For WordPress & Local Business Clients
In today’s competitive digital landscape, simply building a website isn’t enough — it must be discoverable. Keyword research is the foundation of every successful SEO strategy, helping you understand what your audience is searching for and how to meet that intent. Whether you’re optimizing your own WordPress site or helping a local business improve visibility, a solid keyword research workflow ensures your content reaches the right people at the right time.
🌱 Step 1: Define the Mission
Before diving into keyword tools, clarify three things:
- Who the site is for (the audience)
- What they offer (core services or products)
- Where they serve (local, regional, or global)
Example:
Target: small business owners in Alberta
Service: web design, SEO, and content creation
Goal: increase organic traffic and inquiries through local SEO
This foundation makes your keyword research focused and strategic.
🧠 Step 2: Brainstorm Seed Keywords
Start with 5–10 basic phrases real people might type to find the business. Keep it conversational and natural.
Example (for a local painter):
- house painter Wetaskiwin
- interior painting Camrose
- affordable home painting services
- best painters near me
- how much does home painting cost
Example (for a web developer):
- WordPress website design Alberta
- freelance web developer Wetaskiwin
- SEO website services Canada
- graphic design for small businesses
🔍 Step 3: Expand & Validate with Tools
Use keyword tools to discover related search terms and understand what people actually search for.
Recommended Tools:
- Google Keyword Planner — shows search volume & competition
- Google Autocomplete — type and note Google’s suggestions
- People Also Ask boxes — see related questions
- Ubersuggest or AnswerThePublic — visualize related topics
- Google Search Console — find real queries your site already ranks for
💡 Pro Tip: Go after low-competition, high-intent phrases like:
“affordable WordPress developer Alberta”
Instead of broad, high-competition ones like:
“WordPress developer”
🧩 Step 4: Group by Intent & Theme
Organize your keywords into logical clusters. Each cluster can guide a page or section of your website.
Example:
- Homepage: WordPress developer, web design Alberta
- Service Page: SEO services, website optimization
- Blog: how to improve local SEO, how to write meta descriptions
This becomes your content map for site structure.
🎯 Step 5: Choose Primary & Secondary Keywords
For each page or blog post, choose:
- Primary keyword: the main focus
- Secondary keywords: related or supporting phrases
Example (for an SEO services page):
- Primary: SEO services Alberta
- Secondary: content optimization, keyword research, website ranking improvement
Use these naturally in your titles, headings, and copy — avoid keyword stuffing.
📈 Step 6: Apply & Track
Once your content is live:
- Include your keywords in titles, headings, alt text, and the first paragraph.
- Use Yoast SEO or Rank Math to refine readability and optimization.
- After a few weeks, open Google Search Console → Performance tab → track impressions, clicks, and CTR.
Continue refining — tweak titles, update sections, or add supporting content based on performance.
⚡ Quick Reference Table
| Purpose | Tools | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Brainstorm ideas | Google Autocomplete, client insight | Seed keywords |
| Check demand | Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest | Volume & competition |
| Understand intent | Analyze SERP results | Searcher goal |
| Plan structure | Spreadsheet or Freedcamp | Keyword clusters |
| Track performance | Google Search Console | Clicks, impressions, CTR |
🧾 Summary
Keyword research is about discovering what your audience is truly searching for — then building content that meets that intent. By following this simple workflow, you can:
- Target the right traffic
- Strengthen your SEO foundation
- Create content that ranks and converts
Start small, track results, and refine your keywords as your site grows. That’s how you turn research into real-world visibility.