Local Keyword Research: A Step-by-Step Method for Local SEO

Quick quiz

How should you find the right keywords?

Question 1 of 425%

Where are you today?

I am starting and don't know what people searchI have ideas but need numbersI have keywords but no time to write

Keyword research for local SEO follows the same logic as classic keyword research, with one extra variable: where the searcher is. Google states in its explanation of local ranking that local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and prominence. Keywords drive the first of the three. This guide gives a method you can run in an afternoon for a single shop, or scale to dozens of branches.

What is local keyword research?

Local keyword research is the process of finding the searches that people in a given area type when they need a business like yours. It is part of local SEO and has two outputs: a list of local keywords with their demand and intent, and a keyword map that says which page or profile answers each one.

Local queries come in two shapes:

• Explicit local queries: the place is written in the search ("dentist Leeds", "roof repair in Austin", "plumber near me").
• Implicit local queries: no place is typed ("emergency dentist", "tyre shop"), but Google understands the need is local and uses the searcher's location. Google's help page notes that when a customer does not share a location, Google "uses what it knows about their location".

Implicit queries are often the largest share of demand, and they do not show up when you add city names to a keyword tool. That is why the method below starts with services, then layers places on top.

How do you find local keywords step by step?

1. List your core services

Write every service and product you sell in the words customers use, not the words on your invoices. A garage sells "MOT", "brake pads" and "car service"; a lawyer sells "divorce lawyer" and "will writing". Check your Google Business Profile categories, competitor menus and the questions customers ask on the phone. Keep 10 to 40 core terms; each one becomes a seed keyword.

2. Add modifiers

Modifiers turn a broad seed into a specific search. Group them by type:

• Urgency: emergency, 24 hour, same day, open now, open Sunday.
• Quality and price: best, top rated, cheap, affordable, free quote, price, cost.
• Audience and specialty: for kids, commercial, residential, vegan, for seniors.
• Proximity: near me, nearby, close to, around.

Combining seeds and modifiers produces long-tail keywords with lower volume but much clearer intent: "emergency plumber open Sunday" converts better than "plumber".

3. Add the places you serve

List the city, the neighborhoods, nearby towns, the county or region and local landmarks people search by ("near King's Cross"). Only add places where you can serve customers: a location you cannot reach brings calls you will lose.

4. Build the service x location matrix

Cross services with places in a spreadsheet. A firm with 8 services and 6 towns gets 48 combinations, before modifiers. This matrix is the raw list you will validate next.

5. Expand with real search data

Type each seed into Google and note autocomplete suggestions, the "People also ask" questions and related searches at the bottom of the page. Run the seeds through a free keyword research tool for variants, and open the Performance report of Google Search Console: filter queries by a city name to see which local searches already bring you impressions.

6. Check volume at the right location

Local volumes are small and easy to misread. In Google Keyword Planner, set the location to your city or region: Google's help page on Keyword Planner forecasts explains that average monthly searches depend on the location and network settings you select, and that volumes are rounded, so figures for several locations "might not add up as you'd expect". Treat a keyword showing 10 or "0" searches with caution: implicit searches from people in your area may be counted under the generic term instead.

7. Read the results page for intent

Search each priority keyword from the target area (or with a location set in a rank tracker) and note what Google shows. The layout tells you which asset can rank, as the next section explains.

How do you read local search intent from the results page?

The same service can trigger very different results depending on the words around it. The search intent visible on the results page tells you which page to build.

When the map block, called the local pack, sits at the top, organic links get fewer clicks and your Business Profile does most of the work. When it does not appear, a strong page can win on its own. Many local businesses chase map keywords only and ignore informational queries, which are cheaper to rank for and feed later bookings.

How do you prioritize and map local keywords?

Score each keyword on four criteria: business value (margin and conversion), local demand, difficulty (who ranks today, using keyword difficulty as a rough guide) and fit with an existing page. Then assign one primary keyword per page in a keyword map:

• Service pages target the service + main city ("boiler repair Bristol").
• Location pages target the service + secondary towns, with unique content for each place. The guide to local landing pages details what to put on them.
• Blog posts target questions and prices ("how long does a boiler repair take").
• The Business Profile targets map queries through its primary category, services list, description and reviews.

Two pages aimed at "plumber Bristol" and "Bristol plumbers" compete against each other: merge them to avoid keyword cannibalization. Businesses with several branches should give each branch its own profile and page; the multi-location SEO guide covers that setup.

How do you use local keywords on your Business Profile?

Your Business Profile is the main asset for map queries. Keywords go into the fields Google reads, within its guidelines for representing your business:

• Categories: Google asks you to "choose the fewest number of categories it takes to describe your overall core business" and to favor the most specific ones. Your keyword research tells you which category matches the biggest service.
• Business name: the real-world name only. Google rejects location qualifiers and extra text (its example: "Equinox near SOHO" is refused, "Equinox SOHO" is accepted).
• Services, description and posts: use the service terms and places from your matrix, written for people.
• Reviews: customers who name the service and the area in their review add relevance; a plan to get more Google reviews supports this.

Once pages and profile are live, check positions from several points in your area: map rankings change from one street to the next, which is the job of local rank tracking.

How do local keywords work in AI search?

People now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity "who is the best emergency plumber in Bristol?" or "which dentist in Leeds takes new patients on weekends?". These prompts are longer than typed queries and mix service, place and criteria. To be cited:

• Turn your keyword matrix into a list of realistic prompts and check whether your business appears in the answers.
• State the service, the areas covered, prices or price ranges and opening hours in plain text on your pages, so an AI can quote them.
• Keep your name, address and phone consistent across directories: AI assistants often draw local answers from them, as our study of directories in AI citations shows.

Local GEO starts from the same keyword matrix: services, places and criteria, rewritten as questions.

How can Sorank help with local keyword research?

Sorank is an SEO and GEO software that runs on autopilot. Its automated keyword research analyzes your site, finds the keywords your customers use, groups them by topic and shows intent, volume and difficulty, then writes and publishes the matching articles. AI mention tracking follows the prompts that matter to you on ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini and shows who is cited in your place.

Plans start at $49 per month on annual billing, with a 3-day free trial and a 90-day money-back guarantee: see pricing.

What should you remember?

Local keyword research comes down to a matrix of services, modifiers and places, validated with real data and checked against what Google shows. Map each keyword to one asset: the Business Profile and location pages for map queries, blog posts for questions. Revisit the list every few months, since new services, new areas and new AI prompts change the map. To find and cover these keywords automatically, start with Sorank.