Guide Local Keyword Research in 2021

When you’re trying to attract visitors to your website, it’s essential to determine the proper keywords that people are using to pull up results. Keyword research is an integral part of all SEO strategies. It allows you to decide what phrases are going to bring in results (traffic, leads, or sales) instead of wasting time, energy, and valuable resources on keywords that just won’t perform.

For most businesses, having a local keyword strategy can make a significant difference when it comes to mobile search and location. Users will visit a search engine (most often, this is Google) and type an inquiry into the search bar. From there, Google will pull a list of results that match the search terms (or come close in some way). Adding a local keyword search creates a more specific functionality – it adds a particular location to the relevant search terms.

Why is Local Keyword Research Important?

Most users entering in local search inquiries are searching with direct intent. They want to take action, make a purchase, or find a service within their local area. For example, a user searching “sugar baby Houston” is likely looking for a website catering to that niche and city specifically. A company that knows the top local keywords is likely to land on top for search results, bringing higher website traffic and, ultimately, sales or revenue.

Google is also known for the personalized results when a user types in specific keywords. For example, if individuals type in “Greek restaurant,” they’ll see local restaurants in their city instead of general lists worldwide.

How to Find Specific Keywords for Your Industry

When identifying keywords, you’ll want to find items that focus on the correct terms for your specific business. Most businesses will target the most popular, high-volume keywords that aren’t entirely relevant to their website content in hopes of driving up traffic. Unfortunately, relevancy is a significant factor in Google’s ranking. Popular search terms are challenging to target; there’s considerable popularity and increased difficulty placing for them. On top of that, Google strongly considers relevancy when ranking a page. If your visitors quickly click away from the site (because the content isn’t relevant), you’ll likely be placed lower in the SERPS.

Choosing Local Keywords

One of the easiest ways to select your keywords is by thinking like a customer. Start by thinking of common words, phrases, or questions your customers have. They could be industry-specific terms, problems that typically arise within your niche, or other typical search terms you’d use to find your competition.

Once you have a list of keywords, you’ll want to think of different modifying words to change those search phrases. These modifiers can include words that describe the type of product, occasion used, service duration, or product quality. Popular keyword modifiers are “free,” “best,” “cheap,” or “affordable.” By simply adding these modifiers to your keywords, you’ll establish new phrases that are likely relevant and can improve your click-through rate.

Using Google to Generate Local Keywords

While millions of search results are performed every day, capitalizing on the recommended search is the easiest way to understand what your audience is looking to find. Simply type in an important keyword into the Google search bar. An automated list will form after this keyword, giving you a few popular keywords for your list. Select the first relevant option for your business and then scroll to the bottom of the page. You’ll see a section titled “recommended searches” with additional search options. Include those in your keywords too. Click the first option and repeat the subsequent steps until your search recommendations start duplicating.

How to Add Local Keywords into Your Campaign

Human nature is to search for a business close to them when making a purchase, particularly if the lead wants to buy physical goods. It’s essential to use this information and leverage it against the geographical location of your company. You’ll want to carefully consider the geographical area your business covers, target markets, and specific locations of your overall region.

One of the easiest ways to determine keywords is with a quick google search of the competition. After all, if you want to rank for a specific keyword, you’ll need to understand what holds the top position. Enter in a long-tail keyword in Google, avoiding local search functionality. From there, visit the top two or three companies to see how they’ve positioned their SEO. It may provide great insight into the search ranking as well as provide additional keywords you’ve forgotten.

What to include in your local keyword search

Include the overall countries your company services, starting with your business’s home country. If you cater to the United States, you can use different variations of the country name (for example, USA, US of A, United States, United States of America). You’ll also want to include any states you service as well. From there, you’ll want to document specific cities, areas, districts, regions, or unofficial titles of locations. For example, the Canadian city “Toronto” is a popular keyword. Consider breaking it down into specific neighborhoods or slang terminology (the SIX, for example).

Go through your list of keywords and add primary keywords to your target audience. These may seem obvious, but you’ll want to integrate all versions of the previously determined keywords with every specific location you’ve already established.

One example would be a gluten-free bakery in California. The keyword would be a bakery, and the location would be California.  From there, you’d need to add specific keywords from your original list. These keywords could include “gluten-free cookies California” or “best gluten-free bakery California.”

Choosing the Best Keywords for Your Website

One of the easiest ways to determine the best keywords for your website is with the local search terms. You’ll want to select keywords with the highest search volume available without deviating from your website’s content. In other words, the most popular, relevant keywords are your best choices moving forward. By turning your attention to local keywords (that is, adding popular keywords to local definitions you’ve chosen), you’ll be focusing the site with link building, social signals, and the addition of on-page SEO. The local keyword search should not replace your current SEO campaign but increase the overall relevance based on location proximity.