Keyword Research for Local SEO: Step-by-Step With Examples

You run a local business and want more customers to find you online. But here's the problem: you search for your services in Google, and competitors show up instead. You're invisible to the people who need what you offer most, the ones searching in your area right now.

The fix starts with local keyword research. When you target the right location-based search terms, your business appears when nearby customers search for what you sell. You stop competing with national brands and start showing up where it matters.

This guide walks you through the entire process. You'll learn what makes local keyword research different from regular SEO, how to find terms your customers actually use, which tools make research faster, and how to turn keywords into content that ranks. By the end, you'll have a clear system to attract more local customers through search.

What is local keyword research

Local keyword research is the process of finding search terms that include geographic locations or trigger local results in Google. When you do keyword research for local SEO, you target queries like "plumber in Chicago" or "coffee shop near me" instead of broad terms like "plumbing services" or "coffee." Your goal is to appear in searches where people specify or imply a location, because these searchers want nearby solutions and convert faster than general traffic.

This approach differs from traditional keyword research in two ways. First, you target smaller search volumes with higher intent. A term like "emergency electrician Dallas" might get only 200 searches per month, but every searcher needs immediate help in your service area. Second, you optimize for local pack rankings and map results, not just organic listings. When someone searches "dentist near me," Google shows a map with three businesses before any website links appear.

Types of local keywords

You'll encounter explicit local keywords that contain specific location names. These include terms like "Austin car repair," "Brooklyn pizza delivery," or "Miami beach hotel." Searchers type these when they want results in a particular area, even if they're not physically there yet.

Implicit local keywords don't mention locations but still trigger local results. When someone searches "emergency vet" or "24 hour pharmacy," Google understands they want nearby options and shows local businesses. You need to target both types because different customers use different search patterns based on their situation and how they think about their problem.

Local keywords connect you with customers who are ready to visit, call, or buy from businesses in their area.

The combination of explicit and implicit terms gives you complete coverage of local search intent. You capture both the person planning ahead who searches "best Italian restaurant in Portland" and the hungry person who types "Italian restaurant" while standing downtown.

Step 1. Define your services and audiences

Your keyword research for local SEO starts before you touch any tools. You need to document what you actually offer and who needs those services. This foundation determines which keywords matter to your business. Without it, you waste time targeting terms that bring visitors who never convert, or you miss opportunities because you didn't realize people search differently than you describe your work.

List every service you offer

Start by writing down every product and service category you want customers to find you for. Don't just use your internal business language. Think about how customers describe their problems when they need help. A plumber might list "leak repair," but customers search for "fix leaking faucet" or "water under sink." Both versions belong on your list.

Here's how to build your service list systematically:

Pull terms from your Google Business Profile categories (these already reflect how Google understands your business)
Review your actual customer inquiries from emails, calls, and contact forms
Check competitor websites in your area to see what services they highlight
Add seasonal or emergency variations (24-hour service, same-day delivery, holiday hours)

Your list might look like this for a dental practice:

General dentistry / family dentist
Teeth cleaning / dental cleaning
Dental implants / tooth replacement
Emergency dental care / broken tooth repair
Cosmetic dentistry / teeth whitening
Pediatric dentistry / kids dentist

Notice how each item includes both your business term and customer language. This dual approach ensures you capture all search variations later.

Define your target audience segments

Different customer types search differently and need different information. A residential customer searching "emergency plumber" wants someone available now, while a commercial property manager searching "plumbing contractor for office buildings" plans ahead and compares credentials. You need to identify these segments because each group uses unique keywords that reflect their specific needs and decision process.

Create audience profiles that include:

Customer type (residential vs. business, individual vs. property manager)
Urgency level (emergency vs. planned purchase)
Budget sensitivity (premium vs. budget-focused)
Decision factors (price, speed, reputation, specific expertise)

A coffee shop might segment audiences as morning commuters (speed matters), remote workers (WiFi and seating matter), students (price matters), and tourists (location and Instagram-worthy spaces matter). Each segment searches with different keywords and conversion intent, so you'll target different terms for each group when you start your research.

Understanding your services through customer language and defining audience segments ensures you find keywords that actually drive business, not just traffic.

This preparation takes one hour but saves weeks of targeting wrong keywords. You'll return to these lists throughout the keyword research process to filter opportunities and build content that converts.

Step 2. List geo terms and seed keywords

Now you combine your service list with location terms to create seed keywords for your research. These seeds form the starting point for finding actual search queries in the next step. You need this list because keyword research tools require input terms to generate suggestions, and random guessing wastes time on irrelevant results. Systematic seed keyword creation ensures you discover every local search opportunity related to your business.

Build your geographic modifier list

Write down every location term customers might use when searching for your services. Start with obvious terms like your city name, then expand to neighborhoods, nearby suburbs, landmarks, and regional identifiers. People search in different geographic specificity levels depending on their familiarity with the area and how far they're willing to travel.

Your geographic modifier list should include:

City name and common abbreviations (Minneapolis, MPLS)
Neighborhood and district names (Warehouse District, Downtown Minneapolis)
Nearby suburbs or towns (Edina, St. Louis Park)
County or region names (Hennepin County, Twin Cities)
Landmarks and commercial areas (near Mall of America, Uptown area)
Spatial terms (near me, close by, nearby)

A restaurant in Brooklyn would list Brooklyn, Williamsburg, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, near Brooklyn Bridge, and potentially Manhattan if they want tourists crossing over. Don't limit yourself to official names. Add colloquial terms locals actually use, like "the East End" or "by the waterfront," because these appear in real searches.

Create seed keyword combinations

Take items from your service list and combine them with geographic modifiers to build seed keywords. These combinations mirror how customers search when they need local solutions. You don't need every possible combination yet. Focus on creating representative examples from different service categories that you'll expand in the next step.

Here's how to structure your seed keywords:

[service term] + [geo modifier]
[geo modifier] + [service term]
[service term] + "in" + [geo modifier]
[service term] + "near" + [geo modifier]

Example seed keywords for a dental practice in Minneapolis:

dentist Minneapolis
Minneapolis dentist
teeth cleaning Warehouse District
dental implants in MPLS
emergency dentist near downtown Minneapolis
cosmetic dentistry Twin Cities
pediatric dentist near me

Create at least 10-15 seed keywords that cover your main services and primary location terms. This variety ensures you capture different search patterns when you input these terms into research tools.

Your seed keyword list determines what opportunities you'll discover, so spend 20 minutes building it thoroughly rather than rushing with incomplete terms.

Save your seed keywords in a spreadsheet with columns for the service category, location term, and full seed phrase. This organization helps you track which service areas you've researched and identify gaps in your coverage as you progress through keyword research for local SEO.

Step 3. Use tools to find real local queries

You have seed keywords, but those are just starting points. Real customers search in hundreds of variations you haven't thought of yet. Keyword research tools solve this problem by showing you actual queries people type into Google, along with data like search volume and difficulty. This step transforms your small list of guesses into a comprehensive database of terms your local audience uses every day.

Start with Google Keyword Planner

[Google Keyword Planner](https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/) gives you free access to Google's own search data. You access it through a Google Ads account (you don't need to run ads). The tool shows location-specific search volumes, which matters for local keyword research because "dentist" might get 10,000 searches nationally but only 200 in your city. This geographic filtering ensures you chase realistic opportunities instead of chasing impossible nationwide competition.

Enter one of your seed keywords from Step 2. Change the location setting to your target city or service area. Google returns dozens or hundreds of related searches people actually use. For a seed keyword like "plumber Minneapolis," you'll see variations like:

24 hour plumber Minneapolis
Minneapolis plumbing companies
emergency plumber near me
residential plumber Minneapolis
cheap plumber in Minneapolis
plumber Minneapolis cost

Download the full list using the export function. You'll see search volume ranges (10-100, 100-1,000, 1,000-10,000) and competition levels. Local searches typically fall in the 10-1,000 monthly search range, which looks small but represents your actual addressable market.

Filter results for local intent

Not every keyword suggestion relates to local searches. When you export results, you need to identify which terms trigger local results versus informational content. Look for these patterns that signal local intent:

Explicit local signals:

Contains your city, neighborhood, or region name
Includes "near me," "nearby," or "close to"
Uses "in [location]" or "around [location]"

Implicit local signals:

Service-based terms (repair, installation, delivery)
Emergency modifiers (24 hour, same day, urgent)
Transactional words (hire, book, schedule, appointment)

A keyword like "how to fix a leaky faucet" doesn't indicate local intent (someone wants DIY instructions). But "fix leaky faucet" without "how to" suggests someone wants to hire help, which triggers local results. Test uncertain keywords by searching them in an incognito browser. If you see the local pack with map results, that keyword has local intent.

Tools generate hundreds of suggestions, but filtering for actual local intent separates keywords that drive foot traffic and calls from keywords that waste your time.

Expand with competitor analysis

Search your main seed keywords in Google and examine which businesses rank in the local pack and top organic positions. Visit their websites and look at their page titles, headings, and service pages. You'll discover keyword variations you missed because competitors target different customer language or service angles.

Run competitor domains through Google Keyword Planner's "Get search volume and forecasts" feature. Paste 10-15 competitor URLs and the tool shows keywords driving traffic to similar businesses in your area. This reveals gaps in your research where competitors rank for valuable terms you haven't added to your list yet.

Build a master keyword list

Create a spreadsheet with these columns: Keyword, Search Volume, Location, Intent Type, Service Category. As you pull keywords from tools, paste them into this sheet and tag each row. This organization helps you spot patterns like which services get the most search demand or which neighborhoods show strong interest.

Your master list should contain 50-200 local keywords minimum after completing this step. Mix of high-volume competitive terms (dentist Minneapolis), mid-range opportunities (teeth whitening downtown Minneapolis), and long-tail specific phrases (emergency tooth extraction near me). This variety ensures you have content targets at every difficulty level when you start creating pages.

Step 4. Prioritize by volume, intent, and value

Your master keyword list contains hundreds of opportunities, but you can't target everything at once. You need to identify which keywords deserve immediate attention and which ones can wait. Smart prioritization ensures you build content that drives actual revenue, not just traffic that bounces. This step separates successful local businesses that rank for profitable terms from those that waste months chasing keywords that never convert.

Evaluate search volume realistically

Local keyword research for local SEO operates on different volume expectations than national campaigns. A keyword with 50 monthly searches in your city represents real opportunity when those 50 people all live within your service area. Compare this to 10,000 monthly searches nationwide where 99% of searchers live too far away to ever become customers.

Look for these volume patterns in your keyword list:

High volume (500+ monthly): Broad service terms like "dentist [city]" or "plumber near me"
Medium volume (100-500 monthly): Specific services like "emergency dentist [neighborhood]"
Low volume (10-100 monthly): Long-tail phrases like "pediatric dentist accepting new patients [area]"

Don't dismiss low-volume keywords automatically. A term like "24 hour emergency plumber [city]" might show only 30 searches per month, but every single searcher needs immediate help and converts at 40-50% compared to 5-10% for generic terms. Ten customers from 30 searches beats 50 visitors with zero conversions from a 500-search keyword.

Assess search intent for conversion potential

Search intent tells you what action the searcher wants to take when they find you. Keywords fall into distinct intent categories that predict conversion likelihood. Review each keyword and tag it with its primary intent type so you can prioritize accordingly.

Transactional intent keywords indicate immediate purchase readiness. Terms containing "hire," "book," "schedule," "cost," or "price" signal someone ready to spend money today. A search for "schedule teeth cleaning Minneapolis" converts faster than "teeth cleaning information."

Commercial investigation intent appears when searchers compare options before deciding. Keywords with "best," "top," "reviews," or "vs" show someone in research mode. They convert within days or weeks, making these valuable secondary targets after you capture transactional searches.

Navigational intent occurs when searchers look for a specific business. Unless the keyword includes your business name, you can safely deprioritize these terms because the searcher already decided on a competitor.

Prioritizing keywords by intent type, not just volume, ensures you capture customers at the exact moment they're ready to buy.

Calculate business value per keyword

Some keywords generate more profit per customer than others. Your keyword research spreadsheet needs a business value column that rates each term's revenue potential. This rating combines search volume, conversion likelihood, and average customer lifetime value for that service.

Rate each keyword on this scale:

High value (3 points):

Services with premium pricing or long customer relationships
Emergency services with immediate need
Terms that attract ideal customer segments

Medium value (2 points):

Standard services with average pricing
Moderate urgency or recurring need
Broader audience appeal

Low value (1 point):

Entry-level or loss-leader services
High competition with low margins
Searchers far from purchase decision

Add your value rating to search volume and intent scores to create a priority ranking formula. A keyword with 50 monthly searches, transactional intent, and high business value scores higher than a 500-volume informational term with low profit margins. This formula shows you exactly where to focus your content creation efforts in the next step.

Step 5. Map keywords to content and tracking

You have prioritized keywords but no plan for where they'll live on your website. Mapping assigns each keyword to a specific page or piece of content you'll create or optimize. This prevents keyword cannibalization where multiple pages compete for the same term, and it ensures every high-value keyword has a dedicated home that targets searchers with the right content format. Without mapping, you waste effort writing content that duplicates existing pages or targets keywords nobody will click.

Create your content assignment spreadsheet

Build a mapping document that connects keywords to URLs and content status. Your spreadsheet needs columns for Keyword, Target URL, Page Type, Current Status, and Priority Score (from Step 4). This structure lets you track progress as you create content and identify gaps where important keywords lack assigned pages.

Here's the template structure you should use:

Keyword	Target URL	Page Type	Current Status	Priority Score
emergency plumber Minneapolis	/emergency-plumbing	Service page	Needs creation	8.5
24 hour plumber near me	/emergency-plumbing	Service page	Needs creation	8.5
residential plumber Minneapolis	/residential-plumbing	Service page	Exists, needs optimization	7.2
how to prevent frozen pipes Minneapolis	/blog/prevent-frozen-pipes	Blog post	Needs creation	5.8

Group keywords targeting the same search intent under one URL instead of creating separate pages for minor variations. Terms like "emergency plumber Minneapolis" and "24 hour plumber near me" both target urgent plumbing needs, so they belong on your emergency services page together.

Match keywords to page types

Different keywords require different content formats based on search intent. Transactional keywords belong on service pages with clear calls to action, pricing information, and contact forms. Someone searching "hire plumber Minneapolis" wants to schedule service immediately, not read a 2,000-word guide about plumbing history.

Commercial investigation keywords work best on comparison pages, case studies, or detailed service explainers. A search for "best emergency plumber Minneapolis" suggests the person compares options, so your content needs customer reviews, credentials, and response time guarantees that help them choose you over competitors. Informational keywords drive blog posts that answer questions and position you as the local expert while building topical authority.

Matching keywords to the right content format determines whether visitors convert or bounce, regardless of how well you rank.

Set up rank tracking

Install rank tracking once you publish or optimize pages for your mapped keywords. You need to monitor position changes in both organic results and the local pack because local keyword research for local SEO targets both placement types. Use tools that track rankings from your specific city or neighborhood since local results vary by searcher location even within the same metropolitan area.

Track these metrics weekly: your position for each target keyword, local pack appearances, and competitor positions for the same terms. When rankings drop, you know which pages need immediate content updates or additional backlinks. Rising rankings confirm your content matches what Google considers relevant for those local searches, showing you which optimization tactics work for your market.

Next steps

You now have a complete system for keyword research for local SEO that finds terms your customers actually use. Your spreadsheet contains prioritized keywords mapped to specific pages, and you know which content to create first based on business value and conversion potential. This foundation separates businesses that attract steady local traffic from those that stay invisible in search results.

Start by creating or optimizing content for your five highest-priority keywords this week. Focus on one service page or blog post per keyword cluster, using the intent-matched formats you mapped in Step 5. Track your rankings weekly and adjust content based on performance data you collect.

This process works, but it takes significant time every month to maintain. If you want to automate your entire SEO workflow from keyword discovery through content creation and publishing, RankYak handles local keyword research and content generation automatically. You get daily SEO-optimized articles built on advanced research frameworks that target the exact local searches your customers use, without spending hours on manual research.