And even what competitor keywords they used to help find such keyword-targeting opportunities you are not covering.

Its name suggests that the “Keyword Magic Tool” should be the best tool for searching keywords for local SEO as it has a location segmentation option.

2. Google Keyword Planner

Google keyword planner Logo

Google Keyword Planner is one of Google’s tools, and it is completely free and useful for all people interested in SEO. 

It allows you to conduct a keyword search based on your business and see such metrics as average monthly searches, competition level, bid prices, and estimates for Pay per click. 

You can also do this by choosing a seed keyword, specifying the location, and finding what local customers are searching for. 

It also offers a variety of keyword suggestions related to your primary keyword to help broaden your keyword list.

3. Ahrefs

ahrefs logo

Ahrefs is another excellent tool that possesses powerful keyword research features. It is easy to find local keywords based on the target market with Ahrefs because of its comprehensive database. 

Keyword Explorer not only displays this word’s volumetric index but also the keyword’s complexity and the percentage of clicks. 

In addition, with Ahrefs, one can find out what keywords rivals enjoy and what websites rank for them, allowing one to see the local market opportunities they may have missed. 

This tool is particularly handy for companies with multiple premises because of its location-targeting features.

4. Moz Keyword Explorer

MOZ

The Moz Keyword Explorer is suited to this bait since it’s easy to use and provides such efficient keyword analysis. It shows monthly search volume, rivalry, and a possible organic CTR.

You can also search for local keywords by entering a keyword using the given parameters. Moz also gives out ‘Related Suggestions,’ which you can use to heat your imagination on the other keywords you should focus on.

One of its most notable aspects is the ‘Priority’ score, which tells you which keywords are more important or more competitive than others by giving a traffic versus competitive rate.

5. Ubersuggest

All about Ubersuggest and how to deploy it within SEO✴️

Neil Patel owns Ubersuggest, which provides useful features for web analytics and local SEO but is free of charge. 

It helps generate related keywords, beating those that need far too high search engine optimization efforts—the metrics include search volume and the metrics. 

Such a tool also suggests ideas concerning your visitors based on keywords used most frequently and the associated trends, which will inform what goes into content marketing. 

Sightsimple and straightforward: Nyssa chose Ubersuggest for a quick keyword search that would prove helpful in ideation.

6. Google Trends

Google Trends: A Beginner's Guide | StudioHawk

When was the Last Time Google Trends Was Used? Quite rarely! Therefore, this is one of the most underrated tools. You can find out how the interest in search queries has changed during a specific period.

You can type in a keyword and narrow it down by place to see how that keyword’s popularity has changed in that area over time. 

This is useful for you to spot seasonal changes in the level of interest in specific queries and modify your approach when targeting keywords for your region. 

In addition, Google Trends will also allow you to analyze even the smallest rising issues.

Final Words

Finding the right local SEO keywords is very important for businesses willing to improve their online visibility and get, if not customers, at least local traffic.

To achieve that, you have to be familiar with the particular pain points of your target audience, as well as correct as well as correct tools that work. 

Whether you are a business owner or marketer, these strategies will enhance your performance in the local niche markets. 

Keep in mind proper local SEO is possessed by continuous reviews. Begin your journey today, and as you reach out to your local market, you will witness a surge in your business.

FAQs

What are local keywords?

Local keywords are search phrases that include geographical indicators relevant to a specific location. For example, “best pizza in New York” or “plumber in Los Angeles” help target local customers and improve visibility in local search results.

How can local SEO keyword research impact my business?

Effective local SEO keyword research enhances your online visibility in local searches, leading to higher website traffic, increased foot traffic to your physical location, and, ultimately, more conversions. It helps attract customers searching for your products or services in their immediate area.

Do I need to focus only on local keywords?

While local keywords are crucial for businesses targeting specific geographic areas, incorporating a mix of local and general keywords can broaden your reach. This dual approach can help capture customers who may not be explicitly searching for local options but could still be interested in your offerings.

How often should I update my local keywords?

Regularly reviewing and updating your local keywords is essential, as search trends and consumer behaviors can change over time. Aim to revisit your keyword strategy every few months to remain relevant in your local market.

Can I use online tools for local SEO keyword research?

Various online tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs, can help you identify relevant local keywords. These tools provide valuable insights to aid your research, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitive analysis.

Is local SEO keyword research different for mobile users?

Yes, local SEO keyword research for mobile users may require a focus on more conversational phrases, as many users rely on voice search. Optimizing for words like “restaurants near me” or “coffee shops open now” can improve visibility in mobile search results.

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