Tried two different ways to find keywords for a local bakery client

I spent a week just using a free tool and looking at what came up, then I switched to using Ahrefs and focusing on questions people actually search for. The second way found 30 more good keywords, like 'best birthday cake delivery near me'. Has anyone else found that a better tool makes that much of a difference for local stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

shane_morgan23d ago

Agree that tools help, but the real shift is in your own thinking. You stopped looking for generic bakery words and started looking for customer problems. That phrase "best birthday cake delivery near me" is a full sentence someone typed when they were stressed and needed a fix. A free tool might have given you "birthday cake" and "bakery delivery" as separate ideas. The better tool just helped you hear the customer's voice more clearly.

faithpatel23d ago

Yeah, focusing on questions people actually search for is huge. My friend runs a small pet sitting service and had the same thing happen when she switched from a basic keyword list to a real tool. It totally changed the phrases she targets now.

davidshah23d ago

Tools make a real difference because they show what people actually type into Google. A basic list just guesses, but real search data reveals the exact questions customers have. It's like going from a blurry picture to a clear one. That shift can totally change how you talk to your audience.