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To do keyword research, list your services and the areas you serve, collect the words customers actually use, expand the list with Google suggestions, Search Console and a keyword tool, check the search intent behind each phrase, judge how hard it is to rank by looking at the current results, then group the keywords and assign each group to one page. Prioritize the keywords that bring customers and that you can realistically win.
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. It decides which pages you build, what you call them and what you write on them. Get it right, and every page you publish has a clear job. Get it wrong, and you can spend months ranking for searches that never bring a single customer.
This guide walks through the exact process we use at MarketingFlow, refined over 9 years and more than 1,500 campaigns. To keep it practical, we will follow one example the whole way through: a plumbing company in Hamilton, Ontario that wants more calls from Google.
Step 1: Start with your services and areas
Before opening any tool, write down what you sell and where you sell it. For most local businesses, the best keywords are simply a service plus a place.
Our Hamilton plumber lists its services: emergency plumbing, drain cleaning, water heater installation, sump pumps, backwater valves and bathroom renovations. Then the areas it serves: Hamilton, the Mountain, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas and Burlington.
Combining the two gives an instant starting list: "drain cleaning hamilton", "water heater installation stoney creek", "emergency plumber ancaster" and so on. These are your seed keywords.
Step 2: Use the words your customers use
Customers rarely search the way businesses talk. A plumber might say "backflow prevention", while homeowners search "why is water coming up my basement drain". The best source of real customer language is your own inbox and phone.
- Read your last 20 quote requests and note the exact words people used.
- Ask whoever answers the phone which questions come up every week.
- Look at the questions customers ask during jobs or consultations.
- Check what people ask in local community groups and forums.
Our plumber finds customers often say "basement flooding", "no hot water" and "sewer backup" rather than technical terms. Those phrases go straight onto the list.
Step 3: Expand your list with Google
Google itself is one of the best free keyword tools. It shows you what real people search, in real time.
- Autocomplete: start typing a seed keyword and note the suggestions, such as "water heater installation cost" or "water heater installation near me".
- People Also Ask: the question box shows related questions you can answer in content.
- Related searches: the list at the bottom of the results page suggests other phrasings.
- Google Maps: search your service in Maps and note the categories and wording competitors use.
Step 4: Check Google Search Console
If your website already exists, Search Console shows the searches you already appear for, even if you rank on page two or three. These are often the fastest wins, because Google already connects your site to them.
Open the Performance report, look at queries with plenty of impressions but few clicks, and note any that match services you offer. A page sitting in position 11 to 20 for a valuable keyword can often reach page one with better content and a few more links.
Step 5: Use a keyword tool for volumes
Keyword tools estimate how many people search each phrase and how competitive it is. Treat the numbers as estimates, especially for small local searches, where tools often show zero even though real people search them.
| Tool | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Google Keyword Planner | Free with a Google Ads account | Search volume ranges and keyword ideas, especially for ads |
| Google Trends | Free | Seasonal patterns and comparing interest over time and by province |
| Google Search Console | Free | Searches your own site already appears for |
| Ahrefs | Paid | Search volumes, keyword difficulty and competitor keywords |
| Semrush | Paid | Search volumes, difficulty and competitor research |
Google Trends shows our plumber that searches for sump pumps and basement flooding rise every spring, so those pages need to be live and ranking before the thaw.
Step 6: Understand search intent
Search intent is the reason behind a search. It decides what type of page can rank. If you want a deeper definition of terms like this, see our SEO glossary.
| Intent | What the searcher wants | Example | Best page type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Informational | To learn something | how does a backwater valve work | Guide or blog post |
| Commercial | To compare options | tankless vs tank water heater | Comparison article |
| Transactional | To hire or buy now | water heater installation hamilton | Service page |
| Local | A business nearby | plumber near me | Google Business Profile and location page |
| Navigational | A specific website | company name plus "login" | Your brand pages |
The quickest way to check intent is to search the keyword and look at what ranks. If the top results are all guides, a sales page will struggle. If they are all service pages and map listings, a blog post will struggle.
Step 7: Judge how hard each keyword is
Keyword difficulty scores from tools are a useful starting point, but nothing beats looking at the actual results. Search each important keyword and ask:
- Are the top results large national brands, or local businesses like you?
- Do the ranking pages match the keyword closely, or only loosely?
- Are the ranking pages thin and outdated, or thorough and recent?
- Does a map pack appear, which means local signals matter a lot?
- How strong are the ranking sites? Our free DR checker helps you compare.
Our plumber finds that "plumber hamilton" is crowded with established companies, but "backwater valve installation hamilton" shows weaker pages. That makes the second keyword a smart early target.
Step 8: Group keywords into topics
Many keywords mean the same thing. "Water heater installation hamilton", "hot water tank replacement hamilton" and "new water heater hamilton" should all be targeted by one page, not three. Grouping prevents keyword cannibalization, where several of your pages compete for the same search.
Put keywords together when the same page would satisfy all of them. Split them when the intent is different, such as "water heater installation" (a service) and "how long does a water heater last" (a question).
Step 9: Map each group to one page
A keyword map is a simple table that assigns every keyword group to a single page. It becomes the plan for your website.
| Page | Main keyword | Related keywords | Intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| /water-heater-installation-hamilton/ | water heater installation hamilton | hot water tank replacement hamilton, tankless water heater hamilton | Transactional |
| /backwater-valve-installation/ | backwater valve installation hamilton | basement flooding prevention, sewer backup valve | Transactional |
| /emergency-plumber-hamilton/ | emergency plumber hamilton | 24 hour plumber hamilton, burst pipe repair | Transactional and local |
| /plumber-stoney-creek/ | plumber stoney creek | drain cleaning stoney creek, stoney creek plumbing | Local |
| /blog/how-long-does-a-water-heater-last/ | how long does a water heater last | signs your water heater is failing | Informational |
Step 10: Prioritize what to do first
You cannot build every page at once. Sort your keyword groups by two things: how valuable a customer from that search is, and how realistic it is to rank.
| Easier to rank | Harder to rank | |
|---|---|---|
| High business value | Do first: quick wins that bring customers | Plan next: build authority over several months |
| Lower business value | Do when time allows: supporting content | Skip for now |
For our plumber, backwater valves and Stoney Creek drain cleaning land in "do first". The broad "plumber hamilton" goes in "plan next", supported by local SEO work and steady links. You can see how this connects to Google Maps visibility on our local SEO services page.
Keyword research tips for Canadian businesses
- Use Canadian spelling on your pages. Colour, neighbourhood and centre, while knowing some people still search with US spelling.
- Include provinces where it helps. "Hamilton Ontario" can matter, especially for cities that share a name with places elsewhere.
- Consider French searches. In Quebec, Ottawa, New Brunswick and parts of Ontario, French keywords may need their own pages.
- Check language and community searches. In cities like Brampton, Mississauga and Surrey, many people add a language to their search.
- Watch seasonal demand. Canadian winters and spring thaws create big seasonal swings for home services.
Common keyword research mistakes
- Chasing the biggest keyword first. Broad, competitive terms take the longest. Start where you can win.
- Ignoring zero-volume local keywords. Tools often miss small local searches that still bring calls.
- Targeting the same keyword on several pages. Give each keyword group one clear page.
- Ignoring intent. A sales page will not rank for a "how to" search, and the reverse.
- Doing research once and never again. Review Search Console every few months for new opportunities.
What to do with your keyword list
Once your keyword map is ready, use it to fix titles and headings on existing pages, plan new service and area pages, and schedule helpful articles. Then work through the rest of our SEO checklist so Google can find and trust those pages. If you would rather have it done for you, every MarketingFlow plan includes keyword research, from $99 a month. See our SEO plans and prices.