Every small business needs a website today. But just having a website is not enough. Your website needs to appear in Google when someone searches for your products or services.
And that’s why you need keyword research.
Keywords are what people type into Google when they are looking for a particular product or service. And if you pick the right keywords, your website can attract the right audience, get more visitors and generate more leads. But how do you find the right keywords for your small business website? Here is how to do simple keyword research for small business websites.
- Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
The first step is to stop thinking like a business and start thinking like your customer.
Think about if you wanted to buy your products or services, what would you Google? For example, if you owned a digital marketing academy, here are some keywords you might search for:
- best digital marketing academy near me
- digital marketing courses in Kolkata
- SEO online courses
These phrases can help you start your keyword research. Think about the questions your customers ask, the problems they have and the words they use when talking about your products or services.
- Start with simple keywords
Make a list of words that describe your business. These are known as seed keywords. For example, a small digital marketing company might start with:
- SEO services
- digital marketing
- social media marketing
- website design
- local SEO
These simple keywords can then be turned into more specific phrases.
Don’t worry about finding the perfect keywords right away.
The aim here is simply to gather ideas.
- Use long tail keywords
Long tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases. They tend to have fewer searches than broad keywords but can be easier for your small business website to rank for. For example, “shoes” is a very broad keyword.
“Comfortable running shoes for women” is much more specific.
Likewise, instead of going after “plumber,” a local plumbing company could target “emergency plumber in Kolkata”. Long tail keywords are useful because they often indicate what the customer really wants. Someone searching for a specific service may be close to making a purchase.
You don’t always need more traffic, you need better traffic.
- Use local keywords
If your business caters to a particular city or area, local keywords should be part of your SEO strategy. Google search is highly local, and many people include their city or area in their search query.
Examples include:
- Dentist in Kolkata
- best salon in kestopur
- digital marketing academy in kolkata
Using local keywords can help your small business website attract traffic from the areas you serve.
Insert your location naturally on the relevant pages of your website, in the headings, titles and content. Don’t overuse the phrase, or your content may sound unnatural.
- Understand search intent
Before choosing a keyword ask: why is the person searching for this? We call this search intent.
A person searching for “what is SEO” probably wants information.
Someone searching for an “SEO agency near me” might want to hire an agency. Search intent can generally be divided into four types: Informational: the user wants to learn something. Navigational: the user wants to find a particular website or business.
Commercial: the user is comparing products or services. Transactional: the user is ready to buy or contact a business. Knowing the type of intent behind a search term helps you tailor your content accordingly.
- Check your keyword competition
Not all popular keywords are good for your small business to target. Broad keywords can have thousands or millions of searches but may also have stiff competition from big sites. Instead, look for keywords that are relevant to your business with realistic competition.
For example, even trying to rank for “digital marketing” might be difficult for a new company. A more specific keyword such as “SEO services for small businesses” might be a better choice.
The best keyword is one that matches your business, has potential search demand and gives your website a fair chance of ranking.
- See what your competitors are doing
The competitor’s websites can be a good source of keyword ideas. Search for your main services on Google and observe which websites show up in the results. Visit their websites and look at their service pages, blog topics, page titles and headings.
You don’t need to copy their content but look for opportunities. For instance, if your competitors have not answered a common customer question, you could create an excellent blog post about it. This can help you offer more value to your visitors while targeting useful search terms.
- Use keyword research tools
You don’t need to guess your keywords. There are several SEO tools that can suggest keywords and tell you the search volume and competition. Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, Semrush, Ahrefs and many more can do that for you. You can also look up in Google’s auto suggestions and “people also asked” section for questions actual users are searching for. Your objective isn’t to list hundreds of keywords.
Focus on those that are most relevant to your products, services and customers.
- Use keywords naturally
Once you have your keywords, sprinkle them naturally in your website content.
This can include: Titles Page titles Main headings Subheadings Website content Meta descriptions Image alt text Blog posts Service pages However, don’t stuff. Don’t start repeating the same keyword over and over again.
Write for people first, search engines second. When your content is valuable and easy to understand, everyone wins.
- Keep refining your keyword list
Keyword research is not a one-time thing. Continually monitor your website’s performance.
Google Search Console can tell you what search terms bring visitors to your website. You might discover new keywords you hadn’t thought of. You can then improve existing pages or create new content around these keywords. As your business evolves, so should your keyword research.
Summing up: Finding the best keywords for your small business website doesn’t need to be complicated.
Understand your customers, list down some potential keywords, explore long tail and local keywords, analyze the competition and figure out the real intent behind a search. Most importantly, don’t just go for the high search volume keywords. Choose those that can bring in relevant, high-quality visitors interested in what you have to offer.
Good SEO is built incrementally-one keyword, one page, one visitor at a time.