How do most of your prospective clients find your local business? If your business model is like most, it relies heavily on the ability of your target audience to find you online. This is why your keyword research in digital marketing campaigns is so essential.
An incredible 89 percent of people search online before they make a trip to a store – and especially before they make a purchase.
A solid content marketing plan means that you need to have an eye toward SEO keywords that match up with the intent of your prospective customers. You can use a premium keyword research tool or leverage free options like Google Keyword Planner, but figuring out what people want from your business is essential.
Here are six reasons why local brands need to perform keyword research instead of throwing things at the wall and hoping they stick.
1. Get More Targeted Customers
The first and perhaps most important aspect of finding relevant keywords is that you will locate customers who are more aligned with your business model. You don’t have to target every keyword for your industry. Instead, you can simply include the ones that are relevant to your bread-and-butter services.
Suppose you were an HVAC company that made most of your money on preventive maintenance. Search engine optimization might tell you that “HVAC repair” is a strong keyword, but this wouldn’t be what you want to target. Instead, you can look at keywords that align with your overall goal like “annual HVAC maintenance” or even “HVAC tune-ups.”
Targeted customers are more likely to convert and give you the edge in your digital marketing without having to shell out for a Google Ad. You get more customers looking for the services only you can offer, have less competition, and make more money. Doesn’t that sound like a win-win?
2. Show Up in Organic Search
The ultimate goal of search engine optimization is to show up organically on the SERPs. This leads to long-term traffic that you don’t see when you opt into Google Ads and other forms of paid marketing. Those can drive more traffic to you in the short-term, but organic search leads to long-term return on investment.
The catch?
You have to know the right keyword to get yourself into that coveted top position. SEO keyword research helps you define the search intent of your customers and lets you know exactly what they’re looking for. The odds are that your business won’t show up in the top spot just by guessing what people want in your industry.
Almost half of all clicks online come from organic search results. People are more hesitant to click on a sponsored ad because they aren’t sure it will deliver the experience and information they need. Around 99 percent of people will only look at the first page of results. If you aren’t on there, you’re missing out.
Here’s a great guide on how you can leverage an organic SEO agency and stop paying for ads.
3. Uncover Gaps in the Market
When you do your research, keyword difficulty is something that you will want to consider. A good keyword tool can help you determine whether the market is already saturated for the keyword that you’re thinking of targeting. But the benefits of keyword research go even deeper than that: they can help you find gaps in the local market.
Think of it this way: what do your competitors offer to their customers and what are they ranking for? Returning to our hypothetical HVAC company we looked at earlier, you might find that your competitors are all ranking for 24/7 repair services. While you do offer the same services, it may not make sense to compete for hard-to-rank keywords.
Instead, you might find that those same competitors don’t actually offer duct cleaning or summer tune-ups. These should be the keywords you target. For more details on how to choose keywords for your SEO strategy, see our blog post here.
Another great tool to find relevant keywords is Google Trends. This tells you what most people are searching for, what they have looked at over time, and areas where you might be able to jump on a trend ahead of competitors. Keeping your finger on the pulse of SEO keyword research gives you an edge over other services.
4. Target Geographical Areas
When it comes to local SEO, you want to ensure that your customers can find you. There’s a big difference between ranking for “HVAC repair” and “HVAC repair in Summerville.” The first is extremely difficult to rank for while being unlikely to yield the results you want. People searching for this more general term might be looking for DIY solutions and aren’t yet ready to call a local business.
On the other hand, geographically specific keywords are going to have a better chance of ranking. They might show up on the Google Maps results which can lead to more foot traffic for your business.
Plus, you get to decide which areas are most important to your brand. You don’t want to target cities that are too far outside of your local area. This keeps you from fielding phone calls from customers who are too far out from your place of business, which can waste staff time fielding irrelevant phone calls that don’t further the business.
This is why hiring a local SEO agency is essential. We understand your unique market and the areas you may want to target with your content marketing.
5. Key in for Social Media Marketing
Keyword research in digital marketing extends beyond your place on Google. It can also make a big impact on your social media marketing where targeting the right people is essential to making the most of your budget. If you know a specific keyword that converts well, you can incorporate it into your Facebook or Instagram campaign.
Finding a target keyword that resonates with your audience means that they will be more likely to click on your ad and see what you have to offer them.
Finding a local search term that people are likely to be interested in also helps you narrow down your potential audience. You can figure out what region and area they are searching for using keyword research services. All of this dials your campaign into something that people are eager to learn more about.
6. Create Landing Pages that Convert
When you want to rank on Google search, there’s more to it than just hoping for the best. You could use the best free keyword tool out there, but it won’t make a bit of difference if you aren’t also focused on website development.
Once you know what people are typing into the search engines, you can start to create landing pages based on those new keyword ideas.
This gives your customers a place where they can learn more about your services while also making it more likely that your page will rank. Make a page specifically for each service provided using the effective keyword research you have already done for local SEO.
Not to mention, it gives users a reason to keep clicking around on your website to see what other services and products you offer. The longer they spend on your website, the more it signals to Google that you have all of the information they are searching for.
The result?
You get a boost in the SERPs and can seriously leverage your search engine marketing. A digital marketing strategy is impacted at every level by which keyword suggestions you come up with. A potential customer can locate your business through a robust content strategy when you invest in keyword research tools like the premium options used by Creative Collective.
Why is Keyword Research in Digital Marketing Important for Local Brands?
Whether you have a dedicated digital marketer or you want to outsource your content strategy to a firm like Creative Collective, there are some clear reasons why you should invest in keyword research tools. Our SEO services harness the power of some of the best tools out there, included in the price of our packages.
We can help you target the right audience with the right keyword strategy to make the most of organic search traffic over paid advertising.
Let our marketers create a custom keyword analysis for your brand, comparing your services and offerings to those of your competitors. You might just find that you’re sitting on a treasure trove of keywords that could skyrocket your SEO strategy. With our kickoff and strategy sessions, we start by understanding your business and overall industry landscape. Then, we come up with a custom content calendar – just for you!
Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help increase website traffic and help you locate a potential customer base that you have yet to tap into!