{"id":3627,"date":"2024-11-13T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T07:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diib.com\/learn\/?p=3627"},"modified":"2025-07-17T15:19:42","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T15:19:42","slug":"local-seo-keyword-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diib.com\/learn\/local-seo-keyword-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Local SEO Keyword Research: Improve Local Traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keyword research is the foundation of every SEO campaign. With an effective keyword research strategy, you will save yourself time by focusing on search queries that people actually use. SEO is time-consuming, and you, therefore, do not want to spend too much time optimizing your site to rank #1 on keywords that no one really searches for.<\/p>\n

For brands that operate locally, Local SEO keyword research is critical for the business to benefit from local searches.<\/p>\n

What’s Local Keyword Research?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Keyword research can be defined as the process of finding search queries that most<\/p>\n

people use on search engines while looking for information, services, or products online. When optimizing a site for search engines, one of the key aspects of the process is finding out the keyword phrases that people are constantly searching in your industry.<\/p>\n

Once you have found a list of focus keywords, you should implement them in your webpage content, with the aim of appearing higher on the search engine results page (SERP) whenever people search for those keywords.<\/p>\n

To determine which keywords you will focus on, you should pay attention to the search volume, the content you are creating, and what keywords your competitors are ranking for.<\/p>\n

When we add the word “local” to the keyword research process, we narrow down to a more specific version of the same. Local SEO means you are optimizing your site for specific geographical locations. The goal of local SEO is to rank better when people do local searches in specific locations.<\/p>\n

For instance, you could use a generic keyword followed by the name of a state, county, city, and so forth. For example:<\/p>\n

\"Local<\/p>\n

Why is Local Keyword Research Important?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Localized keyword research is important for local SEO campaigns for two major reasons.<\/p>\n

The first being that people conducting local searches have an intention to buy. They are searching for a brand to do business with in real-time. Study shows that 29%<\/a> of people who perform local searches on mobile devices visit or call the business within twenty-four hours.<\/p>\n

Businesses that want to draw local customers to themselves should leverage this search intent by paying more attention to local SEO. Part of doing so is determining the most relevant local keywords.<\/p>\n

Secondly, Google users are served personalized results after conducting searches. One of the major factors that determine the personalization of results is the user’s physical location. To put it more practically, when one searches for the phrase “Coffee shop,” they are not presented with the world’s top brand ranking for that keyword, but rather the top result in his\/her locality.<\/p>\n

Google wants to offer its users more relevant results. If you are in Kentucky, coffee shops in Washington will not appear on the search engine results page simply because they will not be useful for you.<\/p>\n

Pro tip: You should know the keywords you will be focusing on, plus the locations you are interested in. Without knowledge of the relevant keywords and target locations, you will be missing out on opportunities to tap into local searches, which are accompanied by an intention to purchase.<\/p>\n

Since mobile internet surfing has surpassed desktops, it is important that you pay closer attention to local mobile searches. This includes optimizing your website for mobile-friendliness.<\/p>\n

How to Do Localized Keyword Research<\/b><\/h2>\n

The goal of keyword research in local SEO is finding the most popular local keyword phrases in your industry. Google algorithms are keen on relevancy when ranking websites on SERPs. Studies also reveal that 72% of digital markers attest that relevancy is the major driver of effective SEO.<\/a><\/p>\n

If the content you are offering on your site is not relevant to what searchers are looking for, then your website will not rank at the top of the SERPs.<\/p>\n

Getting Started with Local SEO Research<\/b><\/h3>\n

Most business owners are not aware of the keyword phrases their customers use when searching for specific products and services online. This is typically why keyword research is important. Researching on search queries with high search volume and significant search intent guarantees you that you are focusing your time and energy on relevant keywords.<\/p>\n

However, avoid going for keywords with high volume but irrelevant to your website in an attempt to drive more traffic to your business. Relevancy of a webpage’s content to the search keyword used is among Google’s major ranking factors. You can use tools to find out the search volume for a keyword, for example:<\/p>\n

\"Local<\/p>\n

(Image Credit: Neil Patel<\/a>)<\/p>\n

When the keywords used are irrelevant to your website, it will not only struggle to rank for them but if it actually does, visitors are more likely to bounce back to the SERPs without interacting with the website.<\/p>\n

A high bounce back rate is a signal that a page is not helpful to visitors despite its ranking for that particular keyword. When Google senses this, it will rank that page lower in the SERPs.<\/p>\n

Finding Local Keywords<\/b><\/h3>\n

Although there are numerous approaches to finding local keywords, some of the most effective ones include:
\n[post_cta_seo]<\/p>\n

Industry Related Keywords<\/b><\/h4>\n

You need to first identify the keyword phrases that are relevant to your industry or line of business. This typically means finding common phrases that your customers are likely to use when searching for your products and services.<\/p>\n

A simple way of doing this is by asking yourself this question:<\/p>\n

“If I were a member of the general public and interested in one of the products or services I am selling, what keyword phrases would I use on Google?”<\/p>\n

This will help you come up with a list of keywords ranging from industry-specific phrases to product names. Industry-related keywords are particularly important in B2B marketing. You can also look at the keywords your competitors rank for. For example:<\/p>\n

\"Local<\/p>\n

(Image Credit: WordStream<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Using Keyword Modifiers<\/b><\/h4>\n

You should also pay attention to keyword modifiers that might apply to searches. Modifiers are words describing the type of product, service, quality, or occasions for use. Examples of keyword modifiers are:<\/p>\n