Keyword research helps you understand how customers describe their problems, so your pages can match the words they actually use. For a service business, it is less about huge volumes and more about finding the searches that sit close to a purchase.

Start with your services and your customers

List every service you sell and the problem each one solves. Then add the questions customers ask before they buy, taken from sales calls, emails, proposals and your own enquiry form. A prospect who writes in about "someone to fix our confusing website" is giving you a phrase you might never have chosen yourself. Keep their wording exactly as written.

Mine the data you already have

If your site has any history, Google Search Console shows the queries that already bring impressions. Look for terms where you appear on page two or three, because a stronger page can often lift these quickly. Your site search, if you have one, and the questions asked in live chat are equally valuable.

Check the search results themselves

Search your main terms and study what ranks. The results show what Google believes people want, and which types of page are succeeding. Note the "People also ask" boxes, related searches at the bottom of the page and the autocomplete suggestions. They are free prompts for new angles and supporting content.

Use tools for estimates, not promises

Keyword tools give monthly volume estimates and difficulty scores. Treat these as rough guides for comparing options, not as forecasts. A term with 50 searches a month that is closely tied to a high-value service can be worth more than one with 5,000 searches from casual browsers.

Group and prioritise

Group similar terms and give each group to one page. If two pages chase the same phrase they can compete with each other, a problem we cover in keyword cannibalisation. Then rank your groups by how close they are to a sale and how realistic it is to compete. The Google SEO starter guide makes the same point: pages should be organised around what users are looking for.

What to look for in a keyword

• Relevance to a service you actually sell and want more of

• Clear commercial intent, such as "agency", "quote", "cost" or a location

• Reasonable competition for a site of your size and age

• A page you can genuinely make more useful than what already ranks

Turn the list into a plan

Finish with a simple table: keyword group, target page, existing or new, and priority. Existing pages that need tightening usually come first, followed by new service pages, then supporting guides. Apply the basics from our on-page SEO checklist as each page goes live, and write for people first, in line with Google's advice on creating helpful content.