A Complete Guide to Local Keyword Research for Your SEO Campaigns

Local keyword research is essential for businesses targeting a specific geographic area or serving local customers. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of conducting local keyword research to optimize your SEO campaigns for a local audience.

Understanding Local Keyword Research

Importance of local keyword research

• Improve local search visibility
  • Increase organic traffic from users searching for local products or services
  • Enhance online presence in specific geographic regions
• Boost local conversions
  • Drive more targeted leads to your website
  • Increase the likelihood of users becoming customers

Local vs. general keyword research

• Geographic focus
  • Local keyword research targets keywords specific to a region, city, or neighborhood
  • General keyword research focuses on broader, non-location-specific terms
• User intent
  • Local keywords often have a transactional intent, as users search for nearby products or services
  • General keywords can cover a wide range of informational, navigational, and transactional intents

Conducting Local Keyword Research

Step 1: Identify Core Local Keywords

• Brainstorm location-specific terms
  • Combine your core product or service keywords with geographic terms
  • Examples: “dentist in New York City,” “Chicago pizza delivery,” or “San Francisco yoga studio”
• Consider local language variations
  • Account for regional differences in terminology or spelling
  • Examples: “attorney” vs. “lawyer” or “centre” vs. “center”

Step 2: Utilize Keyword Research Tools

• Google Keyword Planner
  • Filter keyword suggestions by geographic region
  • Access search volume data for specific locations
• Ubersuggest
  • Generate location-specific keyword ideas
  • View search volume data and keyword difficulty scores
• Ahrefs Keywords Explorer
  • Discover local keywords with search volume and competition data
  • Analyze SERP features like Google Maps listings and local pack results

Step 3: Analyze Local Keyword Metrics

• Assess search volume and trends
  • Target keywords with sufficient local search volume
  • Examine seasonal fluctuations or regional trends
• Evaluate keyword competition
  • Review the strength of competitors ranking for local keywords
  • Identify opportunities to outrank competitors with superior content

Implementing Local Keywords in Your SEO Campaigns

On-page optimization

• Integrate local keywords in your content
  • Include local keywords in titles, headings, and body text
  • Ensure the content remains relevant and engaging
• Optimize meta tags and URLs
  • Incorporate local keywords in meta titles, descriptions, and URLs
  • Keep meta tags concise and informative

Off-page optimization

• Build local citations
  • Submit your business information to local directories and review sites
  • Ensure consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information across all listings
• Earn local backlinks
  • Collaborate with local businesses, organizations, or influencers
  • Publish locally-focused content that earns backlinks from regional websites

Local SEO technical optimization

• Implement schema markup
  • Use LocalBusiness schema to provide search engines with structured data about your business
  • Include relevant information like address, phone number, and hours of operation
• Optimize for Google My Business
  • Claim and verify your Google My Business listing
  • Provide accurate and up-to-date business information, images, and reviews

By following this guide to local keyword research, you can effectively optimize your SEO campaigns to target a local audience, resulting in increased online visibility, more targeted leads, and ultimately, higher conversions for your business.