How to Do Local Keyword Research with Claude (The Complete Workflow)

A new client: a residential plumbing company in Charlotte NC. No existing keyword strategy. You’re starting from scratch.

Before you touch their GBP, before you plan any content, before you decide what to track on geogrids — you do the keyword research.

This is the complete workflow. Four prompts that take you from nothing to a full content architecture with GBP actions, concept clusters, page assignments, and a production priority order. One session.

Why You Do This Before Anything Else

Keyword research isn’t one task you do alongside other local SEO work. It’s the prerequisite that makes other work effective.

GBP optimization without keyword research means claiming categories that might not map to what customers search for.

Geogrid tracking without keyword research means tracking keywords someone guessed were important instead of keywords that represent actual demand.

Content planning without keyword research means building pages for concepts that don’t match how the market actually searches.

The keyword foundation comes first. Everything else builds on it.

What You’ll Need

  • Claude with LocalSEOSkills installed
  • LocalSEOData connected (the data layer)
  • Client business type and location
  • One or two competitor domains (for gap analysis)

That’s it. The skills handle the rest.

Step 1: The Core Research

The Prompt

"Do local keyword research for a residential plumbing company in Charlotte NC.
Give me:
- Top 20 transactional keywords with volume, competition, and intent
- Top 10 informational/content keywords
- GBP service and category additions
- Keyword gaps vs. [competitor domain]
- Geogrid tracking keyword recommendations"

What Fires

Skills: dispatch → local-keyword-research + localseodata-tool

Data: keyword_suggestions, search_volume, related_keywords, keywords_for_site (competitor), ai_keyword_data

The Output

LOCAL KEYWORD RESEARCH: Plumbing — Charlotte NC

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TRANSACTIONAL KEYWORDS

Keyword                           | MSV | Comp   | Action
"plumber charlotte nc"            | 590 | HIGH   | Primary location page
"emergency plumber charlotte"     | 210 | MEDIUM | Location page + GBP service
"drain cleaning charlotte nc"     | 170 | MEDIUM | Location page
"water heater repair charlotte"   | 140 | MEDIUM | Location page
"plumber near me"                 | —   | —      | GBP signal only (no page)
"sewer line repair charlotte"     | 90  | MEDIUM | GBP service
"bathroom plumbing charlotte"     | 70  | LOW    | GBP service
"pipe repair charlotte nc"        | 50  | LOW    | GBP service
"gas line repair charlotte"       | 45  | LOW    | GBP service
"leak detection charlotte"        | 40  | LOW    | GBP service
[continues to 20...]

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INFORMATIONAL KEYWORDS

Keyword                                    | MSV | Action
"how much does a plumber cost in nc"       | 480 | Blog/FAQ — AI Overview candidate
"what to do when pipes burst"              | 320 | Blog/FAQ — AI Overview candidate
"how to unclog a drain"                    | 260 | Blog/FAQ
"signs you need to replace water heater"   | 170 | Blog/FAQ
"how to find a water leak in your house"   | 140 | Blog/FAQ
"when to call a plumber vs diy"            | 90  | Blog/FAQ
[continues to 10...]

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GBP ACTIONS (do today)

Services to add:
→ Emergency Plumbing
→ Drain Cleaning
→ Water Heater Repair
→ Sewer Line Repair
→ Pipe Repair
→ Leak Detection
→ Gas Line Repair
→ Bathroom Plumbing

Categories to add:
→ "Drainage Service"
→ "Water Heater Repair Service"
→ "Plumbing & Drain Service" (if available)

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COMPETITOR GAP

[Competitor] ranks for keywords you don't:

"tankless water heater charlotte"    | 70/mo  | MEDIUM
  If you offer tankless, build coverage

"plumbing inspection charlotte"      | 50/mo  | LOW
  Add as GBP service, mention on main page

"sump pump repair charlotte"         | 40/mo  | LOW
  Add as GBP service if you offer

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NEAR-ME NOTE

"plumber near me", "emergency plumber near me", "plumbing near me"
Won through GBP proximity and prominence — no page content.
Action: GBP optimization only.

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GEOGRID TRACKING

1. "plumber charlotte nc"
   Primary concept, highest revenue impact

2. "emergency plumber charlotte"
   Urgent intent, distinct concept, high conversion

3. "drain cleaning charlotte nc"
   High-frequency service, different customer need

4. "water heater repair charlotte"
   Seasonal demand (winter), distinct job type

Reading the Output

Transactional keywords include an “Action” column. This is the most important column — it tells you what each keyword produces:

  • “Location page” = build dedicated content for this concept
  • “GBP service” = add to GBP service list, no dedicated page needed
  • “GBP signal only” = won through GBP prominence, not page content

Informational keywords are flagged for format. “AI Overview candidate” means the question format is likely to generate AI Overviews — high-value content opportunity.

GBP actions are immediate. These don’t require content creation. Add them today — 30 minutes of work, immediate visibility expansion.

Competitor gap shows concept coverage you’re missing. Each gap is a question: should you cover this concept?

Geogrid tracking is selected from the research, not chosen arbitrarily. One keyword per major concept, covering primary revenue services.

The GBP Actions — Do These Today

Before any content is built, execute the GBP recommendations:

Add the services. Each service-specific keyword cluster should have a corresponding GBP service listing. This takes 10 minutes and expands the queries the GBP is eligible for.

Add secondary categories. If “water heater repair” is a significant concept, “Water Heater Repair Service” should be a secondary category. This takes 5 minutes.

Confirm attributes. “Free estimates,” “Emergency service available,” “Licensed” — attributes that match the concept clusters.

These are the fastest wins from keyword research. No content required. Immediate visibility expansion.

Step 2: Organize Into Concept Clusters

With the keyword research complete, organize it into a content architecture.

The Prompt

"Take this keyword research output and organize it into concept clusters
for [Business Name] in Charlotte NC.
Assign each cluster to the right content vehicle.
What pages do we build? What stays as GBP services only?
Select geogrid tracking keywords and give me the production priority order."

What Fires

Skills: dispatch → local-content-strategy

What the Clustering Output Looks Like

CONTENT STRATEGY: [Business Name] — Charlotte NC
6 concept clusters identified

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CLUSTER 1: General Plumbing Services — Charlotte (Primary)

Primary keyword: "plumber charlotte nc" | 590/mo
Supporting: "plumbing company charlotte", "charlotte plumber",
  "plumbing services charlotte nc"
Intent: Transactional

Content vehicle: PRIMARY LOCATION PAGE
URL: /plumber-charlotte-nc/

Reasoning: Highest volume transactional concept. This is the hub page
all other location pages link to. Comprehensive coverage of services,
service area, credentials, process. Target 1,800-2,400 words.

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CLUSTER 2: Emergency Plumbing

Primary keyword: "emergency plumber charlotte" | 210/mo
Supporting: "24 hour plumber charlotte", "after hours plumber",
  "plumber open now charlotte"
Intent: Transactional — urgent

Content vehicle: LOCATION PAGE + GBP SERVICE
URL: /emergency-plumber-charlotte/

Reasoning: Distinct concept from general plumbing. Urgent intent,
high conversion rate. Customers searching this have an active problem.
Content must cover: what constitutes emergency, response time,
after-hours availability, what to do before plumber arrives.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

CLUSTER 3: Drain Services

Primary keyword: "drain cleaning charlotte nc" | 170/mo
Supporting: "clogged drain charlotte", "drain repair",
  "sewer cleaning charlotte"
Intent: Transactional

Content vehicle: LOCATION PAGE
URL: /drain-cleaning-charlotte-nc/

Reasoning: Distinct service category, significant volume.
Different customer need from general plumbing.

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CLUSTER 4: Water Heater Services

Primary keyword: "water heater repair charlotte" | 140/mo
Supporting: "water heater installation charlotte",
  "tankless water heater charlotte", "hot water heater repair"
Intent: Transactional

Content vehicle: LOCATION PAGE
URL: /water-heater-repair-charlotte/

Reasoning: Distinct appliance category. Seasonal demand peak in winter.
Cover repair vs. replacement, tank vs. tankless, signs of failure.

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CLUSTER 5: Plumbing Cost Questions (Informational)

Primary keyword: "how much does a plumber cost in nc" | 480/mo
Supporting: "plumber hourly rate charlotte", "plumbing estimate",
  "emergency plumber cost"
Intent: Informational

Content vehicle: BLOG POST / FAQ
URL: /blog/plumber-cost-charlotte-nc/

Reasoning: Research-phase content. Highest-volume informational keyword.
AI Overview candidate. Links to transactional pages.

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CLUSTER 6: Near-Me Searches

Primary keyword: "plumber near me"
Intent: Near-me (proximity-based)

Content vehicle: GBP SIGNAL ONLY — NO PAGE

Reasoning: Near-me queries answered by map pack based on proximity.
Pages don't rank for near-me from users in different locations.
Win through: GBP prominence, reviews, completeness, proximity.

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PRODUCTION PRIORITY

Phase 1 — Today (no content):
GBP services + categories [30 min]

Phase 2 — First 2 weeks:
Primary location page (/plumber-charlotte-nc/)
Emergency plumber page (/emergency-plumber-charlotte/)

Phase 3 — Weeks 3-6:
Drain cleaning page
Water heater page
Cost blog post (highest informational volume)

Phase 4 — Ongoing:
Additional blog content, coverage expansion

Why Some Keywords Don’t Need a Page

The clustering output makes explicit what doesn’t require content:

Near-me keywords: Won through GBP signals, not page content. The output flags these clearly: “GBP signal only — no page.”

Low-volume service variants: “Bathroom plumbing Charlotte” at 70 MSV doesn’t justify a dedicated page. It’s a GBP service entry — visibility through GBP, not through a thin page.

Keywords served by other pages: “Charlotte plumber” and “plumbing company Charlotte” don’t each need pages — they’re served by the primary location page covering general plumbing services.

The strategy prevents content bloat by assigning keywords to the right vehicle.

Step 3: Brief the First Content Piece

With concept clusters assigned, brief each piece.

The Prompt

"Write a complete content brief for the Emergency Plumber
location page for [Business Name] in Charlotte NC.
Concepts to cover, local entities, schema, AI Overview formatting,
and quality checklist."

What Fires

Skills: dispatch → local-content-briefs

What the Brief Produces

A complete specification:

  • Core concept — what the page must demonstrate expertise on
  • Concept coverage plan — which concepts get comprehensive treatment (400-500 words), which get standard (200-300), which get brief mention (75-150)
  • Local entities — Charlotte, neighborhoods served, regulatory references
  • Questions answered — mapped to sections, flagged for AI Overview formatting
  • Schema requirements — LocalBusiness, FAQPage, Service
  • Internal links — where this page connects to other pages
  • Quality checklist — verification criteria for execution

The brief ensures complete coverage. Thin content isn’t possible when the brief specifies 15+ concepts, 8+ questions answered, local entities throughout.

Step 4: Confirm GBP Actions

The keyword research already surfaced GBP actions. Confirm them explicitly.

The Prompt

"Based on the keyword research, what GBP changes should I make today
before any content is built? Categories, services, attributes."

What Fires

Skills: dispatch → gbp-optimization + localseodata-tool

The Output

A checklist:

Services to add (do now):

  • Emergency Plumbing
  • Drain Cleaning
  • Water Heater Repair
  • Sewer Line Repair
  • Leak Detection
  • Gas Line Repair

Categories to add:

  • Drainage Service
  • Water Heater Repair Service

Attributes to confirm:

  • Emergency service available
  • Free estimates
  • Licensed

Estimated time: 20-30 minutes

These changes expand query eligibility immediately. The content work that follows builds on an already-expanded GBP foundation.

The Complete Workflow in One Session

For a new client onboarding, all four prompts run in sequence:

  1. Keyword research — produces the foundation
  2. Content strategy — organizes into clusters and page assignments
  3. Content briefs — specifies what each piece must contain
  4. GBP confirmation — immediate actions before content

Total time: 30-45 minutes for research and strategy. Content brief production scales with the number of pieces.

The workflow produces:

  • Complete keyword foundation with intent classification
  • Concept clusters with content vehicle assignments
  • GBP actions (executable today)
  • Geogrid tracking keywords (ready to set up)
  • Content briefs (ready for execution)
  • Production priority order

From zero to complete content architecture in one session.

Connecting Research to Geogrid

The geogrid tracking keywords come from the research:

"Set up monthly geogrid tracking for [Business Name] in Charlotte
for these 4 keywords from the research:
1. plumber charlotte nc
2. emergency plumber charlotte
3. drain cleaning charlotte nc
4. water heater repair charlotte

7x7 grid, 1mi spacing, centered on business location.
Alert if SoLV drops below 40% for any keyword."

The tracking measures whether the content strategy is working. Rankings improve for the concept clusters you’ve built coverage for. The geogrid shows where and how much.

When to Re-Run the Research

Keyword research isn’t one-and-done:

New client onboarding: Full research before any other work.

Quarterly refresh: Markets shift, new competitors appear. Check for changes.

When rankings plateau: If technical work is done and rankings aren’t moving, revisit the keyword foundation.

Competitive change: A new competitor enters, an existing competitor launches content. Refresh the gap analysis.

The market from six months ago isn’t the market today. Keyword research that’s current produces strategy that’s relevant.

Start Here

If you haven’t run keyword research for a client, that’s the first prompt:

"Do local keyword research for [business type] in [city].
Top 20 transactional keywords, top 10 informational keywords,
GBP service additions, competitor gaps, geogrid recommendations."

The foundation is built. Everything else follows.