How to find what customers search for

You can find out what your customers search for with free tools you already have: the suggestions Google shows as you type, the "People also ask" box, the related searches at the bottom of the results, and, if you have it set up, the list of searches in Google Search Console that already show your site. Add the questions customers ask you on the phone, and you have a list of real words to use on your pages, no paid tool needed.

Start with the questions you already hear

Before any tool, the best source is your own phone and inbox. Customers tell you every day how they describe their problem. The trouble is that you hear it so often you stop noticing.

For two or three weeks, keep a note on your phone. Every time someone calls, emails or asks on the job, jot down their first sentence, in their words:

"My toilet keeps running."
"Do you do gluten-free cakes?"
"How much is it to fix a cracked windshield?"
"Can you come out on a Saturday?"
"Do you take my insurance?"

Those sentences are close to what people type into Google. They are also exactly what your pages should answer.

Google autocomplete

Open Google in a private or incognito window, so your own search history does not color the results. Type the start of a search slowly and watch the suggestions that drop down below the box.

Try a few patterns:

Your service alone: "gutter cleaning" and see what follows. You might see "gutter cleaning cost", "gutter cleaning near me", "gutter cleaning tools".
Your service plus a question word: "how much does gutter cleaning", "when should gutters be", "do I need gutter guards".
Your service plus your town: "gutter cleaning Lexington". Suggestions here show which nearby places people pair with your service.
The problem, not the service: "water coming over gutters", "gutters overflowing in heavy rain".

The suggestions come from what many people actually search, filtered by Google. They are not counts, so they do not tell you how often, but they reliably tell you the wording. Write down any that match work you do.

Do the same on your phone, since that is how most of your customers search. The suggestions can differ a little.

The "People also ask" box

Search for something a customer would ask, such as "how often should you clean your gutters". In the results, Google often shows a box headed "People also ask", with a list of related questions. Click one and it opens with a short answer, and more questions appear below.

This box is a direct look at what people want to know next. For a gutter company it might show:

How do I know if my gutters need cleaning?
Is it worth getting gutter guards?
How long does gutter cleaning take?

Each of those could be a line on your service page, a question on your FAQ page, or, if it needs a long answer, a post of its own. How to write a frequently asked questions page shows how to turn them into something useful.

Scroll to the very bottom of a Google results page. There is usually a section of related searches, sometimes labeled "People also search for". These show other ways people phrase the same need, and nearby needs.

For "dog groomer Columbus" you might see "mobile dog grooming Columbus", "cat groomer Columbus", "dog grooming prices". Each is a clue: maybe you should mention that you groom cats too, or explain your prices, or say whether you come to the house.

Look at what already shows up

Search for your main service and town, and look at the businesses and pages Google shows. You are not there to copy them. You are there to see what kind of answer Google thinks fits the search.

If the results are all business websites with service pages, Google thinks people want a provider. A clear service page is what you need.
If the results are mostly articles and guides, people want an explanation first. A helpful page or post answering the question may fit.
If the map with three businesses sits at the top, your Google Business Profile matters most for that search.

Google Search Console: the searches that already find you

If your site is connected to Google Search Console, it shows the actual searches where your site appeared in the results. This is the most useful tool of all, because it is about your site, not searches in general. Google Search Console for small business owners explains how to set it up if you have not.

To see the list:

Sign in at search.google.com/search-console.
Choose your site.
Click "Performance" (or "Search results") on the left.
Below the chart, make sure the "Queries" tab is selected.

You now see searches with four numbers: clicks, impressions (how often your site was shown), click-through rate, and average position. Set the date range to the last three months for a clearer picture.

What to look for:

Searches with many impressions and few clicks. Your site is being shown but people are not choosing it. The page title or description may not match what they wanted.
Searches you did not expect. If people find you for "septic tank inspection" and you have no page about it, that is a page worth adding, if you do the work.
Searches in customers' words, which may differ from yours. Use their wording on the page.
Towns that appear in searches. They show where people are looking from.

A word on paid keyword tools

Paid tools, and Google's own Keyword Planner inside Google Ads, give estimated search numbers. For a local business, those numbers are often too small or too rough to be useful, and they can push you toward chasing words instead of answering customers. You can do well without them. If you do try one, treat the numbers as rough guides, not facts.

Turning the list into pages

Once you have a few weeks of notes and searches, sort them:

Services you offer that have no page yet: add a page for each.
Questions that need a sentence or two: add them to the right service page or your FAQ page.
Questions that need a longer explanation: these can be a guide or post.
Words customers use that your pages do not: work them into headings and first paragraphs. Using the words customers search explains where they go on a page.
Searches for things you do not do: ignore them, or say clearly on your site that you do not offer them so you get fewer wrong calls.

What to do this week

Start a note on your phone and write down the first sentence of every customer call for two weeks.
Spend twenty minutes with Google autocomplete in a private window, using your main services and town.
Open the "People also ask" box for your three most common customer questions and copy the questions you could answer.
If you have Search Console, open the Queries list for the last three months and look for surprises.
Pick one missing service page or unanswered question and add it.

If you collect the words but your site has nowhere good to put them, you can see your site rebuilt first, with pages that answer what your customers ask.