How to Find the Right SEO Keywords for Your Small Business

Keyword research sounds technical and intimidating, but at its heart it's simple: figure out the exact words your customers type when they're looking for what you sell, then make sure your website uses those words. You don't need expensive tools to start — you need to think like your customer.

Start With Intent, Not Volume

Most beginners chase high-volume keywords and lose to national brands. The smarter play for a small business is targeting buyer-intent keywords — searches that signal someone is ready to act. "Emergency plumber Leeds" converts far better than the broad, competitive "plumbing." Lower volume, higher intent, much easier to rank for.

The Four Types of Keywords

• Informational — "how to unblock a drain" (early research stage)
• Navigational — "[your business name]" (already looking for you)
• Commercial — "best plumber near me" (comparing options)
• Transactional — "book a plumber Leeds today" (ready to buy)

Commercial and transactional keywords are where the money is for most service businesses. Build your core pages around those, and use informational keywords for blog content that attracts people earlier in their journey.

Free Ways to Find Keywords

1. Google autocomplete — start typing and note the suggestions
2. "People also ask" boxes and "Related searches"
3. Your Google Business Profile insights (the search terms people used to find you)
4. Answer the Public and Google's free Keyword Planner
5. The actual questions customers ask you on calls and emails

Layer in Local Modifiers

For any local business, attach geographic modifiers to your core keywords: your city, neighbourhood, and "near me" variations. "Wedding photographer Bristol" is a completely different (and winnable) battle compared to "wedding photographer." This local angle is the foundation of our Local SEO service.

Map Keywords to Pages

Each important keyword should have one dedicated page targeting it — not five pages all competing for the same term. Put the keyword naturally in the page title, the main heading, the URL, and the first paragraph. Write for humans first; if it reads awkwardly, you've overdone it.

If your pages are optimised but still not showing up, the problem is usually technical or structural — read 7 reasons your website isn't ranking on Google next. Or book a free call and I'll tell you which keywords are realistically within reach for your business.