SEO · 5 min read

Keyword research for beginners: find the words customers actually use.

You don't rank for what you do. You rank for what people type. Those are rarely the same words.

Businesses describe themselves in their own language — "comprehensive HVAC solutions" — while customers type "furnace making banging noise." Keyword research is simply closing that gap.

Start with real questions

Write down twenty things customers actually ask you on the phone. Those are keywords. Type them into Google and note the autocomplete suggestions and the "People also ask" boxes — that's Google telling you, for free, what people search.

Understand intent tiers

"What does a water heater cost" is research intent — great for blog posts. "Water heater replacement near me" is buying intent — that's a service page. Match the content type to the intent and you'll convert instead of just ranking.

Pick winnable battles

You won't outrank national giants for "insurance." You can absolutely win "small business insurance broker [your city]." Longer, more specific phrases have fewer searches but far better odds and far better buyers.

One page, one target

Each important keyword deserves its own page that answers it thoroughly. Ten focused pages beat one page stuffed with everything.

The bottom line

Listen for real language, sort by intent, target what you can win, and build a page per battle. This is week-one work in every Jobaki engagement.

Want to know what your customers type?

Book a free call — we'll show you the exact searches happening in your area.

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