If you’ve ever Googled something like “best pizza near me” and clicked on a top result, you’ve seen local SEO in action. But what helps those businesses land these top spots? That’s where local keyword research comes in; one of the most vital steps of a successful local SEO strategy.

This guide is designed specifically to help you understand and implement local keyword research that works, whether you’re a small business owner or a long-term chain of businesses. 

What Is Local Keyword Research in SEO?

To break it down in simple terms, local keyword research is the process of identifying search terms that people in your area are using to find businesses like yours.

Think of keywords like:

• “dentist in Brooklyn”
• “Mexican restaurant near me”
• “best hair salon in downtown Austin”

All of these are local keywords. They’re what people type into search engines when they’re looking for services in a specific area. Showing up for these searches means more calls, more footfall, and increasing loyal customer base. 

Why Local Keyword Research Matters

Here’s why local keyword research should be a priority:

• Higher conversion potential: Local searches usually show stronger purchase intent, which means better conversion rates. Your business can target interested potential customers when you optimize for local searches.
• Enhanced credibility: Local search results build trust with customers. Businesses that appear in relevant searches gain immediate credibility, especially with positive reviews.
• Cost-effective marketing: Small businesses can cut marketing costs by targeting local customers without expensive paid ad campaigns. You reach people most likely to become long-term, loyal customers instead of wasting resources on broader audiences.
• Competitive advantage: As outlined earlier, good local keyword strategies give small businesses an edge locally. Mobile searches with “near me” keep increasing, and showing up in local results can win you a customer.

For example, ranking for “accountant” is hard. But ranking for “accountant in Brisbane” is much more achievable and likely to bring in real clients.

How to Do Local Keyword Research and Optimization

Here’s a detailed, beginner-friendly guide to doing local keyword research like a pro.

Step 1: Start With Seed Keywords

List what you do. This will be the most vital part of your keyword research strategy and work as the keyword backbone. Here are the main categories of terms to sieve from: 

1. Business type: These are the words people typically use to find businesses like yours. For instance, a pet grooming clinic might use “Pet Clinic”
2. Services/products type: This would include everything you provide to your customers. The pet grooming clinic might include “dog grooming”, etc in the keyword.
3. Problem statement type: These consist of the pain points or problems that make customers look for your help. The grooming clinic will have “dog fur removal”.

These are your core or ‘seed’ keywords. For example:

Now combine them with location modifiers. Location modifiers are additional terms clubbed with your service-based keyword that mentions your serviceable area. For example: 

• “dog grooming Portland”
• “chiropractor near downtown Tampa”

These combinations are your first local keyword candidates.

Step 2: Use Google Suggestions 

Start typing your seed keyword into Google. You’ll see suggestions pop up; this is called Google autocomplete. 

Try:

• Typing your keyword + city
• Typing your service + “near me”

Then scroll to the bottom of the search results and check the “Related searches” section. Both are excellent sources of local keyword research ideas.

Step 3: Expand With Keyword Tools

To go more specific, try to use local keyword research tools that give the search volume, search intent, as well as keyword difficulty. To start with, you can use the Writesonic SEO AI Agent to filter keywords specific to your location and customer intent. 

Here’s how to use it effectively for local keyword research:

1. Open the tool and click on ‘Research’ section of the AI Agent homepage 

2. When it asks to pick your research tool, select ‘Keyword Research’ 

3. Type your topic of interest or the seed keyword and click “Identify keywords” to generate a complete keyword list 

4. A list of keywords with keyword difficulties is now available for your usage. 

5. You can also look into competition keywords to better analyze the industry demands and rank better than your competition. 

Always look for:

• Keywords with decent monthly search volume
• Clear local intent (includes <near me> or area name)
• Lower keyword difficulty (especially if your site is new)

Step 4: Understand Search Intent

Search intent = why someone is searching.

There are generally segmented into three types:

• Commercial/Transactional: High-intent searches from users ready to take action, such as buying something or requesting services; for example “emergency plumber Brooklyn”
• Informational: Searches from users who need answers or want to research their options, like “how to fix a leaky faucet”
• Navigational: Queries that have your brand name from users who want to find your website, such as “Home Depot San Diego”

Grouping by intent helps you decide where each keyword belongs on your site. The easiest way to do this is by using the Writesonic SEO AI agent. All you have to do is feed the prompt ‘Do keyword research on topic: SEO AI Agent in region: United States, cluster these keywords into intent base’ and you’ll get a list of relevant keywords listed as per their intent and search volume. 

For local businesses, you want to target mostly transactional and navigational searches; these are from people ready to act.

Ask yourself: What would someone searching this term want to do next?

Step 5: Spy on Your Competitors

Search your top local seo keywords and check who shows up on page one:

• What’s in their title tags and meta descriptions?
• How is their content structured?
• Do they have service area pages?
• Are they using city or neighborhood names in their content?

Use the Writesonic SEO AI Agent to see what keywords they’re ranking for. This can help uncover opportunities and tap into content gaps they’ve missed. You can write a prompt such as “Analyze who all are the competitors for the keyword ‘dog grooming Portland’ and what are the important terms they’re using in the title tags and meta descriptions”. 

Alternatively, you can also do it the old fashioned way and search on Google with your local seo keyword. The top ranking pages can then be studied for what keywords they have included in their headings, sub-headings, page title and meta descriptions. 

To move a step further, you can also shortlist these top ranking websites and check on Google for site:competitor.com and take an understanding of which pages of your competition’s website are ranking. Pick keywords from these pages that are relevant to your business and include them in your page. This will increase the chances of you moving up in the rankings beside your competition.

Step 6: Create a Local Keyword Map

Once you’ve got a list of keywords, it’s time to group and organize them.

Group them by:

• City or neighborhood
• Type of service
• Intent (informational, navigational, transactional)

Then decide which page on your website will target which group. This avoids keyword cannibalization (where multiple pages compete for the same term).

For example:

• The homepage can target the business type “plumber in Nashville”
• The service page can have the problem statement “emergency plumbing Nashville”
• You can also have a blog post saying “5 signs you need a plumber in East Nashville”

Step 7: Optimize Your Website Content

Now bring it all together with smart on-page SEO for your website. 

• Use your target keyword in the page title, meta description, and URL
• Include it in headers (H1, H2) and naturally throughout the content
• Add location keywords to your image alt text
• Link to other relevant local pages on your site

But here’s the biggest alarm – don’t overdo it. Use your main local keyword research terms about only about 5 to 10 times in a 1000 word page, spaced out naturally.

Step 8: Update Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is critical for local SEO.

Ensure the following steps to assert a well performing GBP for your business. 

• Fill out every section (hours, services, service area, etc.)
• Use local keywords in your business description
• Upload quality images
• Post updates regularly (just like social media)
• Get and respond to reviews

Google uses this profile to help decide who shows up in local  SEO results; so optimize it like you would for your website.

Bonus Tips to Maximize Local SEO Visibility

Here are a few extra strategies to help your business dominate keyword research for local seo:

1. Create Location Pages 

Try to make individual landing pages or programmatic location pages for each city or neighborhood if you serve multiple areas. For example, you can customize your URLS like as under: 

• yoursite.com/plumber-austin
• yoursite.com/plumber-san-marcos

Additionally, ensure each page has: 

• Unique content: Duplicating content from other websites may cause Google to flag your content and thus drop rankings
• Testimonials or photos from that area: This builds trust and authenticity and also ranks your page via Google images 
• Location-specific keywords: Mentioning your area of service throughout the page brings out more chances of your site ranking for the keyword in that area

2. Publish Local Blog Content

Show Google and users that you’re part of the community. Try topics like:

• “Best coffee shops in Capitol Hill (voted by locals)”
• “How to winterize your home in Boulder”

Add local events, tips, and guides to position your business as a helpful local resource.

3. Get Local Backlinks

Links from other local websites boost your authority. Some of the best ways to do this is 

• Join the local Chamber of Commerce
• Getting listed in local business directories
• Partnering with nonprofits or organizations like schools
• Writing guest posts for neighborhood blogs

Backlinks combined with great content is definitely a serious ranking boost.

4. Monitor and Adjust

SEO isn’t “set it and forget it.” Use tools like:

• Google Search Console to track which local SEO keyword you’re ranking for
• Google Analytics to monitor traffic from local search
• Writesonic SEO AI Agent for optimizing and tracking your content and its ranking as and when required.

It’s always best to keep refining your content based on what’s working and what’s not. 

Final Thoughts: Local SEO Is a Long Game

Doing local keyword research the right way can put your business on the map, literally.

It’s not just about showing up in Google. It’s about showing up where it counts, in front of people in your neighborhood who are ready to take action and use your services.Take the time to build out your keyword strategy, optimize your content, and engage with your local community online. The best way forward is to use an AI-driven SEO tool that does all of this in one platform, such as Writesonic. The result? More leads, more calls, and more loyal customers.