You’re trying to boost your pest control marketing performance, however, after reviewing your SEO campaign results month after month, something still seems…off.
Although there are a number of elements that go into a top-performing pest control local SEO marketing campaign, keywords top the priority list.
Here we’re going to provide some tips on how to do keyword research to help boost SEO for pest control companies.
How to Discover Keywords
Are you using the right keywords?
Are they generating the right amount of traffic, or is it time to discover some new keywords? Is your company entering a new season?
What keywords are your competitors using?
If it’s time to discover new keywords, and optimize your existing content, then there are some free or affordable professional keyword research tools you can try:
- Ahrefs
- Google Keyword Planner (may require an attached PPC account for good info)
- KWFinder
- SEMrush
- Ubersuggest
- SpyFu
- Moz
Which Keywords Are Relevant?
Let’s say you’ve discovered some new keywords to use in your campaign. How do you know if they are actually good keywords? How do you know if they are relevant? One of the best ways to do this is to focus on “search intent”.
What is “Search Intent”?
Search intent refers to understanding what users are searching for and why. This could be questions, phrases, product names or services, or even products or services in a specific location.
Not only is search intent important for determining which keywords are relevant for your campaigns, but it is also for Google. Optimizing your existing content for search intent will also help you boost SEO.
Ultimately, your keywords should have the following:
- Research intent – Searchers who are trying to solve a problem. These keywords often begin with “why” or “how”.
- Transactional intent – The “buy” intent. Searchers are looking for specific products or services. Transactional intent keywords typically convert at a higher rate.
- Commercial intent – these searchers are ‘warm’, they’re almost ready to convert but still need more information. These can be “X product vs Y product” type searches, reviews, or price comparisons.
- Educational intent – Searchers are interested in learning more about a specific topic.
Pest control companies can use a blend of these keywords, but for different purposes and stages in the buyer journey. For example, pest control companies can use research intent keywords or educational intent keywords as blog topics, such as “How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs”, “How to Protect Children From Mosquitos”, or “Why Are Ants in My House?”
Why Location Keywords Are Important for Pest Control Companies
Since pest control companies serve local customers, location keywords are important to build into your content. Most searchers will enter the following keywords, or similar key phrase into Google or another search engine: “Denver pest control”, “pest control company Denver, CO”, or “best pest control companies Phoenix, AZ”.
If you optimize your existing content with these types of local keywords, then you boost your chances of ranking on the first page of Google, which will also help your pest control company beat the competition.
Furthermore, seasonality is important to consider when researching keywords. Most pest control companies experience different seasons throughout the year when some keywords are more relevant than others. For example, the keyword “Jacksonville mosquito control” keyword is more popular between the summer months than the winter.
What Keywords Are Your Competitors Using?
By using some of the tools above, such as Ahrefs and Moz, you can see what the monthly search volume is for keywords related to your industry and niche as well as what keywords your competitors rank for.
Another way to see what keywords your competitors are using is to simply type in a keyword into Google, such as “pest control companies Austin, TX” and see what comes up in the search results.
It’s important to periodically review your keyword research to make sure you are using the right keywords and phrases to attract the right audiences and to also keep up with the competition. Some pest control companies do this monthly, quarterly, or even annually. Find out what works best for you, and be sure to weave this step into your regular SEO audit.
Common Questions about Keyword Research
What is the Best Free Keyword Research Tool?
Many pest control companies might worry that webapps and software for research will cost them a fortune. The truth is there are a number of keyword research tools available that you can use for free, without sacrificing quality.
As mentioned above, some of the best free keyword research tools include Moz, Ahrefs, KWFinder, and more. These services will give you plenty of information for free, but may limit the amount of keywords you can find. But using their information and your own intuition about the industry should help you generate plenty of keywords you can use to boost pest control SEO.
What Pest Control Keywords Should I Use?
Before you can determine the best pest control keywords to use in any campaign, you first must consider the nature of your business, what you offer, your location, and season. As mentioned above, seasonality and location are two of the most important factors to consider when researching keywords.
Using a blend of keywords such as “Denver pest control”, “pest control company Denver, CO”, or “best pest control companies Phoenix, AZ”, or even “mosquito control AZ”, are all good examples to start with.
Boost Your Pest Control Marketing
It can be overwhelming to develop effective online marketing campaigns. However, now that you are armed with some great tips and great keyword research tools to use, you should now have a better understanding of what you need to do to boost your pest control SEO—and how to do that without breaking the bank.
If you still have questions about how to do keyword research or how to make sure you find the best pest control keywords for your company, then give us a call. We would love to help manage your pest control digital marketing and SEO campaigns!
Brian Valentin
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