Short answer: use the words your customers use, not industry terms — and always attach a location. “Roof leak repair Worcester MA” will do more for you than “roofing services.” The specific, local phrases are the ones a young business can actually win.
Contractors usually pick keywords by guessing what sounds professional. Your customers are not searching professionally — they are searching in a panic, in plain English.
Write down what customers actually say on the phone
This is the best keyword research you can do and it costs nothing. For two weeks, note the exact words people use when they call. Not “HVAC system maintenance” — “my furnace is making a banging noise.”
Those phrases are your keywords. They convert better than industry language because they match what people type, and almost no competitor targets them.
Every keyword needs a location
A keyword without a town is a keyword you are competing for nationally. Adding a location cuts the competition dramatically while raising intent, because someone including a town name is looking to hire nearby, now.
Use the town, and where sensible the state: “water heater replacement Worcester MA,” “emergency electrician Shrewsbury.” Also add nearby towns as separate targets — they are usually far less contested than the main city.
The three types worth targeting
- Emergency terms. “Burst pipe repair,” “no heat,” “roof leak.” Highest intent, fastest to convert, often less crowded than general terms.
- Specific job terms. “Sump pump installation,” “ice dam removal,” “panel upgrade.” Narrow, cheap to target, and skipped by competitors who only list broad services.
- Question terms. “How much does a roof replacement cost,” “do I need a permit to.” These catch people earlier, before they are ready to call — which is what a blog is for.
What to avoid
Single broad words. “Plumber,” “roofing,” “contractor” — every established company in your market is fighting for these, and a young site will not break through.
Industry jargon. Nobody searches “envelope remediation.” They search “fix my leaking roof.”
Keyword stuffing your business name. This one is dangerous rather than merely useless. Google enforced against keyword-stuffed profile names in 2026 and suspended listings. Use your real registered name.
Where to put them once you have them
A keyword only works if it has a page. Listing twelve services on one page gives Google nothing strong to rank for any of them.
- One page per service, using the customer’s language in the title and headings.
- One page per town you genuinely serve, written differently for each — real jobs, real streets, real specifics.
- Each service listed individually on your Google Business Profile, not lumped into a description.
- Articles answering the question terms, which is what catches people early.
How to sanity-check a keyword for free
Search it in an incognito window. If page one is filled with national directories and companies far larger than you, it is a long-term target at best. If you see small local businesses, forum posts, or weak pages, that is a keyword you can realistically win.
You do not need a paid tool to make that judgement. The results page tells you who you would have to beat.
Related reading
- Local SEO for Contractors in Worcester, MA
- How to Rank Your Contracting Business on Google
- Why Isn’t My Contracting Business on Google?
Not sure which keywords are realistic for you? Tell us your trade and the towns you serve and we’ll tell you which searches you can win now, and which are a longer game.