Keyword Research For Small Businesses That Actually Drives Traffic
Being visible in search results is helpful for any business, but especially for small businesses with limited budget to spend on ads. The best way to be visible in search engines is by doing solid keyword research to spot real opportunities.
Keyword research for small businesses isn’t about searching for the highest-volume keyword, but about looking for those keywords where competition is low and volume is high and are conversion focused.
This article will guide you through the complete process of doing keyword research as a small business owner. If you’re interested in more on-page SEO elements, I recommend you to read the on-page SEO guide for small business owners.
Table of Contents
What Is Keyword Research For Small Businesses?
Keyword research is the process of finding the words and phrases people type into search engines when looking for products or information.
Keyword research is important for small business owners, as you’re stepping into the shoes of your potential customers. You want to know what they’re searching for and what they care about. It helps you uncover valuable insights into their behavior, which is the key to ranking higher on Google and turning them into real customers.
Why Keyword Research Matters For Your Small Business
For small business owners, keyword research tips are essential in creating a solid SEO strategy. By picking the right keywords, you can drive more relevant traffic to your website. This will improve your chances of converting visitors into loyal customers.
Keyword research is a crucial part of your business’s visibility in search results. Targeting the wrong keywords (with too much competition) will keep your pages unseen as they will never be able to compete with the top 5 results. Especially, for a small business targeting these highly competitive keywords will not do anything for your website’s visibility.
The Key Elements Of Solid Keyword Research
There are four elements that decide whether your keyword research is effective:
- Relevance
- Volume
- Competition
- Search intent
Relevance
The first element is relevance. Keywords have to truly fit your business and what your audience expects. You can have a high-traffic keyword, but if it doesn’t relate to what you offer, it’s worthless and it won’t convert.
To question the relevance of a keyword, ask yourself:
- Does this keyword match my product, service, or audience’s needs?
- Would my ideal customer type this into Google?
Every keyword you target should help your audience solve their needs.
Volume
Search volume tells you how many people search for a specific keyword each month. This helps you determine the demand for a certain keyword, but more volume doesn’t always mean better. Small businesses should focus on low-competition, high-volume keywords, as this will get results faster. So, always keep the competition in mind. A high-volume keyword with high competition will not get you results if your domain doesn’t have high authority.
Competition
Competition tells you how many websites are ranking for a specific keyword. For small businesses, competing with big brands on broad terms is often an unwinnable battle. Instead, focus on keywords you can actually rank for with lower competition. Focus on long-tail keywords that match your offer.
For example:
“Best exercises” is too broad and highly competitive, focus on “best fitness exercises for abs at home.”
By focusing on these opportunities, you’ll attract traffic ready to convert or genuinely interested in your content.
Search intent
Search intent is the why behind a keyword, it reveals what the searcher wants to achieve. Understanding the why behind a query, helps you create content that actually helps your audience.
There are four types of search intent:
- Informational: The user wants to learn something.
- Transactional: They’re ready to buy.
- Navigational: They want to find a specific brand or page.
- Commercial: They’re doing research before buying.
How To Do Keyword Research For Your Small Business (Step-By-Step)
1. Brainstorm seed keywords
You start your keyword research with brainstorming. Here, you need to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and think about how they would search for your products or services.
Start by listing:
- The main products or services you offer.
- Common problems your audience faces.
- Specific locations you serve (for local SEO value).
Keep it natural and write down everything that pops into your head. Later, you can always delete keywords from your list.
2. Use free keyword research tools to check competition & ideas
Once you have a list of your seed keywords, it’s time to expand your list and check the level of competition.
I’d recommend these two free keyword research tools:
- Google Keyword Planner
- Ahrefs Keyword Generator
Google Keyword Planner
Here are the steps you need to take to use Google Keyword Planner effectively:
- Enter a seed keyword into the search box.
- Look for keywords with decent volume and low competition.
- Write them down under the seed keyword.
Ahrefs Keyword Generator
Here are the steps you need to take to use Ahrefs Keyword Generator effectively:
- Enter a seed keyword into the search box.
- Look for keywords with decent volume and low keyword difficulty (KD).
- Write them down under the seed keyword.
3. Match keywords to search intent
As already mentioned, search intent is one of the key elements of keyword research. Without knowing the why, you can’t create content around that keyword.
Focus on keywords that match the goal of your page. Keep the different types of search intent in mind.
4. Focus on long-tail keywords
As discussed earlier, small businesses focus best on low-competition, high-volume keywords as the chances of ranking are much higher. You can find them by searching for long-tail keywords. They often have a decent volume and low competition and they are conversion focused.
People who search for long-tail keywords know exactly what they’re looking for. If you answer their query well, the chances of conversion increase.
To put it simply, long-tail keywords are easier to rank for and improve lead quality.
5. Start building keyword clusters
Keyword clusters are groups of related keywords and queries that have the same user intent. This way, you can create one central page about different keywords instead of individual pages for each keyword. This improves your content and your SEO.
You’ll rank for more queries with less content and build topical authority as you cover the topic completely.
6. Monitor & adjust
Keyword research is an ongoing job. Trends, competitors and customers change over time. If certain keywords are performing well and are getting clicks and impressions, it might be worth creating more content around this topic.
The key is to keep monitoring and adjusting your content.
I recommend you to read my article about “10 keyword research tips for small business owners.”
Developing A Content Strategy Based On Your Keywords
After doing your keyword research, it’s time to turn those keywords into content. This is where strategy comes in.
Start by grouping your keywords into various topics. You’ll create a pillar page for each topic. Around that pillar page, you’ll build content clusters. Link from the supporting pages to the pillar page and the other way around.
Make sure each page is aligned with your business goals. After you create the content clusters with pillar pages, you plan a content calendar. Decide which keywords get priority. Start with topics that quickly drive local traffic or answer common customer questions. Make sure every piece of content helps your audience and provides real value.
Keep Your Keyword Research (And Content) Fresh
Search habits change so rapidly, a keyword that brought traffic this month, might not bring traffic the next. That’s why you should review your keywords from time to time. This way, you stay visible when the search queries change.
Updating your pages with refreshed keywords will show Google your website is active and looking for ways to provide the best possible content for searchers.
You don’t need to change the whole page, just some small changes are already enough.
The Power Of Google Search Console
When doing keyword research for your small business and monitoring the results, Google Search Console is your go-to tool. I use it all the time. It’s a free tool that shows you exactly how people find your website on Google including clicks, impressions, and position.
Based on this data, you should make your decisions, as this data is directly from Google itself. You can spot keyword opportunities that your pages are already ranking for, but your pages aren’t optimized for.
Paid vs Free Keyword Research Tools: Which One is Better for Your Business?
Choosing the right keyword research tool for your small business can be hard. These are the aspects you need to keep in mind.
Key Differences Between Paid and Free Tools
Free and paid keyword research tools might seem similar at first glance, but they offer very different experiences under the hood.
Here’s what separates them:
- Data depth & accuracy: Paid tools offer more reliable, up-to-date data, including exact search volumes, keyword difficulty, and competitor analysis.
- Feature set: With free tools, you’re often limited to basic suggestions. Paid platforms unlock advanced filtering, clustering, tracking, and SERP insights.
- User experience: Paid tools are typically smoother, faster, and come with support or tutorials—great for busy business owners.
- Volume & limits: Free tools often cap how many searches you can do per day or restrict features unless you upgrade.
So while free tools are great for dipping your toes in, paid platforms are better for deep dives and growth-focused strategies.
The Advantages of Paid Keyword Research Tools
If you’re serious about scaling your SEO strategy, paid tools can be a real game-changer.
Here’s what makes them worth the investment:
- Comprehensive keyword data: Tools like Semrush or Ahrefs provide data on traffic potential, CPC, keyword trends, and even SERP features.
- Competitor research: See exactly which keywords your competitors rank for and which ones you can outrank them on.
- Content gap analysis: discover keywords your competitors target that you don’t—perfect for planning your next blog or landing page.
- Ongoing tracking: Monitor how your rankings improve over time and tweak your strategy accordingly.
- Time-saving features: From keyword clustering to AI-driven suggestions, paid tools help you move faster and smarter.
Why Free Keyword Research Tools Can Still Be Effective
Free keyword research tools may be limited, but they still do the job to a certain degree. I’d recommend to check out this article with the five best free keyword research tools. These tools give you a solid starting point to understand what your audience is searching for and help you uncover useful keyword ideas without spending a dime.
They push you to rely more on real user behavior, observation, and search intent instead of just chasing numbers. In many cases, that’s exactly what Google is looking for.
As already mentioned above, Google Search Console is a must. This is completely free and your starting point!
