Some people play computer games. Others play with search engine optimization (SEO) tools. I’ve always been a little nosy — that’s why I love to do research. And SEO tools let me find out what people think about, search for, and even secretly desire. So I jumped at the chance to investigate hair salon keywords and spy on — I mean, research — your target customers.
And, I found lots of interesting information.
For example, did you know that in Selma, Alabama, “African hair braiding” outperformed “hair extensions” this past month?
By researching and using similar insights, you can generate your own ideas, to create a comprehensive SEO strategy and target your clientele precisely.
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SEO for hair salons
SEO is the body of practices that lead people to your business online. A solid SEO strategy ensures that customers searching for your business or specific services you offer can find you. And yet, 70% of small businesses don’t have an SEO strategy.
When you’re a business owner, your goal is to be one of Google’s top results when someone searches for something related to your business. However, someone in Nebraska doesn’t need the services of a salon located in New York.
That’s why, as a salon owner it’s important to use local SEO as well.
With local SEO, you can pop up in your neighbors’ browsers by:
Claiming your listings on Google My Business, Apple Maps, and local directoriesBuilding local backlinks between your salon and other local businessesOptimizing your keywords with a local audience in mind
I’ll return to the last point when I discuss how to target your audience. But first, here are the top keywords for general SEO purposes.
There are a lot of factors that go into Google’s search algorithm. Use Constant Contact’s SEO tool to audit your website for potential issues and neglected possibilities.
Top hair salon keywords
You can see the current top keywords for hair salons in the lists below. These are high-volume search terms (with low competition) that you want to incorporate into your website.
1M to 10M average monthly searches
hair cutting near mehair salon near me
100K to 1M average monthly searches
hair braiding near mehair salonhaircut places near memen’s haircuts near mesalon near me
10K to 100K average monthly searches
African braiding near meAfrican braiding shopAfrican braiding shop near meAfrican hair braiding near mebalayage near mebest hair salonbest hair salons near mebest salon near mblack hair salons near meblowout hairbraiding salons near mebraiding shops near mebraids near meBrazilian blowout near mecheap haircuts near mecurly hair saloncurly hair salon near meDominican hair salonDominican hair salon near meDominican salon near mehair braiding salons near mehair color salon near mehair colorist near mehair cuttery near mehair designhair extensions near mehair near mehair shops near mehair stylisthair stylist near mehair stylistshaircut placeshairdresserhairdressers near meKorean permmen salonmen’s salon near memen’s hair salonmen’s hair salon near menatural hair salonnatural hair salon near meperms near meplaces to get a haircut near mewalk-in hair salons near mewomen hair salon near mewomen’s haircut near me
How to find keywords
So how did I generate the list above? I used Google Keyword Planner, a free and fairly intuitive tool.
Google’s Keyword Planner gives you a list of related search terms and lets you know how many people search for them each month.
Marketers primarily use Keyword Planner to find keywords relevant to a given industry and find out which have the highest search volumes. It can help you rank higher in search results, phrase key terms more effectively, and develop ideas for content that drives visitors your way.
While it is part of Google Ads, you don’t have to develop paid advertising campaigns. Just type in your primary search term, and watch it generate a list of related keywords. For each one, it’ll tell you:
Average monthly search volumeCompetitionThe price range for search ads
Download the reports, and you’ll also get forecasts for potential search marketing campaigns focused on each term.
How to choose keywords
Keyword Planner is an amazing tool, but it doesn’t quite do it all. How can you hone in on what your local audience wants and when they want it?
Enter Google Trends. Google Trends focuses on relative popularity rather than absolute popularity. It rates terms by how well they perform against all other searches in a given place and time.
One way to use Google Trends for SEO is to compare specific terms. You can specify:
RegionTime periodCategoryType
Use it to create content that appeals to your base. For example, if I compare “African hair braiding,” “hair extensions,” and “perms” across the US over the last five years, I find out where each term performs the best and that “African hair braiding” lags well behind the other two.
Use Google Trends to compare the performance of different keywords.
But if I change my parameters to Alabama over the last year, I find the three are equally competitive, with regular peaks and valleys. And if I want to know which was most popular in Selma this past week, I can do that, too.
Google Trends allows you to narrow your scope in terms of time or region.
You can use Google Trends to determine when to run hair salon promotions and what to highlight (other than hair, of course).
How to use keywords
But how should you use these keywords? The first place they should appear is on the main pages of your website. Make sure that terms such as “Hair salon in [your location]” feature prominently across the site. You then can use the list above to find other relevant terms to build into your core pages.
You should also consider adding a blog to your website — demonstrate your expertise, incorporate more keywords, and become a trusted source for locals with hair-related questions.
Where to start
Now you’re all set to find, choose, and use hair salon keywords. You also know why they matter and have a list of high-yield search terms to get you going.
Start creating your SEO strategy by looking back over the list, and taking note of any keywords that would work well on your website. Then, pick a few terms that make the most sense for your salon and if they’re not already there, start integrating them into your page titles, H2 headings, and body paragraphs.
After that, use your SEO tools to measure your SEO results and not only see how your strategy is working but also where you might want to tweak it to get even better results in the future.
The post Top Hair Salon Keywords: How to Find Them & How to Use Them appeared first on Constant Contact.
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