In plain English
Choose keywords by starting with the services people can actually buy, the problems those services solve and the South African areas genuinely served. Add language from customers and Search Console, group phrases by intent, and assign each group to one useful page. Prioritise relevance and commercial fit, not search volume alone.
What language should go into the first keyword list?
Run a short evidence-gathering workshop before opening a keyword tool. List each service that can be delivered now, the customer problem it addresses, common names for it, qualifying details and the places genuinely served. Add wording from enquiry forms, call notes, proposals and frequently asked questions only where the business is authorised to use that material. Keep a separate list of terms for services the business does not offer.
Then compare that language with Search Console queries and relevant Google search phrasing. Google's SEO guide recommends anticipating differences between expert and beginner terminology, while noting that its language systems can relate a page to many queries without every exact variation. The aim is a compact vocabulary that reflects customers and the offer, not a page for every spelling or synonym. Record where each term came from and when it was observed.
Sources for this section: SEO Starter Guide, Using Search Console and Google Analytics data for SEO.
How should keywords be grouped by customer intent?
Sort terms by the decision they represent. Service intent names an offering, problem intent describes a fault or need, comparison intent weighs options, and trust intent looks for proof, process or suitability. A South African electrician's emergency query and a general explanation of electrical compliance may belong to different journeys even if they share words. Mark ambiguous terms for manual review instead of assuming they are valuable.
Next, test each group against the offer: can the business answer it accurately, serve the likely customer and provide a clear next step? Profile categories describe what the business is, while profile services can describe offerings in supported categories; neither field should become a keyword list. Reject phrases that require an unearned location, credential, price, availability promise or service claim. That discipline protects both customer clarity and the integrity of the profile.
Sources for this section: Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Manage your services on your Business Profile.
How should South African locations be added to a keyword plan?
Use a location modifier only when it reflects a genuine operating area and helps someone make a different decision. Country, province, metro, municipality, town and suburb terms are not interchangeable: a national consultancy page may need different evidence from an on-site repair page. Record the actual delivery boundary, travel conditions and responsible team before targeting a place, and keep the public wording consistent with operations.
Do not multiply one generic page across every nearby suburb. Google defines doorway abuse to include substantially similar regional or city pages that funnel visitors to one destination. Also remember that local results consider distance alongside relevance and prominence, so adding a place name cannot make a business physically closer. Build a location page only when it can provide distinct, useful area-specific information. Document the reason and evidence before approving any geographic target.
Sources for this section: Spam policies for Google web search, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.
How should keyword groups become pages and measurements?
Map each intent group to the strongest existing page before creating anything new. One primary service page can naturally cover close variants, supporting questions and related terminology. Give it a descriptive title, direct answer, evidence, limitations and internal links. If two proposed pages would satisfy the same person with the same information, combine the idea rather than forcing separate URLs.
After publication, review Search Console by query, page, country and device, then connect landing-page visits to properly defined enquiries and sales where lawful data is available. Treat impressions and clicks as search observations, not revenue. Refresh the map when the service, operating area or observed query mix changes, and label low-data conclusions as provisional rather than manufacturing demand or a ranking forecast. Keep rejected or deferred groups in the research log, not on live pages.
Sources for this section: SEO Starter Guide, Using Search Console and Google Analytics data for SEO.
Official references
- SEO Starter Guide (Google Search Central)
- Using Search Console and Google Analytics data for SEO (Google Search Central)
- Spam policies for Google web search (Google Search Central)
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google (Google Business Profile Help)
- Manage your services on your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help)
- Tips to improve your local ranking on Google (Google Business Profile Help)