Start with the customer
List the exact phrases customers use, plus their town. “Aircon repair Bloemfontein” beats generic industry jargon every time.
Adding your town turns a broad, competitive phrase into one local customers actually type — and you can realistically win.
Match search intent
Group keywords by intent: informational (“how to…”), commercial (“best…”) and transactional (“near me”, “price”). Build a page for each real need.
Free tools to start
Google autocomplete, “People also ask”, and the Keyword Planner reveal real phrases and rough volumes — enough for a small business to prioritise.