Most local businesses know they “should be doing SEO.”
Fewer know what that really means beyond trying to rank for <service> in <city>.
But local search is far richer than just plumber in london or dentist in leeds.
People search by neighbourhoods, landmarks, nearby towns, postcodes, problems, and even by the kind of night out they want rather than a specific venue.
If you only target one or two generic phrases, you’re leaving a lot on the table.
This guide walks through, in detail, how to find keywords for local SEO — from obvious service terms down to hyper-specific neighbourhood and landmark searches like restaurants near o2 institute birmingham.
The goal is simple: help your business show up in the searches that real local customers actually use.
Why local keyword research is different
Traditional keyword research focuses on national or global searches.
Local SEO lives in a smaller, messier world.
People searching locally:
- mix place names, postcodes and vague area terms (“near the station”, “in the city centre”)
- use “near me” instead of naming the area at all
- search on the go from phones, not laptops
- care more about proximity, convenience and reviews than brand
On top of that, Google personalises local results heavily.
Two people standing in different parts of the same city can see completely different maps and local packs.
So local keyword research isn’t just “take the main term and add the city.”
It’s understanding how people describe where they are, where they’re going, and what they need in that moment.
How people actually search for local businesses
Before you open any tools, it helps to think about how you’d search if you were the customer.
Location + service
This is the classic pattern:
- hairdresser in brixton
- estate agent in clifton bristol
- boiler repair manchester
Simple and direct.
These are your bread-and-butter terms.
“Near me” searches
Here, people let Google use their location:
- physio near me
- coffee shop near me
- emergency dentist near me
You can’t optimise for “near me” by stuffing those words into your site.
You show up there by being relevant, close, and consistent with your location signals.
Neighbourhood and micro-area searches
People often think in districts, not just cities:
- pizza in shoreditch
- florist notting hill
- barber northern quarter manchester
These are especially important in bigger cities where “London” is far too broad.
Landmark-based searches
This is where queries like restaurants near o2 institute birmingham come in.
People use landmarks, venues and transport hubs as anchors:
- hotels near kings cross station
- parking near manchester arena
- cocktail bars near covent garden
If your business lives near a landmark, these searches are gold.
Nearby town and “I’m willing to travel” searches
For services people will travel for — dentists, gyms, garages, children’s activities — you’ll see patterns like:
- dentist near warrington
- crossfit gym near reading
- kids football club near solihull
These searches creep beyond strict city limits and bleed into surrounding towns and commuter belts.
Problem-based local searches
Sometimes people don’t know what kind of business they need yet.
They just know the problem:
- toothache emergency london
- boiler leaking water birmingham
- car won’t start glasgow
These can be extremely high intent when they’re tied to a location.
The main types of keywords local businesses can target
Think of local keywords as a map.
You’re not just targeting one spot.
You’re covering a whole area of related searches.
1. Primary “money” keywords (service + city)
These are the highest priority terms — the ones that bring in people ready to buy:
- seo consultant cheltenham
- roofing contractor leeds
- family dentist cardiff
Usually, each main service + main city combo deserves its own strong page.
2. Neighbourhood and district keywords
These matter when:
- people strongly identify with their area
- your city is large or spread out
- customers care about walking distance, not just driving distance
Examples:
- physio clapham
- estate agent moseley birmingham
- cafe west didsbury
These keywords can influence both your on-page content and your Google Business Profile description.
3. Nearby town / wider area keywords
Great for businesses that serve a whole region from one or two branches:
- accountant near slough
- wedding photographer cotswolds
- private tutor near guildford
Here, you’re mapping how people describe their area when they’re willing to travel 20–40 minutes.
4. Landmark-based keywords
These target people who use points of interest instead of formal place names:
- restaurants near o2 institute birmingham
- bars near old trafford
- hotels near london bridge station
If you’re genuinely nearby, mentioning those landmarks naturally on your site can help you show for those searches.
5. Service + “near me” intent keywords
Again, you don’t optimise by repeating “near me”.
You show up by being relevant, local and trusted. But you still plan around those intents:
- emergency vet near me
- optician near me open now
- tyre repair near me
Think of these as “I want this close and I want it soon” searches.
6. Problem + location keywords
These often sit slightly earlier in the journey, but still very valuable:
- blocked drain brighton
- lost filling leicester
- cracked phone screen manchester
They’re ripe for emergency or same-day services.
7. Occasion and intent-based local keywords
Restaurants, bars and experience-led businesses see a lot of this:
- best bottomless brunch in liverpool city centre
- romantic restaurant in soho
- family friendly pub near cardiff bay
These are rich sources of higher-value bookings.
8. Branded and competitor local keywords
You’ll also see patterns like:
- <your brand> opening times
- <competitor> near me
- <competitor> vs <competitor> <city>
Branded searches help you understand how people already think of you.
Competitor searches are opportunities for comparison pages and ads, if you want to be more aggressive.
A step-by-step process to find local SEO keywords
Now let’s turn this into something practical you can repeat.
Step 1: List your locations and real-world service areas
Start simple:
- Write down each branch or office.
- Under each, list the neighbourhoods, districts and nearby towns you serve.
- Note any big landmarks you’re genuinely close to (stations, arenas, venues, shopping centres).
This becomes the backbone of your local keyword map.
Step 2: List your services the way customers describe them
Forget internal jargon.
Use the language customers actually use:
- teeth cleaning instead of “dental hygiene treatments” if that’s what people say
- boiler service rather than “heating system maintenance”
- car MOT rather than “vehicle inspection”
Later, you’ll combine these with your areas (e.g. boiler service nottingham).
Step 3: Combine services with your main city or town
This gives you your core set:
- boiler service nottingham
- teeth whitening glasgow
- wedding photographer bristol
Check each of these in a keyword tool if you like, but don’t obsess over exact volumes.
In local SEO, even low volume can be enough to matter.
Step 4: Layer in neighbourhood and district modifiers
Now go more granular:
- boiler repair southwark
- dentist chorlton
- hairdresser hove
These might not show up cleanly in tools, but they’re often used in real life — especially in bigger cities.
Step 5: Add landmark and “near” searches where relevant
Look at what’s genuinely near you:
- train and tube stations
- music venues and stadiums
- universities and colleges
- hospitals
- shopping centres or retail parks
Create a shortlist like:
- coffee shop near manchester piccadilly
- hotel near st pancras
- restaurants near o2 institute birmingham
These might turn into content sections, FAQ snippets, or location page copy — not always separate pages.
Step 6: Pull ideas from Google itself
Type your main terms into Google and look at:
- Autocomplete suggestions
- “People also ask” questions
- Related searches at the bottom of the page
These show real query patterns, including:
- “open now” searches
- “best” and “top” modifiers
- “cheap” or “affordable” variants
- feature-specific searches (e.g. dog friendly pub leeds)
Step 7: Talk to your own staff
This sounds basic, but it’s often the best step.
- Ask receptionists what people say when they call.
- Ask sales staff how customers describe your service.
- Ask frontline staff what customers say about where they came from.
Every phrase they repeat back is a potential keyword angle.
Where to look for real-world local keyword ideas
Tools are useful.
Real customers are better.
1. Google Business Profile data
Inside your Google Business Profile dashboard, you’ll see queries that triggered your listing.
These can be messy, but they reveal:
- brand searches
- generic service searches
- “near me” style phrases
- odd long-tail queries you wouldn’t have guessed
Capture anything that looks like a useful pattern.
2. Search Console
Filter by country and look at queries that bring people to:
- your homepage
- location pages
- service pages
You’ll often find:
- misspellings of your town or area
- extra modifiers (“open late”, “parking”, “weekend”)
- specific location phrases you never targeted directly
3. Review platforms
On Google, Trustpilot, Tripadvisor and others, read how customers describe you and competitors.
Pay attention to:
- location phrases (“right by the station”, “just off the high street”)
- service language (“same day repair”, “evening appointments”)
- neighbourhood terms people naturally use
4. Local Facebook groups and community forums
Search your service type in local groups:
- “good chiropractor near [area]?”
- “any recommendations for a dog groomer in <district>?”
- “best roofer in <town>?”
This shows you how people really talk about the area and the job they want done.
5. Your own contact forms
If you ask “how did you find us?” or “where are you based?”, you already have hidden location data.
Review it and check how customers describe their area — that wording matters.
How to prioritise and map local keywords to your site
Once you’ve collected a long list, you need to organise it.
That’s where most people get overwhelmed.
Group keywords by intent and geography
Create simple buckets:
- main service + main city
- main service + neighbourhood
- main service + nearby towns
- landmark-related searches
- problem-led searches
- occasion/experience searches (for food, venues, events)
Then decide which bucket maps to which type of page.
Typical local keyword → page mapping
- Service + main city → main service pages (e.g.
/boiler-repair-manchester/) - Service + neighbourhood → used in headings, on-page copy and Google Business Profile, sometimes on location pages
- Nearby town phrases → included in location page content or, selectively, separate service-area pages (used carefully)
- Landmark searches → mentioned in your location page (“5 minutes’ walk from…”, “around the corner from…”)
- Problem searches → blog posts or FAQ-style content that link back to service pages
- Occasion keywords → dedicated landing pages if the opportunity is big enough (“bottomless brunch in [area]”)
The goal isn’t to create a separate page for every keyword variant.
It’s to ensure your most important pages reflect the real ways people search.
Common mistakes in local keyword research
Local SEO isn’t just about finding more keywords.
It’s about finding the right ones and using them sensibly.
1. Cloning pages for every tiny town and village
Endless thin pages like /plumber-in-small-village-1/, /plumber-in-small-village-2/ rarely perform well.
They dilute authority and create maintenance headaches.
It’s usually better to:
- focus on key towns
- mention surrounding areas on those pages
- let your Google Business Profile and citations handle the finer-grain location signals
2. Ignoring neighbourhood terms because tools say “0”
Local search data is messy.
If your gut and your customers say people use the term, don’t let “0 volume” in a tool scare you off.
3. Writing for Google only, not real people
Stuffing plumber in leeds ten times into a paragraph doesn’t help.
Google is far better at understanding context than it used to be.
Customers are impatient with clunky copy.
4. Forgetting that local SEO lives beyond keywords
Keywords work best when they’re supported by:
- accurate Google Business Profiles
- strong reviews
- consistent NAP (name, address, phone) details
- good on-page experience
Keyword work without these foundations is always less effective.
Final thoughts
Finding keywords for local SEO isn’t about building the longest spreadsheet.
It’s about understanding how people in your area talk, search and decide.
Cover your basics: service + city.
Then go deeper: neighbourhoods, nearby towns, landmarks, problems, occasions.
Use Google’s own suggestions, your customers’ language and your staff’s experience.
If you do that, your keyword list stops being an abstract SEO task and becomes what it should have been from the start — a map of how local customers look for businesses like yours.