Keyword Research: A Plain-English Guide for Small Business Owners

Keyword research is the process of finding out what phrases your potential customers type into Google when they are looking for what you sell. It is the foundation of SEO: if you do not know the words people use, you cannot write pages that match those searches, and you cannot rank for them.

The good news is that basic keyword research does not require expensive tools. Google gives you most of what you need for free, and a few hours of methodical research will reveal more opportunities than most small business websites are currently capturing.

Start with what your customers actually say

The most common keyword research mistake is starting with technical tools and working outward. Start instead with the language your customers use when they call or email you. What do they say they are looking for? A plumber's customers say "burst pipe" and "boiler repair", not "residential plumbing services". A florist's customers say "wedding flowers Norwich" not "bespoke floral arrangements for weddings".

Write down twenty to thirty phrases your customers actually use. Then think about the stages of their journey — awareness ("how to fix a dripping tap"), consideration ("best plumber Norwich"), and decision ("plumber Norwich emergency"). Each stage needs different content and different keyword targets.

Use free Google tools to find real search volumes

Google Keyword Planner (free via Google Ads, no spend required) shows monthly search volumes and competition levels for any keyword. Type in your initial phrase list and it will suggest related terms with real data. Google Search Console (also free) shows which keywords your site already ranks for — often revealing opportunities you had not thought to target.

Google's autocomplete and "People also ask" sections are also valuable sources. Type your main phrase into Google and look at what auto-completes: those are real searches real people make. The "People also ask" section shows adjacent questions — each one is a potential page or FAQ section for your site.

Prioritise by intent and competition

Not all keywords are worth targeting equally. High-volume, generic keywords ("web design") are dominated by large national players. Local, specific keywords ("web design Dereham") have lower volume but are far more achievable for a local business. Focus first on three to five keyword phrases where the intent is clear (the person wants to buy or enquire) and where local competitors are not already dominant.

A phrase with 50 monthly searches that converts 10% of visitors to enquiries is far more valuable than a phrase with 5,000 searches that converts nobody. Search volume is a guide to demand, not a proxy for business value.

Build pages around specific phrases

Once you have your keyword list, map each target phrase to a specific page on your website. Your homepage targets your broadest term. Individual service pages target specific phrases. Location pages target "[service] [town]" combinations. A blog post targets a question or long-tail phrase your customers ask.

The key principle is one primary keyword per page. If you try to rank one page for "web design Norwich" and "SEO Norwich" simultaneously, Google cannot clearly identify which phrase the page is most relevant to. Dedicated pages with focused content rank more reliably than hybrid pages trying to cover too much.