Before you can optimize your website or Google Business Profile to rank for local searches, you need to understand what your potential customers are actually typing into Google. This is keyword research — and it's the foundation of effective local SEO strategy.
What Keyword Research Is
Keyword research is the process of identifying the specific words and phrases (keywords) that your target customers use when searching for businesses like yours. It reveals:
- What people are searching for in your category
- How many people search for each term monthly (search volume)
- How competitive each term is (how hard it is to rank for)
- The intent behind different searches (ready to buy vs. just researching)
Without keyword research, you're guessing — and often optimizing for terms that either have no search volume or so much competition that ranking is unrealistic.
How Local Keyword Research Is Different
Local keyword research specifically focuses on geography-modified searches:
- Service + city: "plumber Medford OR," "web designer Grants Pass," "HVAC repair Roseburg"
- Service + near me: "dentist near me" (implicit local intent)
- Service + neighborhood: "roofing company South Medford," "electrician West Medford"
- Question-based local searches: "best plumber in Rogue Valley," "who does chimney cleaning in Ashland"
These locally specific searches are typically lower in monthly volume than national terms but dramatically higher in conversion rate — someone searching "emergency plumber Medford OR" is ready to hire someone right now.
A Simple Keyword Research Process
1. Start with your services. List every service you provide. These are your seed keywords.
2. Add geography modifiers. For each service, combine with your city, surrounding cities, county, and region. "Landscaping Medford OR," "landscaping Ashland OR," "landscaping Rogue Valley."
3. Find related terms. Use Google's autocomplete (type your service + city into Google and see what suggestions appear) and the "People also ask" section on Google search results pages. These show you exactly what real people are searching for.
4. Evaluate competition. Search for each keyword and see who ranks at the top. If the first page is dominated by well-established national brands with high-authority websites, that's a more competitive term. If local small businesses with modest websites are ranking, the opportunity is more accessible.
5. Prioritize. Target terms with meaningful search volume (even 50–100 searches per month is significant for local terms), clear purchase intent, and achievable competition levels.
Build a Keyword Strategy for Your Local Market
Contact Linear Web Solutions for a local keyword research audit — we'll identify the most valuable search terms in your market and build a content and SEO strategy around them.
