Most keyword research tools are designed for national or international SEO campaigns. They show search volumes at national level, competition scores based on large players, and miss the nuance that is crucial for local search queries. A plumber in Amersfoort gains nothing from knowing that “plumber” has 8,100 monthly searches in the Netherlands — he wants to know how many people in his service area search for “emergency plumber Amersfoort” or “leaking tap repair Soest.”
The three categories of local keywords
Category 1: “Proximity intent” keywords. These are searches where the searcher explicitly looks for a local business: “[service] + [city]”, “[service] + “near me””. These are the most valuable keywords for Local SEO because they signal high purchase intent. A user searching for “dentist Rotterdam South” is ready to make an appointment.
Category 2: “Service-specific” keywords. These describe a specific problem or service without an explicit location: “boiler error reset,” “tax return self-employed,” “root canal treatment cost.” Google personalizes search results based on location, so your Local SEO position is relevant for these terms too. This is the most underutilized keyword category for local businesses.
Category 3: “Emergency/urgent” keywords. “Emergency plumber 24/7,” “dentist open weekend Rotterdam,” “lock replacement burglary Amsterdam.” These have lower search volume but extremely high conversion value. A user searching for “emergency plumber Amersfoort” is ready to call immediately and price is secondary to availability.
The prioritization framework: PIE score
With dozens of potential local keywords, you need to prioritize. We use the PIE score: Potential (search volume and purchase intent), Importance (conversion value per lead for your business), and Ease (difficulty of ranking for this keyword). Score each factor 1-5, and the sum determines priority.
Example: A physiotherapist in Utrecht compares “physiotherapist Utrecht” (high volume, high intent, medium value, high competition — PIE score 11/15) with “physiotherapist shoulder pain Utrecht” (low volume, very high intent, high value, low competition — PIE score 13/15). The longer, more specific term has a higher PIE score despite lower search volume, and is therefore the better priority.
A fully developed keyword research template for twelve sectors, including the top-25 most valuable local search terms per sector in the Netherlands, is available for LocalSEOLab.nl members.