5 effective techniques for conducting local keyword research

Why Is Local Keyword Research so Important?

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SEO keyword research has become paramount to a business that depends on local trade. Did you know that statistics show in 2022 that, 76 per cent of people that use their smartphone or Android to Google a product or service they require in their local area will visit at least one of the search results within 72 hours? 

It is similar to if you used ‘Local SEO services‘ to find this article or a similar search.  

Internet usage has been through the roof since the global pandemic. There are roughly 2.8 billion more Google daily searches than in 2019. That’s why it is so important.  

Local searches have lower total search volumes, but they are more accurate.  

In this article, I will show you five pointers to help find the localised keywords to increase revenue for your business.

Here are 5 Techniques for Local Keyword Research

Now you understand why local SEO has become the new buzzword within the industry, it is essential to learn and finetune your techniques to achieve the best results. Fine Tuning your existing keyword strategy but introducing local attributes is the best way forward. 

1. Finding Industry-specific Keywords

Starting a broad search is the most effective way to get the ball rolling. 

Later on, you can finetune the searches to become location-specific, but start your search with relatable keywords to your industry or your specific niche. 

Always put yourself in the shoes of your potential customer and ask yourself:

What words and phrases would I use to search for my business?

Industry-specific keywords could be anything from service types to product names or technical and specific terms relating to the industry, such as ‘B2B solutions’. 

2. Add Keyword Modifiers 

Users who search for local businesses or services tend to refine their searches, known in our industry as ‘adding a modifier to the search query’. 

Modifiers enhance and detail more specifically what they are searching for to filter down what they feel will apply to what they want; here are some examples:

• Price affiliated modifiers – ‘free’ or ‘cheap’
• Quality modifiers – ‘top’ or best’
• Occasion modifiers – ‘birthday’ or ‘wedding’ 

Adding modifiers then changes the query’s intent, so matching your keywords will substantially increase your click-through rates to drive traffic that is more convertible than generic traffic. 

3. Deciding What Locations To Target

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When conducting local keyword research, always keep the ‘local-part’ as the focal point.

After the pandemic, shopping and online behavioural patterns have changed. People are now back to work and in a hurry again. People are looking for service solutions as close to their doorstep as possible.

Depending on the services or products they want, it is almost sure that they would add:

• Country
• State
• City or
• Suburb into their search terms

Another tip is to create landing pages for all your localised keywords to ensure those key phrases are optimised.

If you are using a local SEO company, they will fully understand the processes. If not, and you are doing this yourself, make sure that you add your local keywords to the following:

• Title Tags
• Metadata
• Headings
• On-Page Content

Make sure you use them throughout your content, social media posts, and blogs. But be careful not to overuse them. It is now apparent to readers, but more importantly to Google. Try to limit it to only one or two of your keywords on each page.  

As a collective, Google’s crawlers will soon identify that your business is relevant to the geo-location that you are in and begin to rank you accordingly. 

4. Testing Your Best Options

The more specific the search term, the fewer monthly search volumes there will be. 

However, you do not want to be taking on larger businesses with a bigger budget who concentrate their marketing budget on searches with 2000-10000 searches per month. 

Specific local searches have the percentage possibility we started this article with of walking through your door as it fits the customer perfectly as to what they want. 

So by trial and error, you’ll eventually find a correlation between location, keywords and modifiers. 

So searches like:

• Indian restaurant near me
• Car repair service near me

These will yield results that will lead them to your doorstep or at least an enquiry on one of your landing pages.

5. Creativity for Inspiration

Thinking outside the box can go a long way when looking for local keyword inspiration.

If you type your main target keyword into Google, note the autocomplete suggestions Google offers. This is an easy way to find a few nuggets of gold that may have slipped your mind.  

This also serves the purpose of finding out who is your direct competition within a certain radius. You can then check what your competition may be doing that you haven’t considered.

SUMMARY

After the pandemic, people around the world have changed. Local businesses pulled people through in many places during lockdowns, delivered goods, and kept going with online orders. Now people seem to want to give back and no longer want to drive miles to giant hypermarkets and malls but would prefer to support your business. So now is the time to take advantage. Good luck!