A practical guide to local keyword research

Local search is just how we find things now. Got a burst pipe and need a plumber yesterday? Hunting for the best coffee shop within walking distance? You’re probably pulling out your phone and typing something into Google. For any business with a physical location or a service area, getting a handle on local search is non-negotiable.

The trouble is, a lot of businesses are just guessing what their local customers are searching for. They end up throwing time and money at keywords that sound right but don't actually bring in people who are ready to open their wallets.

That's what this guide is for. It's a straightforward playbook for local keyword research. We’ll walk you through how to find the exact phrases people in your area are using to find businesses like yours. And once you have those keywords, the next step is creating content around them. That's where tools like the eesel AI blog writer can help, turning a single local keyword into a full blog post in a few minutes.

What is local keyword research?

At its core, local keyword research is what the team at Mangools calls, "the process of finding and analyzing search queries that users enter into Google to find services or products near them." The entire goal is to figure out which keywords to target so your website and Google Business Profile show up for people in your specific area.

Google is smart enough to figure out when you're looking for something local, even if you don't type in a city. This gives us two main types of local keywords.

Explicit keywords

These are the most obvious ones. An explicit local keyword is any search that includes a location, like a city, neighborhood, or even a ZIP code. There's no guesswork here; the user is telling Google exactly where they are looking.

A few examples are:

• "plumber in Brooklyn"
• "restaurants in SoMa"
• "dentist in 78704"

When someone uses these phrases, you know exactly what they want and where they want it.

Implicit keywords

This is where Google's algorithm gets clever. Implicit local keywords are searches that don't name a location but clearly have local intent. Google just uses your IP address or GPS data to figure out where you are and serves up results based on that.

You’ve probably done this yourself with searches like:

• "emergency plumber"
• "coffee shop near me"
• "car repair open now"

For these searches, Google knows you don't need a list of coffee shops across the country. You want one you can get to in the next five minutes.

Why is local keyword research so important?

So, we know what it is, but why should you actually spend time on it? Good local keyword research isn't just another item on your SEO checklist; it directly affects your sales.

Here’s why it matters so much:

1. You learn how your customers talk. It’s easy to think you know the terms customers use for your business. But proper research often uncovers the specific, sometimes weird, phrases people actually type into Google. This stops the guesswork and lets you speak their language.
2. You show up in the right places. When you target the right local keywords, you're much more likely to appear in Google's "map pack" (that box with a map and three business listings) and at the top of the search results. This is the best spot to be when you want to connect with people who are ready to buy.
3. It leads to actual sales. At the end of the day, that's the goal. More relevant online traffic means more people walking through your door, more phone calls, and more revenue. It’s like putting up a giant, flashing sign on the busiest street in town.

Solid breakdown. I agree local SEO is way tougher than people think, especially since you're targeting Maps, Search, and now AI results too.

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To get a bit more technical, Google's local ranking algorithm relies on three things: Relevance, Distance, and Prominence. Good keyword research nails the "Relevance" part, showing Google that your business is exactly what the user is looking for.

A 5-step workflow for your local keyword research

This is a practical, repeatable workflow to help you find valuable local keywords and ditch the guesswork for good.

Great post! This really validates my process that I have been using, but I always struggle with knowing how to structure a site.

Reddit

Step 1: Brainstorm seed keywords

Before you touch any tools, start with what you know best: your own business. Seed keywords are the broad, core terms that describe what you do. They're the starting point for everything else.

Here’s how to get going:

• List out your services. Don't just stick to the general category. Instead of "plumbing," write down "water heater installation," "drain unclogging," and "sewer line repair." Each of these is a potential seed keyword.
• Think like your customer. What problem are they trying to solve? They probably aren't searching for "sump pump repair." They're more likely searching for "leaking faucet" or "flooded basement." Brainstorm the problems that bring people to you.
• Check out your competitors. A handy tip from KWFinder is to enter a competitor's domain into a keyword tool. You can see what they're ranking for and find ideas you might have missed.

Also like the part about grabbing service lists from competitors. Simple move, but helps catch stuff you’d normally miss.

Reddit

Step 2: Expand with modifiers

Once you have your seed keywords, it's time to add a local flavor. Modifiers are the extra words people add to their searches to get more specific, local results.

You can split these into two main groups:

• Geographic modifiers: These are the most obvious ones, like city names, neighborhoods, ZIP codes, and even nearby landmarks. For example, "coffee near Central Park" is way more specific than just "coffee."
• Qualitative & service modifiers: These terms describe what a user is looking for in a service. Words like "best," "affordable," "24-hour," "emergency," or "pet-friendly" signal a very specific need. Combining these with your seed keywords (like "affordable 24-hour plumber") can help you find some really high-intent customers.

Step 3: Use tools to find search volume

Your brain is a great place to start, but you need data to back up your instincts. With your list of seed keywords and modifiers, it's time to use research tools to see what people are actually searching for and how often.

These tools provide hard data, like local search volume, so you can stop guessing and start making decisions based on facts. We’ll cover a few of the best tools a little later.

Step 4: Analyze search intent

A keyword with high search volume isn't automatically a winner. You have to make sure the intent behind the search matches what your business actually does. The easiest way to check this is to just Google the keyword and look at the search engine results page (SERP).

Look for a "map pack" and other local businesses on the first page. If you see them, that's a great sign of local intent. If the results are all informational guides and YouTube videos (like for "how to change car tire"), the intent is probably educational, not commercial.

After you've checked your keywords, it's time to prioritize. Focus on these three things, with relevance being the most important for local businesses:

1. Relevance: How well does this keyword match a service you offer that actually makes you money?
2. Search Volume: How many people in your area are searching for this term every month?
3. Competition: How hard will it be to outrank your competitors for this term?

Here’s a simple way to think about it, which this chart illustrates:

Your "quick wins" are the low-hanging fruit: highly relevant keywords with less competition that you can probably rank for pretty quickly.

Step 5: Map keywords to your site

The last step is assigning your prioritized keywords to specific pages on your website. This is called keyword mapping, and it gives your site a clear structure while preventing "keyword cannibalization" (when multiple pages on your site compete for the same search term).

Here’s a simple structure you can use:

• Homepage: Target a broad service keyword plus your main city (e.g., "Austin Plumber").
• Service Pages: Each service should get its own page targeting a specific keyword (e.g., "Austin water heater repair").
• Location Pages: If you serve multiple towns, create a unique page for each one (e.g., "Plumber in Round Rock").
• Blog Posts: Use your blog to go after question-based, long-tail keywords (e.g., "how to fix a running toilet"). This is a great way to attract people who are just starting their research.

Top tools for local keyword research

Brainstorming is a great start, but dedicated tools give you the data you need to make smart choices. The right tools can simplify not just the research but also the content creation that comes after, helping you turn insights into action.

1. eesel AI blog writer

Full disclosure, this is our tool, but we made it to solve a real problem. The eesel AI blog writer isn't a typical research tool; it's what you use to act on your research. It takes a local keyword you've found and generates a complete, ready-to-publish article in minutes.

For local SEO, you could input a keyword like "best dog parks in Austin," and eesel AI will create a full blog post about that topic, helping you target all those long-tail keywords you just found.

Key Features:

• Context-Aware Research: It automatically finds local landmarks, relevant details, and other specifics that make a post feel genuinely local.
• Automatic Assets: It doesn't just write text. It can create tables, infographics, and images relevant to your local topic, making your content more interesting.
• Social Integration: It can embed relevant Reddit discussions or YouTube videos (like a video tour of a local park), adding more depth and social proof to your articles.

Pricing: It's completely free to try, and our paid plans offer 50 blog posts for just $99.

2. KWFinder by Mangools

KWFinder is a very user-friendly tool known for its accurate local search volume data. It provides data for over 65,000 locations worldwide, so you can get as specific as you need, right down to the city level.

Best for: Small businesses and SEOs who need precise city-level keyword data without the complexity of a huge, expensive platform.

Key Features: It gives you a simple keyword difficulty score, shows search volume trends, and lets you analyze the SERP for any location with a single click.

Pricing: KWFinder is part of the Mangools suite. The Mangools Basic bundle starts at $37.70 per month if you pay annually.

3. Google Keyword Planner

This is Google's own free tool. It was built for advertisers running Google Ads, but it's still a very useful resource for organic SEO research.

Best for: Businesses on a budget who want data straight from the source.

Key Features: It provides search volume ranges (it gets more specific if you're running ad campaigns), gives you suggested bid estimates that can hint at commercial intent, and lets you filter by specific geographic locations.

Pricing: It's free, but you do need to set up a Google Ads account to access it. The good news is you don't actually have to run any campaigns.

4. Semrush

Semrush is an all-in-one SEO platform. It's a massive suite of tools, including a dedicated Local Toolkit designed for local businesses.

Best for: Agencies and larger businesses that need deep competitor analysis and a wide range of local SEO features beyond just keyword research.

Key Features: The Local Toolkit includes features like Listing Management to keep your business info consistent online, Review Management, and a Map Rank Tracker that shows you how you rank in a specific neighborhood.

Pricing: The Semrush Local app is available for $60 per month.

Putting your local keyword research into action

All this research is pointless if you don't do anything with it. Once you have your prioritized list of keywords, it's time to put them where they'll make the biggest difference.

For a more detailed walkthrough, this video from Ahrefs provides a great step-by-step guide on how to put your keyword research into practice for your small business.

A YouTube video from Ahrefs explaining how to do local keyword research for your small business step-by-step.

Optimize your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first thing a local customer sees. Make it count by working your keywords into these key areas:

• Business categories (primary and secondary)
• Services list
• Business description
• Adding your own questions and answers to the Q&A section

Implement on-page SEO

Next, make sure your website pages are optimized for the keywords you've assigned to them. Place your keywords in these important spots:

• Page titles and meta descriptions
• H1 and H2 headings
• Naturally within the first 100 words of the page content
• Image alt text and file names

And that's pretty much it. Local keyword research doesn't have to be some big mystery. By following a clear workflow of brainstorming, adding modifiers, researching with tools, prioritizing, mapping to pages, and implementing, you can build a strong foundation for your entire local SEO strategy.

Consistent, data-driven local keyword research is what connects you with customers in your area who are already looking for what you sell. It’s how you turn clicks into customers.

Ready to turn your research into high-ranking content that brings in real traffic? Try the eesel AI blog writer for free and generate your first locally-optimized article in minutes.