Local keyword research: a step-by-step guide for small businesses

Keyword research sounds technical, but for a local business it's really just finding out what your customers type into Google when they need you, and then making sure your website and Business Profile use those words clearly.

Get it right and you'll stop guessing what to put on your pages. You'll also discover services and questions you hadn't thought about.

How local searches are different

Local searches usually combine a service with a location signal:

• Explicit location: "boiler repair Woking", "vegan café Brighton", "nail salon Leeds city centre".
• Implicit location ("near me" or nothing): "emergency plumber", "barber near me". Google uses the searcher's location to decide what's local.
• Questions: "how much does a new consumer unit cost", "do I need planning permission for a garden room".

You can't control where the searcher is standing. You can make it crystal clear what you do and where you work, so Google can match you when the location fits.

Step 1: Brainstorm your "seed" list

Start with what you know. Spend 15 minutes writing down:

1. Every service you offer, in the words customers use, not trade jargon. Customers search "boiler not working", not "fault-finding on a combination boiler".
2. Problems customers come to you with: "leaking tap", "dead plug socket", "frizzy hair", "flat roof leaking".
3. Towns, villages and districts you serve (and want more work from).
4. Questions customers ask on the phone or in person. Ask your team too.

Example seed list for a mobile dog groomer (illustration only): dog grooming, mobile dog groomer, puppy first groom, dog nail clipping, hand stripping, cockapoo grooming, Reigate, Redhill, Horley.

Step 2: Expand with Google's free suggestions

Google shows you what people search for, for free:

• Autocomplete: start typing a seed phrase into Google and note the suggestions. Try adding letters ("dog grooming a…", "dog grooming b…") to reveal more.
• People also ask: the expandable questions in results. These are great for FAQ content.
• Related searches: at the bottom of the results page.
• The map pack: look at the categories and services that competing businesses list.

Do this in a private or incognito browser window so your own history doesn't skew results too much, and remember results are still influenced by your location.

Step 3: Check what's already working (Search Console)

If your website is already live, Google Search Console is your best keyword tool because it shows real searches that already show your site.

1. Open Performance → Search results.
2. Look at the Queries tab, sorted by impressions.
3. Look for phrases with lots of impressions but few clicks, or an average position between roughly 8 and 20. These are often your quickest wins: Google already associates you with them, but your page may not answer them clearly enough.

Bing Webmaster Tools offers similar search performance data for Bing.

Step 4: Gauge demand (roughly)

Search volumes for local phrases are often small, and that's fine: ten searches a month for "boiler installation Dorking" might be worth more than thousands of searches for a broad term.

Free and free-to-access options:

• Google Keyword Planner: part of Google Ads. You need a Google Ads account, but you don't have to run ads. Without active campaigns, volumes are typically shown as broad ranges (for example "10–100"). You can set the location to a specific town or region.
• Google Trends: shows relative interest over time and by region. Useful for seasonal businesses (boiler services in autumn, garden services in spring).

Treat all volume numbers as rough guides, not facts.

Step 5: Group keywords by intent and page

This is the step most people skip. Group your list by what the searcher wants, then assign one group per page:

Rules of thumb:

• One main topic per page. Don't make two pages compete for the same phrase.
• Close variations belong together. "Boiler repair" and "boiler repairs" don't need separate pages.
• Questions can live on service pages as FAQs, or become a guide if there's a lot to say.

Step 6: Use keywords naturally

Once each page has a target, use the phrase where it matters, in normal language:

• Page title (the blue link in Google): Boiler Repair in Guildford | Smith Plumbing.
• Main heading (H1): "Boiler repair in Guildford and nearby villages".
• Opening paragraph: say what you do and where, plainly.
• Subheadings: cover the related questions you found.
• Image descriptions (alt text): describe the photo honestly. "Engineer replacing a boiler pump in a kitchen in Godalming", not a list of keywords.
• Meta description: a short summary that encourages the click.

Don't repeat a phrase unnaturally. Google's spam policies specifically mention "keyword stuffing", and it reads badly to customers.

Step 7: Use the same language on your Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile should reflect your research too:

• Choose the primary category that matches your main keyword (for example, "Dog groomer").
• Add services using customers' words.
• Write your 750-character description naturally, mentioning your main services and areas.
• Use your keywords in posts where they fit naturally.

Never add keywords to your business name. That breaks Google's guidelines.

Step 8: Review every quarter

Search behaviour changes with the seasons and over time. Every three months:

• Check Search Console for new queries.
• Look for services customers ask about that you don't have a page for.
• Update pages that get impressions but few clicks (try a clearer title or a better answer).

A worked example (illustration only)

A café in a market town wants more weekday trade.

1. Seeds: café, coffee shop, breakfast, brunch, lunch, cake, dog friendly, the town name.
2. Autocomplete reveals: "dog friendly café [town]", "brunch [town]", "gluten free cake [town]".
3. Grouping: homepage targets "café in [town]"; a menu page targets "breakfast and brunch"; a page about dietary options targets "gluten free"; the Business Profile attributes include "dogs allowed" if true.
4. Result: each page has a clear purpose, and the café isn't guessing.

This is an illustration of the method, not a real business or a promise of results.

Sources

• Google Ads Help: About Keyword Planner
• Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
• Google Search Central: Influencing your title links in search results
• Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results)
• Google Trends: trends.google.com

This guide is general information, written to be accurate as of October 2026. Platforms and rules change, so check the official sources linked above. Examples are illustrations, not real businesses or results. Nobody, including BizBoost AI, can guarantee a ranking position on Google, Bing or Apple Maps.