Mastering Keyword Research for Your Home Cleaning Business

As a home cleaning business owner, you understand the importance of having a strong online presence to attract new customers. One of the most effective ways to improve your visibility online is through keyword research.

Keyword research involves identifying the words and phrases that your target audience is using to search for cleaning services in your local area. By incorporating these keywords into your website content, you can increase your chances of appearing in search engine results and driving more traffic to your site.

Answering Some Quick Questions About Local Keyword Research for Your Service Business

What is a Keyword Exactly?

A “keyword” is pretty close to what it sounds like. It’s a “word that is key” to helping Google (and other search engines) make sense of your website. What can be confusing is that a keyword doesn’t have to be one word.

“Cleaning” can be a keyword, but “move in cleaning services in sacramento california” is also a keyword. When a keyword is longer then two or three words, marketers call these long-tail keywords.

In general, the more and better keywords you use on your website, the better it performs when people search for what you do in your area.

What is Keyword Research?

Keyword research is anything you do to figure out what words people type into Google search to find the services you provide near them.

How Do You Conduct Local Keyword Research?

There are many different ways to go about local keyword research. Simple tasks include searching for what you do and looking at Google results. Google’s “people also ask” and “related searches” on a results page are also easy to do.

Digging deeper involves a bit more work, and that’s what we’re going to discuss in this blog.

How is Keyword Research for My Cleaning Business Going to Be Different from Any Other Service Business?

In many ways, how you do local keyword research is going to look similar to how other service business owners might do it. But being that you are a cleaning business, your keywords are going to be different based on the services you provide and the area you serve.

Will It Cost Me Any Money to Do Keyword Research?

While you can spend money to get more robust keyword research results, most of the work that you can do is completely free.

Importance of Keyword Research for Your Local Cleaning Business

Keyword research is crucial for local cleaning businesses because it helps you understand what your potential customers are looking for. When people search for cleaning services online, they typically include specific keywords related to their needs, such as "house cleaning," "maid service," or "deep cleaning."

Image Source: ZenMaid Magazine

By conducting keyword research, you can identify these keywords and tailor your website content to match what your target audience is searching for. This increases the chances of your website showing up in search results and attracts more qualified leads to your business.

In addition, keyword research also plays a vital role in local search engine optimization (SEO). When people search for cleaning services in their local area, search engines like Google prioritize websites that are optimized for local keywords.

By incorporating relevant local keywords into your website content, meta tags, and page titles, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in local search results. This, in turn, increases your visibility to potential customers in your immediate vicinity.

Understanding the Target Audience and Their Search Intent

Before diving into keyword research, it's important to understand your target audience and their search intent.

Image Source: Seer Interactive

Put yourself in their shoes and think about what they would search for when looking for cleaning services. Are they searching for general cleaning services or specific types of cleaning, like deep cleaning or move-out cleaning? Are they looking for recurring services or one-time cleaning?

By understanding their search intent, you can identify the keywords that will attract the right kind of customers to your business. To gain a deeper understanding of your target audience, you can also analyze your competitors.

Look at the keywords they are using on their websites and the types of services they are offering. This can give you insights into what keywords are effective in your local area and help you refine your own keyword strategy.

Conducting Local Keyword Research for Your Cleaning Business If Someone Else is Doing Your Website & Local SEO

Unless you are an experienced digital marketer, you should plan on working with an expert to build your website and optimize it for keywords. Many times, your webmaster may do some basic keyword research on your behalf.

That said, it’s important that you also take a little bit of time to tell your web or SEO team about the keywords you’re most interested in. 

Using Your Services and Location to Create Relevant Keywords

Did you know that every service you offer is a keyword? It's true.

As long as you name your services using terms that are common among your customers and prospects, such as "move in cleaning" or "kitchen deep clean", those are keywords up for grabs.

Using Your Service Area to Create Relevant Keywords

Additionally, you should add the cities, neighborhoods, and subdivisions to your service keywords. For example, if you own a house cleaning business in Sacramento, California, you can use the keyword "full service house cleaning el dorado hills sacramento" on one of your pages.

Conducting Local Keyword Research for Your Cleaning Business If You are Doing Local SEO Yourself (Not recommended unless you have digital marketing experience)

Now that you have a good understanding of your target audience and their search intent, it's time to conduct local keyword research for your cleaning business. There are several tools and resources available that can help you with this process.

Free Local Keyword Research Tools

Google Keyword Planner

One popular tool is Google Keyword Planner. This free tool allows you to enter keywords related to your cleaning business and provides you with data on search volume, competition, and suggested keywords. It's a valuable resource for identifying high-volume keywords that can drive more traffic to your website.

Google Keyword Planner search volume on keyword "house cleaning greenville sc"

Moz Keyword Explorer

Another tool to consider is Moz Keyword Explorer. This tool provides in-depth keyword analysis and helps you discover new keyword opportunities. It also provides data on keyword difficulty, which can help you prioritize your keyword targets based on how easy or difficult it is to rank for them.

How Moz Keyword Explorer Works

Categories and Tags on Directories and Review Sites

In addition to these tools, don't forget to leverage local directories and review sites. These platforms often provide valuable insights into the keywords that potential customers are using when searching for cleaning services in your local area.

If you look at competitors in your area via Google Maps, you can view their primary and secondary categories listed under the Services column. Each of these categories represents its own keyword.

Paid Local Keyword Research Tools

If you have a bit of digital marketing experience (along with the time it will take to manage your own local SEO), you may want to invest in a paid keyword research tool. These tools give you more insights and suggestions for keywords specific to your website, industry and area.

KWFinder

Like most of the providers listed below, there is a free version of KWFinder. But to get the best results, you should plan to invest at least $29 a month.

Jaaxy

Of this list here, Jaaxy has the best free trial, allowing you to do up to 30 free keyword searches. Once you run out of free searches, you should plan to invest at least $49 a month.

Ubersuggest

Neil Patel is a well-known SEO expert and founder of Ubersuggest. Paid plans start at $29 a month, and their free plan allows you to do 3 keyword searches a day.

Advanced SEO Platforms

Moz, SEMRush, and Ahrefs are among the favorite tools for SEO enthusiasts. These platforms will skyrocket your local search performance if you know how to use them.

To use these tools, you should plan to invest at least $99 a month, as well as a few hours a week initially to become familiar with the software.

Creating Website Content with Targeted Keywords

Once you have identified the keywords that are relevant to your cleaning business and have a good search volume, it's time to create website content that incorporates these keywords.

Choosing Keywords That are Easier to Rank For

When using tools like Google Keyword Planner or a paid platform, you should take a moment to look at the competition. Google rates this score by Low, Medium, or High. Other paid platforms rank competition on a score from 0-100. 

What you want to target are keywords that have high search volume but low competition. This means that a lot of people are searching for this keyword but few other websites are trying to rank for it. 

Optimizing Your Main Website Pages

Start by optimizing your homepage with your primary keyword and include it in your page title, meta description, and heading tags. This helps search engines understand what your website is about and improves your chances of ranking for that particular keyword.

Next, create individual service pages targeting specific keywords related to the services you offer. For example, if you offer house cleaning, create a dedicated page optimized for "house cleaning services" or "residential cleaning." This allows you to target specific keywords and provides potential customers with relevant information about the services they are interested in.

When creating content, make sure to write naturally and avoid keyword stuffing. Focus on providing valuable and informative content that answers your target audience's questions and addresses their pain points. By doing so, you not only improve your chances of ranking higher in search results but also establish yourself as an authority in the cleaning industry.

Creating Blogs Optimized for Keywords

Adding consistent blogs to your website targeting additional keywords is a great way to make steady gains in local search results. Make sure that each blog focuses on a different keyword than any other page on your website. Don’t forget to use longer keywords (long-tail keywords) so that you don’t run out of blog topics.

Conclusion and Key Takeaways for Mastering Keyword Research in the Cleaning Industry

In conclusion, mastering keyword research is essential for boosting your online presence as a home cleaning business.

By understanding your target audience, conducting local keyword research, and creating website content that incorporates targeted keywords, you can increase your visibility in search engine results and attract more qualified leads to your business. Remember to regularly monitor and analyze your keyword performance to identify new opportunities and make adjustments to your keyword strategy as needed.

Keyword research is an ongoing process that requires constant optimization and refinement. So, take the time to research and identify the keywords that will help your cleaning business stand out online. Incorporate them into your website content, and watch your online presence grow.

With a strategic keyword research approach, you'll be well on your way to dominating the local cleaning industry.