Keyword research for a local business, without paid tools

Free sources

1. Google Search ConsoleThe Performance report lists real searches that showed your site. Sort by impressions. Searches with impressions but low clicks are your quickest wins.
2. Google’s own suggestionsType your service and town into Google and read the autocomplete suggestions, the “People also ask” questions, and the related searches at the bottom of the page.
3. Your phone and inboxThe words customers use when they call. They rarely match industry terms.
4. Google Business Profile insightsShows searches that led people to your profile.
5. Competitors who rankLook at the page titles and headings of the businesses on page one. Not to copy, but to see what Google rewards for that search.

Group them into pages

• Searches that mean the same thing belong on one page (“roof repair Conway” and “Conway roof repair company”).
• Searches that mean something different need different pages (“roof repair” and “roof replacement”).
• Question searches (“how much does…”) become guides or FAQ sections.

Use them naturally

Put the main search in the page title, the main heading and the first paragraph, written the way a person would say it. Then write the rest of the page for the customer. Repeating a phrase dozens of times doesn’t help and reads badly.