If you’re trying to improve your local SEO (and let’s face it, if you’re running a business with a physical location or serving a local audience, you absolutely should be), then you already know how important it is to rank for the right keywords. But how do you find the best keywords to target in your area? That’s where local keyword research comes in—a mix of understanding your audience, knowing what they’re searching for, and ensuring that your business shows up when they do.
In this guide, we’re going to break down keyword research for local SEO, specifically focusing on actionable steps you can take to dominate your local market. To make this as practical as possible, we’ll use Mangools, a powerful SEO tool, to guide you through the process. Don’t worry, it’s not (just) about promoting the tool—this is about giving you real, concrete steps to follow, with Mangools as a helpful sidekick.
An Overview of the Most Important Points:
- Local keyword research is critical for businesses targeting a specific geographic area. You need to understand local search behavior to rank well.
- Use tools like Mangools to find relevant keywords with search volume in your area, check competition, and track progress.
- Long-tail keywords and local intent phrases (e.g., “best pizza in Denver”) are key to finding your audience.
- Competitor analysis is a must. See which keywords your competitors are ranking for and how you can outperform them.
- Optimize your Google Business Profile for local search visibility.
- Use keyword variations like city names, “near me,” and local slang to maximize relevance.
- Don’t forget mobile and voice search—both are increasing in importance for local SEO.
Step 1: Understand Your Audience and Define Your Goals
Before diving into keyword research, take a step back. You need to be clear about who you’re targeting and what your goals are.
Are you a small café in a touristy area, hoping to attract out-of-towners looking for a “good brunch spot nearby”? Or maybe you’re a local plumber, focusing on emergency services for homeowners. Defining your customer base and their likely search habits helps you understand the types of keywords you should be aiming for.
Key Questions to Ask:
- What services or products do I offer?
- How do people in my area talk about these services? (e.g., „car repair“ vs. „mechanic“)
- What are the common pain points or needs that bring people to my business?
Example: Let’s say you run a yoga studio in Portland. Your customers are likely searching for phrases like “yoga classes in Portland” or “beginner yoga near me.” Understanding this is your foundation.
Step 2: Start Your Keyword Research with Mangools
Once you have a clear picture of your audience, it’s time to dive into Mangools to find the best local keywords. Mangools offers several tools, but the one we’ll focus on for keyword research is KWFinder. It’s intuitive and easy to use, making it perfect for this task.
Here’s how to get started:
1. Log in to Mangools and Open KWFinder
After logging in, go to the KWFinder section. This is where the magic happens.
2. Set the Location Filter
Since we’re focusing on local SEO, you want to filter your results to a specific location. For instance, if you’re targeting “yoga classes” in Portland, set Portland as your location filter. This ensures that you’re getting data for that specific area and not some general, national stats.
3. Type in a Seed Keyword
Start with something broad like “yoga classes” or “pizza delivery.” KWFinder will give you a list of related keywords along with search volume, difficulty, and trends.
Example: For a pizza shop in Austin, you might input „pizza delivery Austin.“ Mangools will provide data on search volume and difficulty for similar terms like “best pizza Austin” or “late-night pizza Austin.”
4. Analyze Search Volume and Difficulty
Pay attention to keywords that have decent search volume but low to medium competition. These are your golden nuggets—the keywords that enough people are searching for but that aren’t dominated by the competition yet.
Tip: Look for long-tail keywords like “yoga classes for beginners in Portland” instead of the highly competitive “yoga classes.” The more specific you are, the better your chances of ranking higher, especially when competition is fierce.
5. Save Your Keywords
KWFinder lets you save your chosen keywords into lists, which is super handy. Create separate lists for each service or product you offer, or divide them by customer intent (e.g., informational searches vs. transactional searches).
Step 3: Use Competitor Analysis to Refine Your Strategy
One of the most insightful aspects of Mangools is its SERPChecker tool, which shows you how your competitors are performing for specific keywords.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Enter a Keyword and Check the SERP Results
Input a keyword you’re interested in, like “best yoga classes Portland,” and Mangools will show you which competitors are ranking on the first page of Google.
2. Examine the Top Competitors
Look at the domain authority, backlink profiles, and content length of the top-ranking pages. Are they small, local businesses like yours, or are they massive directories? This helps you understand whether it’s realistic to rank for this keyword or if you need to target something more niche.
Example: If you’re a pizza place in Austin and see that major chains dominate “pizza delivery Austin,” consider targeting something more specific like “gluten-free pizza Austin” or “local pizza near UT Austin.”
3. Identify Gaps in Their Strategy
Check out what your competitors are doing—and more importantly, what they’re not doing. Are they missing content that could be valuable to local searchers? Maybe they don’t have a page specifically for “family-friendly pizza restaurants in Austin,” which could be an opportunity for you.
Step 4: Optimize for „Near Me“ Searches and Local Intent
Local SEO is all about relevance. People searching for “near me” are looking for immediate solutions. But how do you optimize for this? It’s not just about adding „near me“ to your keywords—that’s too simplistic.
Here’s how to optimize for local intent:
1. Use Geographical Keywords Naturally
Include specific geographic terms (city, neighborhood, or even landmarks) in your website copy, meta descriptions, and headers. For example, instead of just saying “pizza delivery,” say “pizza delivery in downtown Austin” or “pizza delivery near Zilker Park.”
2. Optimize Your Google Business Profile
This is a crucial factor for ranking in “near me” searches. Ensure that your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, and any other online listings.
3. Get Reviews from Local Customers
Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on Google. The more reviews you have, the better chance you’ll have of ranking in the local pack (those top three map listings you see in local searches).
Example: For our pizza place in Austin, encouraging customers to leave reviews specifically mentioning „pizza near UT Austin“ can help you rank for those relevant searches.
Step 5: Track and Adjust Your Strategy
SEO isn’t a one-time project—it’s an ongoing process. You need to monitor how well your chosen keywords are performing and adjust your strategy as needed. Mangools makes this easy with its SERPWatcher tool.
Here’s what to do:
1. Set Up Keyword Tracking
In SERPWatcher, set up tracking for the keywords you’ve selected. You’ll be able to see how your rankings change over time and how they compare to your competitors.
2. Check Your Progress Regularly
Log in weekly or biweekly to see how your rankings are doing. Are there any keywords that are improving? Are some slipping? This data will help you tweak your content and SEO strategy.
3. Adjust Based on Performance
If a keyword isn’t performing as well as you’d hoped, revisit it in KWFinder. Maybe it’s too competitive, and you need to switch to a variation. Or maybe it’s a keyword that needs more content behind it, like a detailed blog post or a specific service page.
Keyword Research for Local SEO
Local SEO is a powerful way to attract customers in your immediate area, but it all starts with effective keyword research. Using tools like Mangools can help you zero in on the right keywords, understand your competition, and optimize your website for local searches.
By following the steps above, you’ll be well on your way to improving your local SEO and bringing in more customers from your area. Remember, local SEO is not a one-size-fits-all game. It requires attention to detail, continuous adjustments, and a deep understanding of your audience.
Now, it’s your turn—log into Mangools, start your keyword research, and watch your local rankings soar!