Most contractors chase the wrong keywords — the big obvious ones with the most searches and the least buying intent.
The four types worth having
- Service + town: 'roof replacement Lewes DE'. Lower volume, extremely high intent. This is where the money is.
- Problem-based: 'why is my AC blowing warm air'. Someone with a problem is one step from a phone call.
- Emergency: 'emergency plumber near me'. Highest intent of anything. Immediate conversion.
- Research: 'composite vs wood deck cost'. Earlier in the process, but it puts you in the consideration set months early.
Why 'near me' isn't a keyword to target
You don't optimize for 'near me' — Google handles proximity automatically from the searcher's location. Your job is to have a strong, complete local presence so you're the nearby result it picks.
Finding yours
- Write down every question customers ask on the phone. Those are keywords.
- Check Google's autocomplete for your service plus your town.
- Read the 'People also ask' box on searches you care about.
- Look at what your best-ranking competitor has pages for.
- Check your Search Console for terms you already show up for but rank poorly on.
One keyword per page
Each page targets one primary term and a handful of natural variations. Two pages targeting the same keyword compete with each other and both lose.
Volume isn't the goal
A keyword searched 40 times a month by people in your county who want exactly what you sell is worth more than one searched 8,000 times nationally.
Ten of those small, specific terms is a real lead pipeline.
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