Shocking Tips: How to Do Research for Local SEO

Local SEO research is the foundation for dominating search results in your area. With 8 in 10 U.S. consumers searching online for local businesses weekly, thorough research ensures you appear in the right place at the right time. In fact, 88% of local searchers visit or contact a business within 24 hours, so knowing how to do research for local SEO can directly translate into real-world customers. 

This guide reveals 10 shocking yet practical tips on how to approach local SEO research effectively. Whether you’re a beginner, a marketer, or a small business owner, these steps will help you uncover local keywords, understand your competition, and optimize your online presence to attract more local customers.

Define Your Local Market

Understanding how to do research for local SEO begins with clearly defining your local market. Identify the geographic area you serve and the characteristics of your target audience in that location. Are you targeting a single town, a city neighborhood, or multiple regions? Defining the scope of your local market will focus your research on the most relevant audience.

Dive into the specifics that make your area unique. Consider demographic details, local preferences, and even regional language quirks that might affect search behavior.

For example, people in one city might use different terms for a service than those in another. 

Knowing these nuances is part of how to do research for local SEO effectively. This localized understanding ensures that the keywords and content you develop will truly resonate with nearby customers.

Research your community’s needs and pain points. Explore local forums, social media groups, and community boards to see what questions people are asking. This on-the-ground research can uncover surprising insights about what local customers are looking for. By defining who and where your ideal customers are from the start, you set a strong foundation for all the steps in how to do research for local SEO that follow.

Identify Local SEO Keywords

A core step in how to do research for local SEO is identifying the right keywords. Local keyword research means finding the terms people in your area use when searching for your products or services. Start by brainstorming obvious keywords related to your business, then add local modifiers like your city, neighborhood, or phrases like “near me.”

For example, instead of just “plumber,” consider “plumber in [Your City]” or “emergency plumber near me.” These specific phrases are gold for local SEO.

Use keyword research tools to expand your list. Free tools like Google Keyword Planner or Google Autocomplete can suggest popular local search terms. Type in a service and see what suggestions pop up (e.g., “coffee shop in [Your City]”). There are also specialized SEO tools that let you filter keywords by location. 

Leveraging these tools is crucial in mastering how to do research for local SEO, because they provide data on search volume and competitiveness for local terms. Focus on keywords that have a healthy search volume in your area but aren’t overly competitive for a small business to rank for.

As you gather keywords, keep search intent in mind. A user searching “best [service] in [City]” is likely ready to choose a provider, whereas “how to fix [problem] [City]” might indicate they’re looking for DIY tips or general information. 

List out keywords in different categories: transactional (high intent to buy), informational, and navigational (like looking for a specific location). Identifying these keywords methodically is a vital part of how to do research for local SEO, ensuring you cover all the ways local customers might find you.

Analyze Local Competitors

Another shocking tip in learning how to do research for local SEO is to analyze your local competitors closely. Identify the top businesses that appear in search results for your target keywords and see what they are doing. Visit their websites and take note of the keywords they emphasize, the content they’ve created, and how their sites are structured. 

Observing a competitor’s meta titles, headings, and service pages can reveal which local SEO keywords they’re targeting. This competitor intelligence helps you find gaps and opportunities for your own strategy.

Perform a Google search for your service in your area and see who shows up in the Local Pack (the map and 3-pack listings) and the organic results. Click on the top competitors’ sites and analyze their content. Do they have dedicated location pages or blog posts about local topics? Do they feature customer testimonials or local case studies? 

Understanding these elements is part of how to do research for local SEO, it teaches you what’s working for others. You might discover, for example, that every top competitor has a page for “Service in [City],” indicating you should create one too if you haven’t already.

Beyond website content, look at competitors’ online presence as a whole. Check their Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) listings: What categories have they chosen? Do they have many reviews? 

Also, see if they’re listed on major directories or local listings sites. Analyzing where your competitors show up (and you don’t) can guide you on where to focus next. This competitive research is an eye-opening part of how to do research for local SEO, often revealing tactics or platforms you hadn’t considered but that clearly drive results in your local market.

Research Search Intent

Understanding how to do research for local SEO isn’t just about keywords, it’s also about why people search those terms. This is where researching search intent comes in. Search intent is the purpose behind a query: is the person looking to buy something, find information, or locate a specific place? For local SEO, intent can be very telling. 

For example, a search like “buy fresh flowers [City]” has a transactional intent (ready to purchase), whereas “wedding florist ideas [City]” might be more informational (researching options). Recognizing these differences will help you create content that precisely meets the searcher’s needs.

When you’re figuring out how to do research for local SEO effectively, categorize your target keywords by intent. Go through your keyword list from the previous steps and label each as informational, navigational, or transactional (commercial). Then, think about what content would best satisfy each intent. 

An informational query might be best served by a blog post or guide, while a transactional query should land the user on a service page or product page with clear calls to action. Aligning content with intent ensures that when a local user clicks through to your site, they find exactly what they’re looking for.

A handy trick is to actually Google the keywords you’re targeting and observe what types of results come up. Google’s results will often reflect the dominant intent of a query. If you search one of your terms and mostly see blog articles or “how-to” content, the intent is likely informational. 

If you search another term and see lots of business listings or product pages, that’s likely transactional. Incorporate these observations into your strategy. Researching search intent is a nuanced part of how to do research for local SEO, but it pays off by helping you create the right content and user experience for each local searcher.

Check Google SERPs for Localized Results

To truly grasp how to do research for local SEO, you need to spend time checking Google’s Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) for yourself. There’s no substitute for actually seeing what a local search results page looks like for your target terms. Perform searches for your main keywords and see how Google displays the results for users in your area. 

Pay attention to the “local pack” (the map with business listings) that often appears for local intent searches, as well as the organic listings below it. This hands-on research can reveal which competitors consistently appear and what content Google favors.

Look for localized features in the SERPs. Google often includes “Near me” suggestions, maps, star ratings, and even specific sections like “People Also Ask” or related searches at the bottom. These elements provide clues for how to do research for local SEO. For instance, the People Also Ask questions might highlight common queries related to your service (“How much does [service] cost in [City]?” or “What is the best [service] in [City]?”).

You can use these as ideas for content or FAQs on your site. The related searches can also suggest additional local keywords you might have missed in your earlier research.

Checking the SERPs also helps you verify whether your SEO efforts are moving the needle. If you’ve optimized for a term and you search it in Google (ideally in incognito mode or with location set to your city), are you appearing on the first page? If not, who is, and what are they doing differently? Make notes of the title tags and meta descriptions of top results - they often include strong local cues or unique selling points. 

Regularly auditing the live search results is a continuous part of how to do research for local SEO, ensuring that your strategy aligns with what Google is actually showing to your potential customers.

Audit Local Listings and Citations

A shocking yet vital tip in how to do research for local SEO is auditing your local listings and citations across the web. “Citations” are mentions of your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) on other websites - think online directories like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Yellow Pages, or industry-specific listings. 

Ensuring that your NAP information is consistent everywhere is crucial for local SEO. Inconsistencies (like using “Street” in one listing and “St.” in another, or an old phone number on some sites) can confuse customers and search engines alike.

Part of your research process should involve finding all these listings and verifying their accuracy.

Start with your Google Business Profile, since it’s arguably the most important listing. Claim your profile if you haven’t already, and make sure all details (business name, address, phone, website, hours, etc.) are correct and up to date. 

This profile heavily influences local rankings and is often the first thing searchers see. Next, make a list of other places your business might be listed. Common ones include Bing Places, Facebook, Apple Maps, Yelp, TripAdvisor (if relevant), the Better Business Bureau, and local chamber of commerce sites. 

Systematically search for your business name or use a tool to scan for existing citations. Auditing and correcting these listings is a foundational task when learning how to do research for local SEO because it strengthens your online credibility.

Also, research new citation opportunities. See where your competitors are listed - you might discover niche directories or local business indexes you didn’t know about. If they’re on a local business association website or a city-specific directory, consider getting your business listed there as well. The more quality citations you have (with consistent info), the more signals you send to search engines that your business is legitimate and relevant in your area. 

An audit of local listings might not sound exciting, but it’s one of those how to do research for local SEO tasks that can yield significant improvements in how confidently Google will rank you in local search.

Collect Customer Reviews and Feedback

Believe it or not, customer reviews play a key role in how to do research for local SEO. Reviews are not only a trust factor for potential customers but also a signal to search engines about your business’s prominence and quality. Start by researching the current state of your reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. How many reviews do you have, and what’s your average rating? 

What are customers praising or complaining about? This feedback is rich with insights. For instance, if multiple people mention a specific product, service, or location in their reviews, those words might be valuable keywords or content angles for you to emphasize.

Encourage more reviews from satisfied customers to boost both your reputation and your local SEO. Many consumers heavily rely on reviews when choosing a local business, and Google’s algorithm also takes review quantity and quality into account. 

When figuring out how to do research for local SEO, include a plan for gathering and analyzing reviews. You can simply ask happy customers to share their experiences online, or use follow-up emails and receipts with review links. As you collect new reviews, pay attention to the language people use. 

They might describe your business in ways you hadn’t thought of – those descriptions can inform keywords or messaging. For example, if reviewers frequently mention your “cozy atmosphere” or “speedy service,” that’s useful to know for your content.

Respond to the feedback you get. Thank customers for positive reviews and address concerns in negative ones. This not only shows prospects that you care, but it also feeds into engagement metrics that platforms track. 

From a research perspective, handling reviews is ongoing: always be learning from what your customers say. Their questions or issues might point you to new content ideas (like writing a Q&A section on your site addressing common confusions). 

In summary, part of how to do research for local SEO is mining your own reviews for data and maintaining a strong review profile to support your overall local search presence.

Leverage Local SEO Tools and Analytics

The next tip for how to do research for local SEO is to leverage the variety of SEO tools and analytics at your disposal. These tools can provide data-driven insights that manual research might miss. Start with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, both are free and invaluable. 

In Google Analytics, you can check the geographic data to see where your website traffic is coming from.

This can validate if you’re attracting visitors from your target local area or if perhaps another nearby town is showing interest that you haven’t directly targeted yet. 

In Google Search Console, use the Performance report and filter queries orclicks by location (you can set it to your country and even see by state/region).

This will show what search queries people use to find you and how you rank for them, which is fundamental to how to do research for local SEO on an ongoing basis.

There are also specialized local SEO tools that can supercharge your research. For example, tools like BrightLocal, Moz Local, or Semrush have features for local rank tracking, citation tracking, and finding local keyword opportunities. They can help audit your citations, monitor reviews, and track how you rank in map results over time.

Using these tools, you can uncover issues like missing listings or find new keywords that have significant local search volume. Leveraging such software effectively turns a lot of guesswork into concrete data, a game-changer in how to do research for local SEO with precision.

Don’t forget about broader tools like Google Trends or even social listening tools. Google Trends can show you if certain search terms are trending up or down in your region. For instance, if you see a spike in searches for “outdoor dining [City]” during summer, that's an insight you can use for content or promotions. Social media or community sites (local subreddits, Nextdoor, etc.) can also offer clues about local buzzwords or topics people care about. 

By combining analytics with these research tools, you get a well-rounded picture of your local SEO landscape. In short, part of mastering how to do research for local SEO is knowing how to interpret data and using the right tools to continuously inform your strategy.

Monitor Your Local SEO Performance

Research for local SEO isn’t a one-and-done task - it’s an ongoing process. A crucial tip for how to do research for local SEO over the long term is to continuously monitor your performance. Keep track of key metrics that reflect your local search presence. 

These include your rankings for important local keywords, the amount of organic traffic (and how much of it is coming from your area), and engagement metrics like click-through rates on your Google Business Profile or calls and direction requests from that listing.

Monitoring these metrics will show you what’s working and what might need adjustment.

Set up a regular schedule to review your local SEO performance. For example, you might check your keyword rankings and traffic monthly, and your Google Business Profile insights weekly. Many tools (as mentioned in the previous section) allow you to automate rank tracking for your chosen keywords in specific locations. 

If you see your business slipping in the rankings for “[service] in [City],” that’s a flag to investigate why, maybe a new competitor has appeared or someone updated their site. Staying vigilant is a big part of how to do research for local SEO, because the search landscape can change quickly due to competitors’ actions or search engine algorithm updates.

Also, monitor your competitor’s performance as part of this ongoing research. Set Google Alerts for competitor names or use SEO tools to compare your site’s health and backlinks with theirs. If a competitor suddenly gains a bunch of new backlinks from local websites or gets a surge of reviews, you’d want to know so you can respond competitively. 

By actively monitoring both your own metrics and the competitive environment, you’ll gather fresh data that feeds back into your research cycle. This proactive approach ensures that how to do research for local SEO becomes a continual improvement loop, rather than a one-time project.

Stay Updated and Refine Your Strategy

The final (and perhaps most shocking) tip on how to do research for local SEO is that the job is never truly finished. The world of SEO, especially local SEO, is always evolving. Search engines update algorithms, new features get introduced (for instance, Google might roll out a new local search feature or tweak how the map pack is displayed), and consumer search habits change over time. 

To stay ahead, you must keep yourself updated on these changes and refine your strategy accordingly. This means regularly reading credible SEO blogs, following industry experts, or even joining local business groups where SEO topics are discussed.

As you learn about new best practices or trends, circle back to your own local SEO strategy and see what can be improved. Maybe you discover that voice search is becoming more prevalent for local queries (“find a [service] near me” via smart speakers). 

In response, you might optimize your content to answer those spoken queries more directly. Or perhaps Google announces an update that values fresh content: you might decide to start a blog series about local tips or news to keep your site fresh. Adapting in this way is a critical aspect of how to do research for local SEO, because it ensures your approach stays current and effective.

Refining your strategy also comes from periodic re-research. Every few months, re-do some of your keyword research to catch any new terms gaining popularity. Revisit your competitors’ landscape to see if new players have entered or if someone has upped their SEO game. 

Look at your own business changes too, if you offer new services or have expanded to new areas, you’ll need to research those keywords and markets as well. In summary, staying informed and agile is the capstone to how to do research for local SEO. It keeps your local marketing efforts sharp and helps maintain the visibility you’ve worked so hard to build.

Take Action on Your Local SEO Research

Mastering how to do research for local SEO can dramatically improve your business’s visibility in local search results. By defining your market, finding the right keywords, analyzing competitors, and continually refining your approach, you build a strong foundation for local marketing success. 

Remember that each “shocking tip,” from auditing your citations to leveraging tools and staying updated, is meant to keep you a step ahead of the competition in connecting with local customers.

Implementing these tips will take some time and effort, but the payoff is worth it when your business starts attracting more local traffic and customers. You don’t have to do it all alone, either. Contact Built Marketing today for expert assistance in developing and executing a winning local SEO strategy. 

Our team can help you conduct thorough local SEO research, optimize your online presence, and turn those insights into real growth. With the right research and support, you’ll be well on your way to dominating your local market and seeing your small business thrive.