Are you looking to enhance your local online presence and attract more customers to your business?
Local SEO keyword research is a crucial step in getting your business noticed in local search results. Imagine a potential customer searching for the “best coffee shop near me,” and your business is the first one that pops up! That’s the power of effective local SEO.
In this guide you’ll find:
- Why local SEO keyword research is essential
- How to Perform Local Keyword Research Effectively
- How to do Local Keyword Research for Multiple Locations
- Top 3 Tools for Local Keywords Research (Free & Paid)
- How to Track Your Rankings
What is Local SEO Keyword Research?
Local SEO keyword research is all about finding the specific search terms that your potential customers are using when they’re looking for products or services in their local area.
These keywords aren’t just generic terms like “best bakery.” Instead, they’re more specific, often including a geographic component—think “best bakery in [Your Town]” or “croissants near [Neighborhood].” The goal here is to understand what phrases your local audience is typing into Google and then optimize your website’s content around those phrases.
Why is it Important?
Local SEO keyword research is important for 2 big reasons:
- It improves your visibility in local search results: If you’re using the right keywords, you’re more likely to show up in the coveted “Local Pack” on Google—the little map with the top three local businesses. When people are on their phones, looking for something nearby, they’re probably not scrolling past that map. If you can land yourself there, you’re golden.
- Targeting local keywords boosts your conversion rates: Why? Because you’re not just getting any traffic—you’re getting traffic that’s ready to take action. When someone searches for “best bakery near me,” they’re likely not doing it for fun. They want to find a bakery right now, and they’re probably going to buy something. By targeting these keywords, you’re putting yourself right in front of customers who are primed and ready to convert.
So, what’s the impact of all this on your local search rankings? Simply put, effective keyword research can make or break your visibility on search engines. If you’re using the wrong keywords, you might as well be invisible. But if you’ve done your homework and you’re using the right terms, you’re going to see a bump in your rankings.
How to Do Local SEO Keyword Research: 4 Steps
Let’s break local keyword research down step by step.
Step 1: Identify Industry Keywords & Locations
First things first, you need to brainstorm a list of keywords that represent your products or services. Think of it like this: what would your ideal customer type into Google if they were looking for what you offer?
If you’re running a bakery, keywords like “fresh bread,” “artisan pastries,” and “wedding cakes” should be at the top of your list. But don’t stop there! Think about synonyms and related terms—people might be searching for “gluten-free muffins” or even “gourmet cupcakes.” The more specific and relevant the keywords are, the better your chances of attracting customers who are genuinely interested in what you’re offering.
Next, it’s time to list your locations. You want to make sure you’re targeting your specific area—whether that’s a city, a neighborhood, or even a district. Don’t forget to include variations like “near me,” which is super popular in local searches. For instance, “bakery near me,” “best bakery in [Your City],” or even “fresh bread in [Neighborhood].” These variations can make a huge difference in how people find you when they’re craving a fresh croissant or a custom birthday cake.
Your list should look something like this:
Step 2: Use Keyword Modifiers & Search Intent
Search intent is all about understanding why someone is searching for something. Are they looking to buy something now, research their options, or just gather information? For local SEO, you want to focus on those “transactional” and “navigational” intents, where people are looking to take action—like visiting your store or booking a service.
Keyword modifiers are your best friends here and can help you find keywords with the right search intent.
For example, someone searching for “best wedding cakes near me” is likely ready to enter your store and make an order, while “affordable wedding cakes in [City]” suggests they’re price-conscious but still ready to act.
The key is to think about what your potential customers want and then match your keywords to those desires.
Here’s a quick list of common keyword modifiers for local SEO:
- Best: Implies top quality. Use it to attract customers looking for the best in the business.
- Top: Similar to “best,” but can sometimes attract a slightly broader audience.
- Near me/Nearby: Super important for local searches. It’s like telling Google, “Show me what’s close by.”
- Cheap/Affordable: Targets budget-conscious customers.
- [City]: Always a good idea to include your city or neighborhood to hone in on local traffic.
Match these keywords modifiers with your list of keywords + location.
When you use these modifiers, make sure they fit naturally into your content. Think about how people actually talk and search online—if it feels weird or forced, it probably is.
Step 3: Input Your List in a Keyword Research Tool
Alright, now that you’ve got your list of keywords and locations, it’s time to take things up a notch. Tools like Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or even Google’s Keyword Planner are fantastic for discovering keyword ideas, variations, and expansions.
Just drop your keywords into one of these tools, and it’ll generate a list that not only includes data for the keywords you entered but also offers suggestions for related keywords, complete with all the relevant data.
Here’s where it gets interesting: you can see the search volume (how many people are searching for that term) and keyword difficulty (KD). Search volume tells you how popular a keyword is—obviously, you want keywords that a lot of people are searching for. Keyword difficulty, on the other hand, measures how hard it will be to rank for that keyword. Ideally, you want high-volume, low-difficulty keywords.
Step 4: Analyzing Competitor Keywords
Finally, don’t forget to check out what your competitors are doing.
Tools like Ahrefs can show you what keywords your competitors are ranking for, which can spark some ideas for your own strategy. Are they using keywords you hadn’t considered? How are they structuring their content? What’s working for them that you could do even better?
What if you don’t have access to Ahrefs? You’ll have to manually check your competition and what they’re writing about.
Once you know what’s working for the competition, you can tailor your strategy to outshine them. Maybe you find a keyword they’re not targeting that you can capitalize on, or perhaps you see an opportunity to optimize your content better than they have.
How to Do Local SEO Keyword Research for Multiple Locations
If you’re managing multiple locations for a business (or helping clients do it), here are some strategies I’ve used to create location-specific keyword lists.
The first couple of steps are pretty similar to regular keyword research, just with a twist for multiple locations. Start by coming up with a list of keyword ideas that describe your products or services, then make a list of the locations you’re targeting.
Once you’ve got that, consider the search intent of your potential customers. What are they really trying to find? Combine a keyword modifier + keyword + location to cover all your bases. You’ll end up with a basic list that includes things like “dentist near me,” “teeth cleaning,” or “emergency dentist,” plus more refined options like “best dentist near me” or “affordable teeth cleaning service.”
Pro Tip: Don’t just throw the city name into every keyword—people don’t search like that, and it feels unnatural. Instead of spamming “dentist in Los Angeles” over and over, mix it up with neighborhood names like “Beverly Hills dentist” or “Hollywood dentist.” Searchers in different areas might use more specific terms based on where they live or work.
Once your keyword list is solid, plug it into a keyword research tool like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Google’s Keyword Planner. These tools will help you find even more keyword variations and provide useful data like search volume and difficulty. Ditch the ones with too low search volume or overly high difficulty, and now you’ve got a solid list of keywords ready to optimize your multi-location pages.
Related: How to do local SEO for multiple locations
Top 3 Tools for Local SEO Keyword Research (Free & Paid)
When it comes to local SEO, doing keyword research manually can be a nightmare. You might think you know what people are searching for in a specific area, but trust me, guessing won’t get you very far.
That’s where local SEO keyword research tools come in handy.
These tools help you identify what real users are typing into Google in your target locations. They also help you discover search volume, competition, and those golden long-tail keywords that can make or break your local SEO strategy.
Google Keyword Planner (Free Tool)
Google Keyword Planner is a staple in keyword research, and it’s completely free! While it’s primarily built for Google Ads, it’s incredibly useful for finding location-specific keywords. You can see keyword trends, competition, and related search terms by city or region, making it a must-have for anyone on a budget.
Ubersuggest (7-Day Free Trial)
Ubersuggest is a great starting point for those who want a solid local SEO tool without breaking the bank. It provides keyword ideas, search volume, and suggestions for local SEO opportunities. Although the free trial is limited, it’s enough to give you a feel for what local keywords are working in your area.
Ahrefs (Paid Tool)
Ahrefs is one of my go-to tools for in-depth SEO research. It provides detailed keyword data, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and what your competitors are ranking for. For local SEO, it allows you to track keyword performance across different locations and find keyword gaps you might not have thought of.
Related: Full Ahrefs Review
How to Track Local Keyword Rankings
There are a few ways you can track your rankings and overall website performance. You can go the free route with tools like Google Search Console, or if you want a deeper dive, there are paid options that provide more detailed insights. Each has its benefits, and it really depends on how much information you need.
Related: How to track rankings
Using Google Search Console
Google Search Console is one of those free tools that’s a no-brainer if you have a website. Once you’ve set it up (which is pretty straightforward), you can track which search queries are bringing traffic to your site. In Google Search Console, you’ll be able to monitor things like page indexing, which keywords are driving clicks, and your overall performance. You’ll also see how many clicks and impressions your site got for specific queries.
Now, in case you’re wondering, impressions are the number of times your website showed up in someone’s search results, even if they didn’t click on it. It gives you an idea of how often your pages are being seen, even if they’re not always clicked.
Using Rank Tracking Tools
Google Search Console is fantastic for basic tracking, but if you want more detailed insights, it’s worth considering a paid rank tracking tool. I’ve tried several over the years—some are amazing, and some are, well, not worth it.
BrightLocal is great for tracking local rankings specifically. What I like most is that it shows how you’re ranking in different areas—this is super helpful if you’ve got multiple locations or target different cities.
Ahrefs is another one I love, though it’s definitely on the pricier side. It’s not purely a local SEO tool, but with a little customization, you can track local keywords effectively. The keyword tracking is super detailed, and you get daily updates on ranking changes, which is perfect if you want to stay on top of things. Plus, the historical data is great for spotting trends over time.
How to Interpret Data and Adjust Strategies
Here’s where things get a little more complicated—getting all this data is one thing, but figuring out what to do with it? That’s the real challenge. Early on, I’d watch my rankings bounce around and get stressed, but I’ve learned that SEO is a long game. You need to look at the bigger picture and trends, not just a sudden drop on any random day.
Start by identifying local keywords that aren’t performing as well as you’d like. If you’ve been targeting something like “best bakery in [city],” but you’re not moving up in the rankings, it’s time to dig into the why. Are your competitors outshining you with more backlinks or better-optimized content? Maybe you need to adjust by adding more localized details, like mentioning nearby landmarks or community events.
And don’t overlook mobile rankings! A lot of local searches happen on mobile, and your mobile rankings can sometimes differ from desktop. If you’re noticing a big gap, it might be time to optimize your site for mobile users or focus on speeding up your load times.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start with local SEO as a beginner?
If you’re just starting out with local SEO, there are a few basics to get under your belt. First, make sure your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is fully optimized—this is crucial for local search. Then, focus on incorporating location-specific keywords into your content, titles, and meta descriptions. Don’t forget to gather reviews from customers and build local backlinks to improve your visibility.
Related: How to Optimize GMB
Can you do local keyword research for free?
Yep, you can definitely do local keyword research without spending a dime. One easy way is to type your main keyword into Google and check out the “People also search for” and related searches at the bottom of the results page. You’ll get tons of keyword ideas, but keep in mind, this method doesn’t provide metrics like search volume or keyword difficulty.
Another free tool you can use is Google Keyword Planner. It gives you plenty of keyword suggestions and provides average search volumes, so you’ll get an idea of how often people are searching for those terms.
How accurate is search volume data in SEO tools?
The accuracy of search volume data depends on the tool you’re using. Ahrefs, for example, is known for having pretty accurate search volume metrics, but it’s also one of the pricier options out there. On the flip side, free tools like Google Keyword Planner pull data directly from Google, so their numbers are solid, though they tend to offer ranges instead of exact figures.
