Keyword research without expensive tools
You don't need a subscription to find out what your customers search for. Five free sources and how to read them.
Keyword tools are useful and most small businesses don't need one to get started. The questions your customers ask are already visible if you know where to look.
1. Google's autocomplete
Start typing what you do into Google and watch the suggestions. Those are real searches, ordered roughly by popularity.
Type "roof repair" and you'll get "roof repair near me," "roof repair cost," "roof repair contractors." Each suggests a different intent — location, price, provider.
Work the alphabet: type your term plus each letter and note what appears. It's tedious and it works.
2. People Also Ask
Search your main term and look at the "People also ask" box. These are literal questions people type, provided by Google.
Expand one and more appear. Ten minutes gives you a genuine list of what your market wants to know — and each of those questions is a potential article that answers a real search.
3. Related searches
Scroll to the bottom of any results page. The related searches there show you how people phrase the same need differently, and often reveal terms you'd never have guessed.
4. Google Keyword Planner
Free with a Google Ads account. You don't have to run ads to use it, though volume figures are shown in wide ranges unless you're spending.
Even the ranges are enough for the decision that matters: is this a term hundreds of people search each month, or nobody?
5. Your own inbox and phone
The most underused source.
What do customers actually ask on the phone? What's in your emails? What does your team get asked repeatedly?
These are real questions in real language from real buyers. They tend to convert better than anything from a tool, because they come from people who actually purchased.
Reading intent, which matters more than volume
Volume tells you how many people search. Intent tells you whether they'll buy. Intent matters more.
Four rough types:
Navigational — looking for a specific business. "Smith plumbing kansas city." Informational — learning. "Why is my water heater leaking." Commercial — comparing. "Best water heater brands." Transactional — ready. "Water heater replacement near me."
Transactional terms convert best and are most competitive. Informational terms bring people earlier, in larger numbers, at lower cost — useful if you're willing to be patient.
Most small businesses should start with transactional and commercial terms in their service area, then build informational content once the money pages are working.
The realistic filter
Before writing anything, ask three questions.
Do people actually search this? If you can't find evidence, don't build a page around it.
Can I realistically compete? Search it and look at who ranks. If page one is national brands with huge authority, a new local site won't break in on that term. Get more specific — add the city, the qualifier, the variant.
Would this person buy from me? "How to fix a leaky tap yourself" gets traffic and attracts people who explicitly don't want to hire anyone.
Where to start
Make a list of every service you offer. For each, note the obvious search terms with location. Those are your service pages.
Then take the five questions you're asked most on sales calls. Those are your first articles.
That's a genuine keyword strategy and it costs nothing. Buy a tool when you've exhausted it — not before.
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