How to Do Keyword Research for Your Small Business Website: A Step-by-Step UK Guide

Keyword research is the process of identifying the exact words and phrases your potential customers type into Google when looking for what you offer. Get it right and your website gets found by people who are ready to buy. Get it wrong — or skip it altogether — and you’re creating content that nobody searches for.

Most UK small business websites either don’t do any keyword research at all (and guess what people search for) or target keywords that are far too competitive for a new or small website to rank for. This step-by-step guide shows you how to find the right keywords — ones with real search volume, manageable competition, and genuine intent to hire or buy.

---

Keyword research is the foundation of all SEO work. Before you can optimise a page or write a piece of content that ranks, you need to know:

• What search terms your target customers actually use
• How many people search for those terms each month
• How competitive those terms are
• What the searcher intends to do (buy, learn, compare, find a local business)
• Which keywords you can realistically rank for given your current site authority

Without this information, you’re guessing. You might write a brilliant service page for “digital marketing solutions” when your customers are actually searching for “SEO agency Bristol” or “Google Ads management small business.” Good keyword research closes that gap between how you describe what you do and how your customers search for it.

---

Search intent is what a person actually wants when they type a query into Google. It’s the most important factor in deciding whether to target a keyword — because if your page doesn’t match what the searcher wants, Google won’t rank it even if everything else is perfect.

Intent Type	What the Searcher Wants	Example Keywords	Best Page Type
Informational	To learn something	“how does SEO work”, “what is a bounce rate”	Blog posts, guides, FAQs
Commercial	To compare options before buying	“best SEO agency Bristol”, “SEO vs PPC”	Comparison articles, case studies
Transactional	To buy or hire right now	“SEO services Bristol”, “hire web designer”	Service pages, product pages
Navigational	To find a specific website	“WP Web Tool contact”, “Yoast SEO login”	Homepage, brand pages

The most commercially valuable keywords for small businesses are typically transactional (people looking to hire or buy right now) and commercial (people researching their options). Informational keywords drive traffic and build topical authority, which indirectly supports your transactional pages.

---

Seed keywords are the broad, obvious terms that describe your business. They’re your starting point — not necessarily the terms you’ll end up targeting, but the foundation you build your keyword list from.

To generate your seed keywords, answer these questions:

• What services or products do you offer? (List each one individually)
• What problems do your customers have that you solve?
• What words would a customer who has never heard of you type into Google to find someone like you?
• What location do you serve? (for local businesses)

Example seed keywords for a Bristol web design agency: web design, web designer, website design, WordPress website, website development, web agency, website build, website cost, SEO, local SEO, Google Ads

Don’t worry about search volume or competition at this stage — just brainstorm every relevant term you can think of. You’ll refine and expand these in the next steps.

---

Once you have your seed keywords, use free tools to discover what people are actually searching for — including terms you might never have thought of.

Google Search Console

If your website is already live and indexed, Google Search Console is your best free keyword data source. Go to Performance → Search Results and click “Queries” to see exactly which search terms are currently bringing visitors to your site. These are real, verified keywords from real UK searchers. Filter to the UK specifically and look for queries where you’re in position 5–20 — these are close-to-ranking opportunities.

Google Keyword Planner

Free with a Google Ads account (you don’t have to run ads to use it). Enter your seed keywords and Google Keyword Planner shows related search terms along with monthly search volume ranges. Set the location to United Kingdom and the language to English to get UK-specific data. Note: Search volume is shown as ranges (100–1,000) in the free version; exact volume requires an active campaign spend.

Google Search Suggestions

Type your seed keywords into Google and observe what appears:

• Autocomplete — The suggestions that appear as you type are real search queries from other users
• People Also Ask — The expandable question boxes on the results page show related questions — these are often excellent long-tail keyword opportunities
• Related searches — The suggestions at the bottom of the page show related terms people also search for

AnswerThePublic

Free (with a daily search limit). Enter a seed keyword and AnswerThePublic generates hundreds of question-based searches: who, what, when, where, why, how. Excellent for finding informational content opportunities and FAQ topics. Set the country to UK for localised results.

AlsoAsked

Shows the “People Also Ask” structure from Google search results, organised into a visual tree. Free for a limited number of searches per day. Very useful for identifying question-based content opportunities.

---

Your competitors have often already done significant keyword research — and their rankings tell you which terms work in your industry. Analysing their keywords is one of the fastest ways to build a strong keyword list.

Manual competitor analysis (free):

1. Search for your seed keywords in Google (use incognito mode and set location to your target area)
2. Identify which 3–5 local competitors consistently appear for multiple relevant searches
3. Visit their websites and note the page titles, headings, and content on their service pages — these reveal the keywords they’re targeting
4. Look at their website navigation for services or pages you might be missing

Using free tools:

• Ubersuggest (free tier) — Enter a competitor’s URL and see which keywords they rank for and how much traffic each keyword drives
• Semrush (free account, limited searches) — Shows top organic keywords for any domain
• Similarweb (free, limited data) — Shows traffic sources and top search keywords for competitor sites

The goal isn’t to copy competitors — it’s to identify keywords they’re ranking for that are relevant to your business, then create better content targeting the same terms.

---

By now you should have a list of dozens or hundreds of potential keywords. It’s time to evaluate each one against three criteria to decide which to prioritise.

1. Search Volume

How many people search for this term per month in the UK? A keyword with zero searches is worthless even if it perfectly describes your service. A keyword with 10,000 monthly searches is attractive but likely very competitive.

For small business websites, targeting a mix of keyword volumes works well:

Monthly Search Volume (UK)	Opportunity Level	Competition Typically
10,000+	High traffic potential	Very competitive — difficult for new sites
1,000–10,000	Good traffic potential	Competitive — requires strong content and authority
100–1,000	Solid for most small businesses	Moderate — achievable with quality content
10–100	Lower volume but often high intent	Low — often quick wins, especially locally

2. Keyword Difficulty

How hard is it to rank for this keyword? Keyword difficulty is measured by tools like Semrush and Ahrefs on a 0–100 scale based on the authority of sites currently ranking. For most small business websites, targeting keywords with a difficulty score below 30–40 is realistic. Keywords above 60 typically require significant authority to compete for.

3. Business Relevance

Does ranking for this keyword bring you customers who want what you offer? A Bristol plumber shouldn’t target “plumbing history” even if it has low competition — those searchers aren’t looking to hire a plumber. Relevance and commercial intent always trump volume.

---

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases. They have lower search volume individually but are dramatically easier to rank for — and they often convert better because the searcher’s intent is much clearer.

Short-tail vs long-tail comparison:

Short-Tail Keyword	Long-Tail Equivalent	Why the Long-Tail Wins
web designer	web designer for small business Bristol	Local intent + specific buyer type = much easier to rank; higher conversion
plumber	emergency plumber Bristol south	Local + urgent = ready to hire right now
SEO	affordable SEO for small business UK	Budget-conscious buyer clearly defined
accountant	accountant for sole trader Bristol	Specific business type = perfect audience match

Think about every modifier you can add to your seed keywords: location, service type, customer type, budget level, urgency, time frame. Each modifier creates a long-tail variation that’s more specific, more rankable, and often more commercially valuable than the head term.

---

Each page on your website should target a primary keyword and a small cluster of closely related secondary keywords. Targeting the same primary keyword on multiple pages causes “keyword cannibalism” — your pages compete against each other and neither ranks as well as it could.

Keyword mapping for a small business website:

• Homepage — Your broadest, highest-intent brand + location keyword (e.g. “web design Bristol”)
• Service pages — One primary keyword per service (e.g. “SEO services Bristol,” “Google Ads management Bristol”)
• Location pages — If you serve multiple areas, create individual location pages (e.g. “web design Bath,” “web design Clifton”)
• Blog posts and resource pages — Informational keywords (e.g. “how to improve website speed,” “what is SEO”)
• FAQ or resource sections — Question-based and long-tail keywords

Keep a simple spreadsheet tracking: page URL, primary keyword, secondary keywords, and current ranking position. Update this monthly as your rankings improve. Our on-page SEO service handles keyword mapping and page-by-page optimisation as part of a full SEO strategy.

---

With a mapped keyword list, the final step is deciding where to focus first. Quick wins come from keywords where you’re already close to ranking — positions 5–20 in Google — because a relatively small improvement (better content, more internal links, a few backlinks) can move you onto page one and deliver traffic much faster than starting from scratch.

Prioritisation framework:

• Highest priority: Keywords where you rank positions 5–15 with transactional or commercial intent. These are your biggest near-term revenue opportunities — a page-one ranking for a “hire [service] Bristol” keyword can be transformative
• Second priority: Transactional keywords where you have no current content. Create dedicated service or location pages
• Third priority: Informational keywords that support your main services. These build topical authority and funnel informational visitors toward your commercial pages
• Ongoing: Long-tail keywords for resource/blog content — low competition, compounds over time, builds overall site authority

---

If your business serves a specific geographic area, local keyword research is where you’ll find the highest-converting, most achievable opportunities. Local keywords combine your service with a location and often have strong transactional intent.

Types of local keywords to target:

• [service] + [city] (e.g. “web designer Bristol”)
• [service] + [neighbourhood] (e.g. “plumber Clifton”)
• [service] near me (captured by Google using location data)
• best [service] in [city] (commercial intent comparison)
• [service] + [city] + price/cost
• [service] + [nearby area] (e.g. “web design Bath”, “web design Weston-super-Mare”)

For Bristol businesses, don’t just target “Bristol” — also research neighbourhood-level searches for Clifton, Bedminster, Redland, Stokes Croft, Fishponds, Weston-super-Mare, and Bath. These often have lower competition and highly local intent. Read our Local SEO for Bristol Businesses guide for a deeper look at local search strategy.

---

Tool	Cost	Best For	UK Data?
Google Search Console	Free	Seeing what keywords your site already ranks for	Yes
Google Keyword Planner	Free (Google Ads account)	Volume estimates, seed keyword expansion	Yes (filter by UK)
AnswerThePublic	Free (limited) / £7/mo	Question and informational keyword discovery	Yes (UK option)
Ubersuggest	Free (limited) / £20/mo	Competitor analysis, keyword suggestions	Yes
Semrush	Free (10 searches/day) / £99/mo	Comprehensive keyword research and competitor analysis	Yes
Ahrefs	£83/mo+	The most comprehensive keyword and backlink tool	Yes
Keywords Everywhere	Credit-based (~£0.01/credit)	Volume data shown in Google search as you browse	Yes

For most small businesses starting out, Google Search Console + Google Keyword Planner + AnswerThePublic provides everything you need at zero cost. Invest in a paid tool like Semrush when you have a more established site and need deeper competitive intelligence.

---

How many keywords should I target per page?

Each page should have one primary keyword and typically 3–7 secondary keywords (closely related terms and variations). Don’t try to target 20 different keywords on one page — your content will lack focus and won’t rank well for any of them. A page that clearly answers one topic in depth will always outperform a page trying to cover everything.

What is keyword density, and does it matter?

Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword appears relative to total word count. It’s largely an outdated concept. Modern Google doesn’t reward stuffing a keyword in every paragraph — it understands synonyms, related terms, and context. Write naturally for your reader, include your keyword in the title, first paragraph, and a few headings, and use natural variations throughout. That’s all the “keyword optimisation” your content needs.

Can I rank for keywords my competitors are dominating?

Yes, but it takes time and depends on competition level. If the search results for your target keyword are full of large, established brands with strong authority, a new small business website won’t outrank them quickly. The smarter approach: target more specific, lower-competition long-tail variations of those keywords, build authority over time, and then compete for the higher-volume terms from a stronger position.

How often should I do keyword research?

A thorough keyword research exercise when you build or refresh your website is the starting point. After that, review and update your keyword map every 3–6 months. Markets change, new search trends emerge, and your own rankings shift — regular keyword research keeps your strategy current. Also do a fresh round of research before creating any significant new piece of content.

What’s the difference between a keyword and a search query?

A search query is the exact text someone types into Google. A keyword is what you target — a generalised term derived from your analysis of multiple related search queries. When you target the keyword “web designer Bristol”, you’re aiming to rank for many related queries: “web designers in Bristol,” “Bristol web designer,” “website designer Bristol UK,” and so on.

Should I target the same keywords as my biggest competitors?

Not necessarily — especially as a new or small site. Your biggest competitors have years of authority and hundreds of backlinks. Trying to rank for the exact same keywords head-to-head is a long, uphill battle. A better strategy: find the gaps in their keyword coverage — terms they don’t rank for or rank poorly for — and build authority there first.

---