Picking the five searches you want to win

In this article, you'll learn how to pick the five searches you want your business to show up for. These are the phrases people type into Google when they need what you do, and they become the target keywords for your SEO work.

You'll only see this step if you're on an SEO plan. It's in onboarding, on the web, and it comes right after you list your services and cities.

To get to the Searches step:

  1. Open your onboarding and work through the steps until you reach the SEO section.
  2. The Searches step is the page titled Searches worth winning.

Where the suggestions come from

The step opens with a row of rounded buttons, each one a search phrase. We build them from your main Google Business Profile category, so a junk removal company sees junk removal searches and a cleaner sees cleaning searches. You'll get up to ten.

Some suggestions include your city. If we have your city from your business details, it's filled in for you. If we don't, those phrases end in "near me" instead.

The first five suggestions start out picked. If you've been to this step before, the five you chose last time are picked instead.

Picking and letting go

A picked search is shaded green with a darker border. One that isn't picked is plain white.

  1. Tap a picked search to let it go.
  2. Tap a white one to pick it.

You can't pick more than five at once. When you already have five, tapping a sixth does nothing. Let one go first, then pick the one you want.

Adding a search of your own

Don't see the phrase you want? Type it yourself.

  1. Click the box at the end of the list that says + Your own.
  2. Type the search, the way a customer would type it into Google.
  3. Press Enter.

Your search joins the list and is picked straight away. It's saved in lowercase, and if it's already on the list it won't be added twice.

Note: A search of your own only gets added if you have room for it. If you already have five picked, let one go before you press Enter, or the box just clears.

Keeping count

The line under the list tells you where you are. It reads 3 of 5. (or however many you have) until you reach five. Then it changes to That's five. Tap one to swap it.

Moving on

Continue stays greyed out until you have exactly five picked. Not four, not six.

  1. Pick your five.
  2. Click Continue.

Your picks are saved with the rest of your answers, and you can click Back to change them while you're still in onboarding. When you finish onboarding, these five become your business's target keywords.

Tip: Pick searches a real customer would type, like the service plus your city. Your exact business name isn't usually worth a spot, since people searching for you by name tend to find you anyway.

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