You're spending $3,000/month on Google Ads for "construction company near me" and getting tire-kickers. Meanwhile, your website gets zero traffic for the exact projects you want—the $500K+ commercial builds that actually move the needle.

The problem isn't your market. It's your keywords.

Most construction companies skip keyword research entirely. They copy what competitors are doing or guess based on gut feeling. You end up invisible for profitable projects while competing on price for the wrong work.

The cost? Wasted ad spend. Tire-kicker leads. Losing projects to firms with better visibility.

This guide walks through a system to find keywords that actually bring qualified leads. By the end, you'll know exactly which search terms connect you with your ideal projects.

Start With Who You're Building For

Keyword research without knowing your ideal client is a waste of time.

Here's what happens to most construction firms. They cast way too wide a net. "Any commercial project" sounds good in theory, until you're drowning in RFPs for work you don't even want. Projects that drain your team. Or you're just struggling to bring in any projects at all.

The difference between "any project" and "profitable projects you actually want" starts with getting clear on who hires you.

Ask yourself: Who are your best clients? What size projects do they bring? What problems keep them up at night?

A high-rise developer searches completely differently than a medical practice owner looking for a tenant improvement contractor. An industrial manufacturer looking for a 200,000 square foot warehouse types different keywords than a retail chain needing quick store build-outs.

Learn more about defining your ideal client profile here

Once you know WHO you're targeting, now you can define WHAT you offer them.

Get Specific About Your Services

"Commercial construction" won't cut it.

Too broad. Impossible competition. You're fighting against more reputable companies that have stronger domain authority and would require a ton of investment to compete with.

You need to get specific. Not just categories—actual services.

Here's what I mean.

Bad example: "Commercial construction"

Good examples:

• Ground-up retail construction

• Medical office build-outs

• Restaurant tenant improvements

• Automotive dealership construction

• Industrial warehouse construction

You might also have specialized services:

• Cold storage facility construction

• LEED-certified aviation facility buildings

• Historic building renovation

• Tilt-up concrete construction

• Pre-engineered metal buildings

• Clean room construction

• Data center build-outs

Specificity is everything here. It positions you as a specialist, not a commodity. Specialists can charge more. Generalists compete on price.

Action item: Make your complete service list right now before moving forward. Be brutally specific. If you only do wood-frame residential, don't list "residential construction." List "custom wood-frame homes" or "luxury single-family residential construction."

Find Out What People Actually Search For

Guessing what prospects type into Google is expensive. Especially when you're running Google Ads.

You need real data on what people actually search.

Your Tool Options

Google Keyword Planner (Free) - Access through your Google Ads account. Shows search volume ranges (10-100, 100-1K, 1K-10K monthly searches) and competition levels. The downside? Broad ranges instead of exact numbers. It's designed for paid ads, not organic SEO. But it's a solid starting point.

SEMrush & Ahrefs (Paid, ~$100-200/month) - These give you way more to work with. Competitor keyword rankings, domain authority scores, keyword difficulty metrics, and backlink profiles. They serve as a good proxy for how to implement SEO strategically. You can see what's working for competitors and make informed decisions based on actual market data.

What to Look For

Monthly search volume tells you how many people search that term every month.

Here's why even 50 searches per month for a niche service can be valuable. If your average project is $300K and your close rate is 30%, those 50 monthly searches could represent $4.5 million in potential annual revenue.

Volume isn't everything. Relevance and buyer intent matter way more.

Take your service list from the last step. Plug each service into your chosen tool. Then export the data.

Pro tip: Look at the "related keywords" suggestions. This often reveals search terms you never even considered. Someone searching "tilt-up concrete construction" might also search "concrete panel construction" or "tilt wall construction."

Make Your Keywords Local

You can't compete nationally with broad construction keywords.

Broad terms are dominated by bigger firms who may have a national or international presence and bigger budgets to spend on SEO.

Add cities or states where you actually work:

• "Commercial construction" → "commercial construction Denver"

• "Residential builder" → "custom home builder Scottsdale"

• "Industrial contractor" → "industrial contractor Dallas Fort Worth"

Why This Works

It dramatically lowers your competition. You're competing locally, not nationally. It's way easier to rank for "residential architect Atlanta" than just "residential architect."

The searcher is in your service area and closer to actually hiring someone.

You get more relevant traffic. No leads from states you don't serve.

Action item: Add your city or metro area to every service keyword from your list. If you serve multiple markets, add neighboring cities too. Don't create 47 different pages for 47 different suburbs—one page optimized for Austin that mentions surrounding areas works fine.

How to Know If a Keyword Is Worth Targeting

Not all keywords are created equal.

Here's how to find the needles in the haystack.

The Three-Part Test Every Keyword Must Pass

1. Searchable (Has Volume)

Aim for at least 100-1,000 searches per month for specialized construction services. Super niche services might be 50-100 searches.

Lower volume can still work. One high-value project from 50 monthly searches could represent millions in potential annual revenue.

If a keyword shows zero volume, don't give up. Try variations like "commercial building contractor" vs "commercial construction company" vs "commercial builder." Test it in Google—does autocomplete suggest it? Do competitors rank for it? That tells you there's real search volume.

2. Relevant (Match Your Services + Location)

Does this keyword match what you actually do? Don't target "hospital construction" if you don't build hospitals.

Does it match problems your ideal client has? "Fix foundation cracks" vs "new construction foundation" attract different buyer intent.

Is it in your service area? Don't target "Phoenix commercial construction" if you only work in Florida. Even neighboring cities—just because you're in Austin doesn't mean you should target San Antonio if you don't actually serve that market.

3. Achievable (Can You Actually Rank?)

Some keywords are too competitive. Big national firms have thousands of backlinks and huge SEO budgets.

Broad terms like "construction company" are dominated by massive firms. Go specific instead: "Pre-engineered metal building contractor Phoenix" or "Medical office construction Denver."

Keyword research tools show competition scores. Lower numbers = easier to rank. Higher numbers = significant time and resources needed.

Action item: Score each keyword on all three criteria. Focus on wins you can achieve in 6-12 months.

Steal Keywords Your Competitors Forgot About

Your competitors rank for keywords they don't even know they're ranking for.

Most construction firms stumble into rankings by accident. They wrote a blog post three years ago that accidentally ranks for a valuable keyword, and they have no idea.

Use SEMrush's "Keyword Gap" Tool

Ahrefs has a similar feature called "Content Gap."

Enter your website domain. Add 3-4 competitor domains—local firms in your market. If you serve multiple states, add firms that provide services in those same markets.

The tool shows you keywords they're ranking for that you're not.

Filter for "missing" opportunities (they rank, you don't) and "weak" opportunities (they rank higher than you). Focus on medium volume—around 20-500 searches per month for services you actually offer.

Your competitors have already proven there's real search traffic. You just need to create better content and outrank them.

Bonus - Look for gaps where none of your competitors rank. No local competition means it's way easier to dominate.

Action item: Export 20-30 competitor keywords you can realistically target in the next 6 months. Don't export 500 keywords because you will never use them.

Organize Your Keywords Like a Project Plan

Having a list of 100 keywords doesn't help if you don't know where to use them.

You need a mapping system. Think of it like your project blueprint.

Create Your Keyword Map

Build a simple spreadsheet with these columns:

• Website page (homepage, service pages, market pages, project pages, blog posts)

• Primary keyword (one main target per page)

• Secondary keywords (2-4 related terms)

• Monthly search volume

• Priority (high/medium/low)

How to Map Keywords

Homepage - Your niche + location ("Aviation architecture firm Denver")

Service pages - Specific service + niche ("Airport terminal design")

Market pages - Target market + service type ("Commercial office design-build")

Project pages - Services from that project ("Hangar renovation architecture")

Blog posts - Long-tail keywords (covered next section)

The Rules

One primary keyword per page. Don't try to rank one page for multiple unrelated services—each needs its own page.

Secondary keywords are fine if they support the main topic. If you serve multiple states, include those as secondary keywords.

Focus on highest volume with competition you can beat

The Blog Content Strategy Most Contractors Miss

There are two types of keywords you need to understand.

Short-tail keywords - Brief search terms, usually 1-3 words like "commercial construction" or "Atlanta architect." High competition, harder to rank, but worth targeting for your homepage and core service pages.

Long-tail keywords - Longer, specific searches, usually 4+ words. Often phrased as questions like "How much does medical office construction cost per square foot" or "What permits do I need for restaurant renovation in Austin."

Why Long-tail Keywords Matter

They're way easier to rank for. You could rank for a long-tail keyword in 2-3 months.

The people searching these are further along. They're researching before they hire someone. Higher intent.

When you write multiple blog posts about one topic, Google sees you as the expert. Your service pages rank better because you've proven you know your stuff.

How to Use This

Write blog posts targeting long-tail keywords. Each post focuses on 1-2 specific questions.

Link from those posts back to your service pages. Someone reading "What permits do I need for restaurant renovation" should see a link to your restaurant construction page.

Over time, Google sees all this content and your service pages start climbing in the rankings.

Action item: Find 10-15 question-based keywords for your first quarter of blog posts. Look for searches that start with "how to," "what is," "how much does," or "do I need."

What Happens When You Get This Right

Here's what we covered:

1. Figure out who your ideal client is

2. List out your specific services

3. Use keyword tools to see what people are searching

4. Add your city or state to those keywords

5. Make sure each keyword is searchable, relevant, and achievable

6. See what your competitors are ranking for

7. Map keywords to the right pages on your site

8. Use short-tail for main pages, long-tail for blog posts

What Actually Changes

You stop wasting money on generic keywords that bring in the wrong leads. Instead, you show up for searches from people who need exactly what you do.

Your phone rings with the projects you actually want. Not tire-kickers asking for quotes they'll never act on.

You show up in search results where your competitors aren't even visible.

Keep It Going

Keyword research isn't one-and-done. Check in every quarter when you add new services or expand to new cities. Look at your Google Search Console to see which keywords are bringing traffic and which pages are converting.

One solid project from organic search can pay for years of SEO work.

Let Us Find Your Hidden Opportunities

This process takes time, and most construction firm owners don't have the bandwidth to dive into keyword research.

Here's what we're offering:

Free keyword audit consultation for your construction business.

We'll analyze your current keywords (or lack of them), identify the gaps your competitors are missing in your specific market, and show you quick wins for your exact services and location.

Book Your Free Keyword Audit Here

No pressure. No strings. You'll walk away with a clear action plan and your top 10 keyword opportunities.