Keyword Research Guide: Example based on Plumbers in New York
Imagine you’re a top-notch plumber in New York City. You’ve got years of experience, happy customers, and the skills to fix any leak or clog.
Yet, when someone in your neighborhood searches online for a plumber, does your name pop up? If not, you might be invisible to a huge pool of customers actively looking for services like yours.
Why does this happen, and how can you change it? The answer lies in understanding what people are searching for and making sure your website speaks the same language. That’s where keyword research comes in.
Keyword research might sound technical, but at its heart, it’s about listening to your customers. It’s like reading minds – or better yet, listening to the questions people ask when they need a plumber.
For example, when a frantic homeowner in Brooklyn types “emergency plumber near me” at 2 AM, will they find you? By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to make sure the answer is yes.
We’ll walk through why keyword research matters (starting with why – just like Simon Sinek advises), break down the key elements and types of keywords, and give you a step-by-step plan to find the best keywords for a New York plumbing business. Along the way, we’ll use real-world examples (think drain cleaning, water heater repair, and those dreaded midnight pipe bursts) so it all feels relevant and practical.
Let’s dive in with a simple question that drives everything else: What is keyword research, and why should you care?
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of finding out the exact words and phrases people type into search engines (like Google) when they’re looking for something. In our case, it means finding out what people search for when they need plumbing services.
Keyword research involves “finding and analyzing search terms that people enter into search engines”.
In plain English, it’s figuring out what your potential customers are asking so you can provide the answer.
Think of it this way: If you could stand beside a potential customer and hear their thoughts when their pipe bursts, you’d probably hear something like “How do I stop a leak?” or “best emergency plumber in New York”. Those thoughts are keywords when typed into Google.
Doing keyword research is like discovering those thought bubbles so you can make sure your website has the answers.
Why does this matter? Imagine you write a blog post about “innovative flange installation techniques” – it’s detailed and accurate, but if no one in New York is searching for “flange installation techniques,” that post won’t bring you any visitors.
You’d have created great content in a vacuum. Keyword research ensures you’re writing content (or crafting pages) about things real people actually search for. It bridges what you want to say and what your customers want to know.
To put it in a simple analogy, keywords are like the bridges between a plumber’s website and a customer’s query. If the bridge isn’t there, the customer goes elsewhere. Keyword research helps you build that bridge.
It’s a bit like choosing the right sign to put on your shop window – if you fix leaks, you want a sign that says “We fix leaks” because that’s what people understand and look for. On the internet, your “sign” is the keywords on your website and ads.
So, in a nutshell, keyword research means finding the exact words people use when they look for plumbing help, and then using those words in your website content so you and your customers speak the same language online.
Why keyword research is important
Why should a busy plumber care about keyword research? Let’s start with a quick fact: 97% of people use online media to search for local services. Yes, nearly everyone turns to Google or other online tools when they need a local business, including plumbers.
If your plumbing business isn’t showing up for the searches people are doing, it’s almost like your business doesn’t exist for those potential customers.
Here’s another eye-opener: 76% of people who search on their smartphones for a nearby business (like a plumber) visit or contact that business within a day.
That means if someone in New York grabs their phone and looks up “clogged drain service Queens” or “water heater repair near me,” they’re very likely to call a plumber that same day.
If you can be the plumber they find, you stand a great chance of getting that call and winning a new customer. If you’re not in those search results, that business likely goes to a competitor.
Keyword research is important because it helps you get in front of the people who are already looking for the services you offer. Instead of pushing out ads to people who might not be interested, you’re pulling in people who have a broken faucet, a flooded basement, or an ice-cold shower and need help right now. These are high-intent customers – they have a problem and they want a solution ASAP.
Let’s use a quick story to illustrate: Imagine two plumbers, Alice and Bob. Alice guesses what terms people search and writes about “top-notch pipe refurbishment.” Bob, on the other hand, does some keyword research and finds that more people search for “pipe leak repair in NYC.”
Bob uses that phrase on his website and writes a helpful guide about it. When a New Yorker’s pipe leaks and they search for help, whose page do you think shows up – Alice’s or Bob’s? Most likely Bob’s, because he aligned his content with the exact words people used. Bob gets the call, Alice doesn’t.
In short, keyword research guides your content and SEO strategy to match what real customers are searching for. It’s the difference between broadcasting into the void and joining the conversation already happening in your customer’s head.
If you skip keyword research, you might optimize your website for phrases nobody uses – a bit like setting up your plumbing shop in a ghost town where no customers pass by.
On the flip side, doing keyword research helps you focus on high-value keywords – those that lots of people search for, that fit your business, and that you have a shot at ranking for.
There’s also a competitive angle. Proper keyword research can reveal who your real online competitors are and what they’re targeting. As one SEO expert noted, it “determines who your competitors are and which area of the search landscape you can rank for”.
For example, you might discover that big directory sites (like Yelp or HomeAdvisor) dominate “NYC plumber” searches, but there’s an opportunity to rank for a more specific term like “24-hour plumber Brooklyn.” Knowing this helps you find your SEO sweet spot – where you can rank well and attract customers.
Finally, keyword research isn’t just about SEO and Google rankings. It gives you insights into your customers’ questions and concerns. If many people search “water heater making noise,” that tells you something – maybe you should write a blog post about noisy water heaters or mention that in your service page.
It’s market research. By understanding popular searches, you understand your audience better. You can even improve your services or FAQs around what people care about.
To sum up, keyword research is important because it:
Connects you with customers actively looking for your services. (High intent leads, ready to call a plumber.)
Maximizes your visibility in search results, so your business isn’t hidden while competitors get the spotlight.
Reveals opportunities and gaps – showing where you can outrank others or what niche questions you can answer.
Saves you time and money by focusing your marketing on terms that actually get traffic and bring business (instead of guessing in the dark).
Now that we’ve covered the “what” and “why,” let’s break down some core concepts of keyword research – the ingredients that make a keyword valuable for you. We’ll look at the three key elements of keyword research that you should always consider before deciding to target a keyword.
What are the three elements of keyword research?
Not all keywords are equal. When deciding which keywords to focus on, SEO experts usually consider three main elements: relevance, authority, and volume.
Think of these as the three legs of a stool – remove one, and your strategy might wobble. Let’s unpack each element in simple terms:
1. Relevance (Search Intent): This is the most important element. Google will only rank your content for a keyword if your content is relevant to what the searcher actually wants. This is where matching the search intent comes in.
For example, if someone searches for “how to fix a leaky faucet,” they likely want a step-by-step guide (informational intent), not a page saying “hire me to fix your faucet” – at least not immediately.
On the other hand, if someone searches “emergency plumber in Manhattan tonight,” they probably want to find and call a plumber right now (transactional intent). You need to choose keywords that match the services or information you genuinely provide – and then create the best, most helpful content for those searches.
In short, relevance means picking keywords that actually relate to what you offer and what your ideal customer is looking for.
2. Authority (and Competition): Google gives more weight to content from sources it trusts. In SEO terms, that means sites with a higher authority (which often comes from having lots of quality content and backlinks from other reputable sites).
If the keywords you want to rank for are dominated by big authorities, you’ll have a hard time cracking page one unless you build up your site’s authority too. For a local plumber, authority might come from being mentioned on local news or blogs, having many positive reviews, and consistently putting out useful content.
Consider the competition: Are the current top results for a keyword from huge nationwide websites or well-known brands? If so, that keyword might be tough.
For instance, trying to rank a new site for “best plumbing fixtures” against Home Depot and Lowe’s would be an uphill battle. However, on more local or specific searches, you might see other small businesses ranking – which means you can compete there.
Always gauge how attainable a keyword is. If a keyword’s SERP (search engine results page) is “loaded with heavy sources you can’t compete with (like Forbes or The Mayo Clinic)”, your chance of ranking is lowerblog.hubspot.com. Instead, target keywords where you see businesses like yours on page one.
3. Volume (Search Popularity): This is the number of times people search for a given keyword, usually measured as monthly search volume (MSV). Volume tells you how popular a search term is. If a keyword has a high volume, many people are searching for it each month.
Ranking for it could bring in a lot of visitors. However, if volume is too low (like only 10 people search it a month), even if you rank #1, it won’t bring you much traffic. As one guide put it, ranking first for a keyword no one searches is like setting up a shop in a ghost town. – You won’t get customers because nobody passes by. That said, bigger isn’t always better.
A super high-volume keyword (e.g. “plumber”) is usually very broad and very competitive. Sometimes a medium-volume keyword that’s more specific (“plumber for water heater installation NYC”) can be more valuable to you – it might attract fewer people overall, but the ones searching it exactly need that service, and you have a better chance to rank.
Volume gives you an idea of the potential traffic, but you have to balance it with relevance and authority. It’s often smart to target a mix of keyword volumes: some broad terms that many people search, and several specific ones (called long-tail keywords) that fewer people search but are easier to rank for and often indicate a person closer to hiring a plumber.
In summary, whenever you consider a keyword, ask yourself:
Is it relevant to my business and what the searcher likely needs? (No use attracting visitors looking for something else.)
Can I compete for this keyword with my current website strength, or is it dominated by super-strong sites?
Do enough people search for it to make it worth my effort?
The best keywords for you hit the sweet spot of high relevance, achievable competition, and solid search volume. With those elements in mind, let’s look at the different kinds of keywords you might encounter – specifically, the four types of keywords grouped by user intent. Understanding these will further help you empathize with your customer’s mindset when they search.
What are the 4 types of keywords?
When we talk about types of keywords, we’re usually referring to search intent – basically, the reason behind the search. In general, search queries fall into four buckets: informational, commercial, transactional, and navigational.
Let’s break those down with plumbing-related examples, so you can recognize them:
Informational keywords: These searches are made by people looking for information or answers. They might start with “how to…,” “what is…,” “why does…,” etc. For a plumber, an informational query could be “How to unclog a drain naturally” or “Why is my water heater not heating?”. The person searching might be trying to fix a minor issue themselves or just learn about a problem. They’re not immediately looking to hire someone, but if you provide helpful info (say, a blog post on common water heater issues), you build trust. Informational keywords reveal that the searcher is in research. Tip: If you create content around these, focus on being super helpful and clear, because you’re educating the reader. It’s like giving free advice – which often makes them more likely to call you if the problem is beyond their DIY skills.
Commercial keywords (investigative): These indicate that the searcher is moving toward a purchase or decision, but wants to compare or find the best option. Often, these keywords include words like “best,” “top,” “reviews,” or the name of a city or brand. For instance, “best rated plumbers in New York”, “top 10 plumbing companies NYC”, or “Rheem vs. Bradford White water heaters”. The person is doing homework before spending money – they know they need a plumber or product, and they’re weighing options. For you, these are golden opportunities to be on lists of top plumbers or to have testimonials and reviews visible. Creating a page on your site highlighting “Why [Your Company] is one of the best plumbers in NYC (with reviews)” could target this intent. They’re looking for reputability and confirmation that they’re making the right choice.
Transactional keywords: These are the I’m ready to act now searches. The user intends to do something – often indicated by words like “buy,” “hire,” “book,” or simply the service with a location. Examples: “hire emergency plumber Manhattan,” “book water heater repair New York,” “drain cleaning service near me,” or even just “emergency plumber near me” (which strongly implies they need one immediately). These searchers want to find a place to click and convert – like calling a number or scheduling a service. As a plumber, you absolutely want to appear for transactional keywords in your area, especially with “near me” or specific neighborhoods included. These often trigger Google’s local results (the map pack), so showing up there via Google Business Profile optimization is key (that’s a bit outside pure keyword research, but worth noting). For your website, make sure you have dedicated pages for services with location keywords (like a page titled “Emergency Plumbing in Brooklyn – 24/7 Service”) to capture these searches. Transactional keywords are bottom-of-funnel – the phone call or contact form is just one click away if they choose.
Navigational keywords: These searches are when someone is trying to find a specific website or location. It’s like using Google as a directory. For example, “Roto-Rooter New York address”, “John’s Plumbing Brooklyn website”, or simply “Home Depot plumbing aisle hours”. In a local context, even “plumber near me” can be partly navigational (as they expect Google to show actual nearby plumbers on the map). Navigational queries often include brand names or specific businesses. If your business name is known, people might search for it directly – make sure your site and Google listing show up for your own name! If you have a common or generic business name, consider including your city in your website title to differentiate (e.g., “Elite Plumbing Solutions New York”). The key with navigational terms is making sure all your online info is up to date: your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, etc., so that when people search your name or related terms, they find the correct information (phone, address, hours).
Understanding these four types of keywords helps you tailor your content to the customer’s mindset. If the keyword is informational, don’t jump straight into “Call us now” – first provide value and answers. If it’s transactional, make sure your page makes it super easy to contact you (big phone number, “Schedule Now” button, etc.), because that’s what the user wants.
Often, a good SEO strategy covers all these types: you might have blog articles for informational queries, comparison or “why us” pages for commercial queries, strong service pages for transactional queries, and a well-optimized homepage/Google listing for navigational queries.
Alright, now that you know the different categories of keywords and what makes a keyword worth targeting, it’s time to get practical. Let’s walk through a step-by-step guide to actually doing keyword research for a plumbing business in New York. Grab a notepad (or open a spreadsheet) – we’re going to start from brainstorming and end with a solid list of keywords tailored to your business.
Step-by-step guide to keyword research
So, you’re convinced that keyword research matters. But how do you do it? Let’s break it down into a series of steps that you can follow. We’ll tailor each step to a New York plumber’s perspective, with examples along the way. Whether you’re doing this for your own business or just trying to understand the process, these steps will guide you from zero to a list of targeted keywords.
Step 1: Brainstorm your core services and topics
Start by making a list of what you offer as a plumber. Think in simple terms – especially how a customer would describe your services. For example, your list might include: drain cleaning, faucet repair, water heater installation, sewer line repair, bathroom plumbing, emergency plumber, etc.
Also include any specialty or high-value services you provide (maybe tankless water heater installation or commercial plumbing maintenance). Don’t worry about phrasing yet; just get the general topics down.
Now, because you’re in New York, consider if any of your services have local nuances. New York City is huge and diverse – sometimes people search by borough or neighborhood. For instance, “Manhattan plumber”, “Brooklyn drain cleaning”, or “plumber Upper East Side”.
If you serve particular areas (Manhattan, Queens, specific neighborhoods), note those down next to the services. Your core topics might then look like: “drain cleaning (NYC, Manhattan, Queens), water heater repair (NYC, Brooklyn),” etc. Essentially, this step is about defining your universe of services and relevant locations.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes: If you were a homeowner with a given problem, what service would you look for? If your basement is flooding, probably “emergency plumber” or “24/7 plumber near me.” If your hot water is out, maybe “water heater repair.”
Try to capture those obvious connections between problem and service. This is the foundation – often called “seed keywords”clearscope.io. They’re the starting keywords from which we’ll expand.
(Pro tip: Check your own website (if you have one) and marketing materials. How do you describe your services there? Also, look at competitors’ sites or Google Business Profile categories for ideas. But generally, as a plumber, you know your services best.)
Step 2: Expand your list with customer language and questions
Next, take each service or topic from Step 1 and think about specific phrases or questions a customer might use related to it. This is where you go from a general topic (“drain cleaning”) to specific, searchable phrases (“how to unclog a drain,” “drain cleaning service near me,” “kitchen sink won’t drain”).
For each item:
Think of common problems or situations for that service. For example, for water heater repair, situations might be “water heater leaking,” “no hot water in shower,” “water heater making noise,” etc. These can become keywords like “fix water heater leak” or “water heater no hot water.” If a lot of people have that issue, they may search those phrases.
Think of variations and synonyms. A New Yorker might search “clogged drain,” “blocked drain,” or “drain backup.” Similarly, “toilet overflowing” and “clogged toilet” are the same kind of problem described differently. Jot down all the terms you can think of (even slang or common misspellings if relevant).
Include location modifiers where it makes sense. People often append locations like “near me,” zip codes, or neighborhood names. For example, “plumber near me,” “best plumber in Queens,” “24 hour plumber Brooklyn,” etc. If you serve multiple boroughs, you might replicate the keyword for each (e.g., “drain cleaning Manhattan,” “drain cleaning Queens,” etc.).
Brainstorm questions people might ask. Think of “How do I…?” or “What to do when…?” For instance: “How to fix low water pressure,” “What to do if my toilet is leaking from the base,” “Why is my drain gurgling?” These are informational but very relevant to your services – someone searching that might eventually decide to call a professional if it’s too hard to DIY.
At this brainstorming stage, don’t filter yourself. Write down everything that comes to mind. You can also ask your past customers or friends: “Hey, if you had [X problem], what would you type into Google?” Sometimes they’ll come up with phrasings you didn’t consider.
Also, take advantage of free assistance from Google itself: start typing a query into Google and see what Autocomplete suggests. For example, type “water heater repair new” and you might see suggestions like “water heater repair New York cost” or “water heater repair New York City.”
Those suggestions are based on real searches by users, so they’re great hints. Similarly, scroll to the bottom of a Google search results page and look at the “Related searches” – those are also user searches that can spark.
Another trick: use the “People Also Ask” box on Google. Search something like “why is my faucet leaking” and see if Google shows a Q&A dropdown with related questions (e.g., “Why does my faucet drip at night?”). These are awesome for finding common questions (and you could even create an FAQ or blog post answering them).
By the end of Step 2, you should have quite a long list of potential keywords – a mix of short phrases, long questions, problem descriptions, and service+location combos. Don’t worry that it’s messy or unrefined. The next steps will refine this into a targeted list.
Step 3: Use keyword research tools to gather data (for free)
Now, let’s bring in some free keyword research tools to expand and verify our list. You don’t have to spend money; there are plenty of tools that can help you discover new keywords and see their search volumes. Here are a few steps using free resources:
Google Ads Keyword Planner: This is a free tool from Google. Even if you’re not running ads, you can use it to get keyword ideas and see search volume ranges. Enter some of your keywords from Steps 1-2 (you can enter multiple at once). For example, put in “plumber, drain cleaning, water heater repair” and set the location to New York. The tool will show you related searches and an approximate number of searches per month (e.g., it might show that “plumber near me” gets tens of thousands of searches). Pay attention to ideas it suggests – it might list terms you hadn’t thought of like “sewer cleaning” or “sump pump repair” if those are popular. Note: Keyword Planner shows broad ranges (like 100–1K, 1K–10K searches) if you’re not running an ad campaign, but it’s still useful for comparison.
Google Trends: This tool shows the relative popularity of a search term over time and by region. You can compare terms like “plumber” vs “plumbing services” in New York to see which is searched more often. Google Trends can also show seasonality – for instance, searches for “frozen pipes” spike in winter. If you try “water heater repair” in Google Trends, you might see higher interest in colder months. It’s a good way to confirm if some keywords are steadily popular or only popular at certain times. Also, Trends can suggest “related queries” that are rising in popularity.
AnswerThePublic: This is a fun free tool (with limited searches per day) where you input a keyword and it generates a web of common questions people ask around that keyword. For example, type “plumber” or “drain clog” and you’ll get lots of question phrases like “How do plumbers find leaks?” or “Why does my drain keep clogging?”. It’s pulling from common search data (similar to People Also Ask and other sources). This can give you long-tail questions which are great for blog posts or FAQ sections. (There are similar tools like Answer Socrates that do the same thing, and even some results built into LocaliQ’s keyword.
Moz Keyword Explorer (free version): Moz offers a limited free tool where you can enter a term and get related keyword suggestions, along with metrics like estimated volume and difficulty. Difficulty is a score (0–100) of how competitive that keyword is – how hard it might be to rank for it. If you see a keyword with a difficulty of, say, 20 and decent volume, that could be a sweet spot. Moz’s suggestions might also help you find variations you missed.
Ubersuggest: Neil Patel’s tool allows a few free searches per day. It’s user-friendly – plug in “plumber New York” and it will return a bunch of keyword ideas, with volume and an SEO difficulty score. It may also show the top pages ranking for that term, which gives insight into what content is ranking and how strong those sites are.
Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator: Ahrefs (a popular SEO tool suite) has some free tools online. One is a keyword ideas generator: you type in a seed like “drain cleaning” and it shows the top 100 related keywords/questions along with their estimated search volume and difficulty. This can quickly give you more content ideas (e.g., it might show “drain cleaning cost,” “drain cleaning vs snaking,” etc., which can guide you to address those queries on your site).
Google Search Console: If your website is already up and running, and you have it connected to Google Search Console (a free service from Google), check the Performance report. It will list queries that your site has appeared for in search results, even if they didn’t all get clicks. This is like gold because it tells you what Google already thinks you’re relevant for. You might find, for instance, that your site showed up (maybe on page 3) for “Brooklyn plumber for restaurant” or some niche term you hadn’t explicitly targeted. That could reveal a keyword worth focusing on with better content or optimization.
Using these tools, you’ll want to expand your list (they will give new ideas) and also start to get a feel for which keywords are most popular and which are less so. For instance, you might discover:
“Plumber near me” has a huge search volume (and high competition).
“Plumber in [Specific Neighborhood]” has lower volume but could be easier to rank locally (and still very valuable).
“Water heater repair NYC” gets, say, a few hundred searches a month – decent volume and very relevant if you offer that service.
You might also find niche terms like “gas line plumber NYC” or “backflow testing NYC” that aren’t high volume, but if you offer those services, they’re worth including (because the person who searches it really needs that specific service).
Make note of the search volume (even if it’s a rough range) for your keywords. This will help in the next step when prioritizing. Also, look at any difficulty or competition metrics the tools provide (Keyword Planner’s “competition” is for ads, but if it says “High,” that usually means lots of advertisers – an indicator the term is lucrative; SEO tools like Moz or Ahrefs have their own difficulty scores).
By the end of Step 3, you probably have a huge list of keywords now, maybe even dozens or hundreds. That’s good – we’ll narrow it down soon. Remember, it’s better to have too many ideas and filter down than to miss a great opportunity.
Step 4: Analyze the competition and refine keyword choices
Now you have data – let’s make sense of it. Analyzing competition means looking at who’s currently ranking for the keywords you want and deciding if you can realistically outrank them (or at least rank alongside them) with your content and website authority. It’s also about understanding the search intent better by seeing what types of pages are ranking.
Take some of your top keywords (maybe the ones with the highest volume or the ones you feel are most valuable) and search for them on Google:
Notice the results: Are they mostly local businesses? Directories (like Yelp, Angi)? How-to articles? For example, a search for “how to fix a leaking faucet” will mostly show how-to articles or videos (informational intent). A search for “leaking faucet repair Bronx” will likely show local plumber business listings and service pages (transactional intent).
Check who’s on page one: If you search “emergency plumber Brooklyn,” you might see a couple of ads at the top (companies paying to be seen), then a map pack (Google Maps listings of plumbers near you), and then the organic results (which might be local plumbing companies, maybe a Yelp page listing plumbers, etc.). If those organic results include other small plumbing businesses, that’s a good sign – it means you as a local business have a shot to rank there, because Google is featuring similar sites. If the results were mostly huge national sites, that would be harder.
Click on some top results: Look at the content and the website. Is it a well-known company or just a local competitor? What are they doing on that page? (Do they have a long page with lots of info, or just a basic service page?) If you feel you can create a better page on the same topic – more informative, more locally relevant, faster-loading, etc. – then you have a chance to beat them over time.
Pay attention to subtle differences: Maybe “24 hour plumber Brooklyn” shows mostly actual plumber websites, whereas “best plumbers in Brooklyn” shows a lot of “top 10 plumbers” list articles or directory listings. This indicates different intent. You might not easily get onto someone else’s “top 10” article (except by being a great business with reviews, hoping they include you), but you can optimize your site for “24 hour plumber Brooklyn” because that’s directly about your service.
After surveying the competition, refine your keyword list:
You might remove some keywords that seemed good but are just too competitive or not quite right. (For example, if a keyword is informational like “plumbing tips for homeowners” and you don’t have a blog or time to create content for it, you might drop it to focus on more service-related terms.)
Identify your priority keywords – the ones that have a nice balance of volume and attainable competition, and are most closely tied to your business. For instance, “emergency plumber [Your Borough]” likely tops the list if you offer emergency services, because those searches convert to calls quickly.
Also flag some “long-tail” opportunities – these are longer, specific phrases that may have lower volume but very little competition. Maybe something like “restaurant grease trap plumber NYC” – if you do that, absolutely optimize for it, because the few people searching it desperately need that exact service and not many sites will have targeted it.
Consider grouping similar keywords and choosing a primary one to target. For example, “drain cleaning NYC” and “clogged drain repair NYC” are essentially the same intent. You don’t need separate pages for each; one good page can target both by using them in the content. Usually, you pick one as the main keyword (say, the one with slightly higher volume or clearer intent) for the page title, and use the variant in a subheading or paragraph. Google is smart enough to rank one page for multiple close variants if the content is on point.
Think about which pages on your site will target which keywords. You might decide:
Home page – broad terms like “New York City Plumber” (and perhaps covers “plumbing services in NYC” generally).
Service page for “Drain Cleaning” – targets drain cleaning keywords.
Service page for “Water Heater Repair” – targets those keywords.
“Emergency Plumber” page – targets emergency-related keywords.
Blog posts – each targets a specific question or long-tail term (like “How to Thaw Frozen Pipes” or “Sewer Line Replacement Signs NYC”).
By aligning keywords to specific pages, you ensure your site structure and content cover everything without overlapping too much.
In this step, you’re effectively trimming your list to the keywords that you will actually use and optimize for. The result might be a dozen or two core keywords (spread across pages), plus some additional ones for blog ideas. That’s plenty for a small business to start with.
Step 5: Implement your keywords on your website (on-page optimization)
Finding keywords is half the battle. Now you need to use those keywords effectively on your website so that search engines can associate your site with them. This step is about on-page SEO – integrating keywords naturally into your site’s content and technical elements.
For each target keyword (or group of closely related keywords), do the following:
Create or update the relevant page content: If you identified that you need a page for “Drain Cleaning in Queens,” but you don’t have one yet, create a page for it. Make sure the content on that page clearly addresses the topic. Describe your drain cleaning service, mention common drain issues in Queens (maybe older buildings, tree root invasions – whatever is relevant), and explain why you’re the solution.
Use the keyword in the page title and headings: The page’s title tag (what shows up as the blue link in Google results) should include the main keyword, preferably towards the beginning. For example: <title>Drain Cleaning in Queens, NYC | [Your Company Name] Plumbers</title>. Likewise, the headline on the page (an H1 tag usually) might say “Professional Drain Cleaning in Queens, New York.” This signals both users and search engines that they’ve come to the right place for that search term.
Write naturally, but include the keywords where appropriate: In the body text of the page, use your keyword a few times, especially in the opening paragraph and wherever it fits. Don’t force it every other sentence (that can actually hurt your SEO). Google is smart – it understands synonyms and context. If your page is truly about drain cleaning, you will likely mention “clogged drains,” “sewer,” “plumber,” etc., which all help reinforce the theme. The goal is that if a human skimmed your page, they’d quickly see it’s relevant to their “drain cleaning” query. Search engines mimic that.
Optimize meta descriptions and images: The meta description is not a ranking factor per se, but it can improve click-through if it includes the keyword and a compelling reason to click. For example: <meta name="description" content="Need drain cleaning in Queens, NY? Our expert plumbers clear clogs fast – 24/7 service available. Prevent floods and fix slow drains today!">. When people see their search term (e.g., “drain cleaning Queens”) in your description, it reinforces that your page is relevant. If you have images on the page, use descriptive file names and alt text like “clogged kitchen sink” or “Queens plumber fixing drain” – something relevant (this can help you appear in image searches or just give more context to Google).
Ensure a good user experience: This is indirectly keyword-related. If someone clicks your result and finds a slow, messy site, they’ll bounce back, which can hurt your rankings over time. Make sure the page loads fast, especially for mobile users (many will be on phones). Use clear calls to action (like a “Call Now” button or contact form) on pages targeting transactional keywords – remember those users often want to act quickly. For informational pages, maybe guide them to contact you if the DIY info isn’t enough (“If these tips don’t solve your problem, call us for an expert fix”).
Use internal links with anchor text: Internal linking means one page of your site links to another. When you do this, the words that are linked (anchor text) also send signals. So if you write a blog post on “How to Prevent Frozen Pipes” (targeting that informational keyword), somewhere in there you might say, “If you do get a burst pipe, our emergency plumbing services in NYC are available 24/7,” linking “emergency plumbing services in NYC” to your emergency plumber page. This not only helps readers find your services, but also tells Google that the emergency page is related to that topic. Similarly, from a service page, you could link to a relevant blog: “Wondering if you can DIY a clog? Read our guide on unclogging drains before you decide,” linking to your unclogging guide. This kind of internal linking weaves your keywords and content together naturally.
Keep content up-to-date and add to it over time: SEO isn’t one-and-done. You might start with a modest 300-word service page. Over time, as you find what customers care about or what competitors have on their pages, you can expand it – maybe add a short FAQ (“How much does drain cleaning cost?” “Do I need a professional or can I use chemical cleaners?” etc.). Regularly updating or expanding content can give you a boost, and it keeps it useful for visitors.
After implementing your keywords site-wide, monitor the results. Give search engines a few weeks to a couple of months to fully register changes (SEO is a slow burn, not instant). You can track your rankings manually or use tools, but an easy free way is to check Google Search Console: it will show the average position of your pages for various queries.
You should start seeing impressions (views in search results) for the keywords you targeted, and hopefully climbing positions. If some keywords aren’t moving up at all, you might need to re-evaluate if the competition is too strong or if your content is missing the mark.
The bottom line for Step 5 is: turn your research into action. A keyword on a list does nothing for you until it’s strategically placed on your site where Google can find it and users can see it. The good news is, by aligning your site with what people search, you’re also generally improving the site’s usefulness. You’re answering the questions they have and using the language they use – which improves user experience and conversion.
Now that your website is optimized with your newfound keywords, let’s equip you with some additional tools to maintain and expand your keyword strategy without spending a fortune.
Best free keyword research tools
You don’t need expensive software to start doing keyword research. There are several free tools and methods that provide plenty of insight for a local business like a plumbing company. We’ve mentioned a couple earlier, but here’s a handy list of some of the best free keyword research tools and what they’re good for (so you can choose the ones that fit your style):
Google Keyword Planner: Great for discovering new keywords and checking rough search volumes. It’s part of Google Ads, but you can use the planning tools without running ads. It will group keyword suggestions by themes which is helpful (e.g., you put in “plumber” and it might group suggestions under “emergency plumber,” “plumbing installation,” etc.). Keep in mind the volume ranges are broad if you’re not running ads – use them comparatively (you’ll see which keywords have more searches than others).
Google Trends: Useful for identifying trends over time and seasonality. It’s completely free and doesn’t even require an account. For instance, Google Trends can tell you that interest in “AC repair” spikes in July in NYC, whereas “boiler repair” spikes in January. For plumbing, you can catch things like “sump pump” getting a spike whenever there’s heavy rain forecast. It also lets you filter by region (ensure you set it to U.S. or even New York State if needed when analyzing local queries).
Google Autocomplete & People Also Ask: These aren’t standalone tools, but they’re built into Google and are incredibly handy. Autocomplete shows what other people commonly search. If you type “best plumber ” and Google fills in “in NYC” or “near me,” that confirms those are frequent searches. The People Also Ask box provides related questions; each time you click one, Google often adds more. This can lead you down a rabbit hole of popular Q&A. For example, from “water heater not working” you might see related questions like “What are the signs your water heater is going out?” – which is another great blog topic.
AnswerThePublic: Visualizes search questions and prepositions. It can be a bit overwhelming in its raw form, but it’s fantastic for content brainstorming. It’s free for a certain number of searches per day. If you use it, try broad terms (“plumbing” or “water heater”) and see what questions pop up. It’s also a fun way to see how creative (or odd) search queries can get.
Moz Keyword Explorer (Free tier): With a free Moz account, you get a limited number of keyword searches per month (something like 10 queries). It’s very user-friendly and gives a lot of insight on one screen, including Keyword Difficulty and an organic click-through rate (CTR) estimate. The difficulty score, as mentioned, helps you prioritize. For example, Moz might show that “plumber near me” has a difficulty of 70 (quite hard), whereas “tankless water heater installation NYC” is 30 (easier). You can then realistically focus on the latter while still addressing the former in some way (like on your homepage).
Ubersuggest: Even outside the free daily searches, Ubersuggest often lets you see some data like top keywords for a domain or the content ideas section. The free version shows you the top handful of keyword suggestions (with volume, difficulty, etc.). It also has a nice “SEO Analyzer” that can scan your site for on-page SEO issues (useful after you add your keywords to make sure you didn’t accidentally, say, forget to put a title on a page).
Ahrefs Free Tools: Beyond the Keyword Generator, Ahrefs also has a free Keyword Difficulty Checker, Backlink Checker, etc., for limited uses. If you’re curious whether a specific keyword is considered hard by Ahrefs’ standards, you can check that without a paid account. Their tools often have insights like how many backlinks the current top pages have – which indirectly tells you something about competition.
Google Search Console: Mentioning it again because it’s truly invaluable after you implement changes. It’s like having Google give you feedback for free. Check it monthly to see if new search queries are appearing. For instance, after optimizing, you might find your “Drain Cleaning” page is now also showing up for “sewer cleaning NYC” – if that’s relevant, you might tweak the page to mention sewer cleaning explicitly or even spin off a new page for it.
All these tools can be used in combination. There’s no rule that you must stick to one. Many SEO professionals use multiple tools to cross-verify data (since none of them are perfectly accurate, it’s like getting a second opinion). And for a local business, free tools often provide more than enough data to act on.
One tip: keep notes or a spreadsheet of what you find. Over time, you might revisit keyword research, and having your past notes on volumes or ideas is helpful. You may notice that some search terms are growing or shrinking in popularity year over year via Google Trends or Search Console data, which could influence your marketing (e.g., “smart home plumbing” queries rising might encourage you to blog about integrating plumbing with Alexa or whatnot).
With these tools at your disposal, you can research new services you might add or just keep refining your SEO. For instance, if next year you decide to start offering water filtration system installation, you can run it through these steps and tools to quickly gather the best keywords to target for that new service page.
Conclusion: Putting it all together
By now, we’ve started with why keyword research matters (so your plumbing business in New York can be found by the right people at the right time), we’ve explained what it is (finding and using the words real people search for), and we’ve gone through how to do it step by step. The key takeaway is that keyword research is about understanding your customer.
It’s speaking their language online, so that when they have a problem – whether it’s a leaky faucet or a busted water heater in the dead of winter – your website is there with the solution.
For a plumber in New York, this guide isn’t just theory. It’s meant to be actionable. You can literally follow the steps: brainstorm, use free tools, see what people search in your boroughs, and then tweak your website accordingly. The payoff can be huge: more visibility on Google, more traffic to your site, and ultimately more calls and customers.
In the competitive Big Apple market, this can be a big differentiator. Many plumbing businesses are still not fully optimized for the web – by investing a little time in keyword research, you’re leapfrogging those who rely purely on word-of-mouth or outdated Yellow Pages listings.
Remember, SEO (search engine optimization) is a journey, not a one-time task. Keep an eye on trends and update your keywords or content as needed. Perhaps new technology emerges (like “smart water heaters”) and suddenly people start searching for that – you’ll want to catch that wave.
Or Google’s algorithms might shift to favor different content formats (for example, videos or FAQs). But what will remain constant is the principle of answering the questions people are asking. If you stay tuned in to your customers’ needs (which is essentially what keyword research enables you to do), you’ll always have a solid foundation for your online strategy.
In essence, start with why – and the “why” here is serving your customers and growing your business. By understanding the words your customers use, you’re not just doing SEO, you’re improving your overall communication and marketing strategy.
It’s similar to how you’d talk to a client in person: you listen to their problem, then use terms they understand to explain the fix. Online, you’ve listened (through keyword research) to what people are searching, and now your website speaks to those issues clearly.
So, take this guide and start applying it. Pick one of your main services, do a quick keyword brainstorm and tool search, and see what you find. You might be surprised – maybe you discover that “24 hour plumber NYC” is insanely popular, or that lots of folks search for “eco-friendly plumber New York” (if green plumbing is something you offer, that’s a niche to capitalize on). Use those insights to tweak your site, and keep an eye on your Google rankings over the next few months.
With consistent effort, you’ll likely see your pages climb up the search results for your targeted keywords. And when that happens, you’ll know – because your phone will start ringing more, and you might hear customers say, “I found you on Google.” That’s the direct result of smart keyword research and good content.
Here’s to making your plumbing business easily found and chosen by customers all across New York!