Digital marketing has changed the game for the moving industry. But as ad costs rise, 40% of moving company owners are focusing on improving their marketing initiatives, with search engine optimization (SEO) named a top area of interest.
Next to your online reputation, a solid organic SEO strategy is the most effective tool for getting your moving business to the top of Google. And choosing the right keywords is the best way to start.
Keywords are the words and phrases potential customers use to find businesses, information, and resources online. In this article, we’re sharing 50 moving company keywords to help you increase traffic and leads.
| 👉 Elevate your SEO strategy. Learn the latest best practices in the complete guide to moving company SEO. |
Top keywords for movers
We used a combination of Google Keyword Planner insights, Ahrefs data, and tips and best practices from industry experts to create the following list of moving company keywords.
To optimize these (or any other) keywords for local search, add explicit keywords like “near me” or the name of your city, state, neighborhood, or zip code:
- best moving companies in [location]
- local movers
- long distance moving companies
- [state] long distance movers
- pool table moving company
- cheap piano movers
- commercial movers
- residential movers
- moving and storage services
- senior movers
- office moving company
- apartment movers
- international moving services
- local moving companies
- stuff to know about a place before you move to
- best way to pack a moving truck
- hot tub mover
- reputable moving company
- packing plants for moving
- pet moving company
- cheapest cross country movers
- budget truck rental near me
- uhaul prices
- local moving services
- movers quote
- how to move a sectional sofa/couch
- mobile home movers
- moving and storage service
- moving company reviews
- professional moves
- small moving companies
- family moving company
- same-day moving
- emergency relocation
- moving company military families
- short-distance movers
- large office moving company
- eco-friendly movers
- moving companies with full value insurance
- affordable storage unit
- common moving scams
- moving with kids
- best [city or zip code] neighborhoods
- relocation realtor in [city or state]
- apartments in [city or state]
- climate-controlled move and storage
- cheap packing and unpacking services
- corporate relocation movers
- antique furniture movers
- need help moving heavy furniture
"Near me" and "close by" searches grew by more than 900% over a two-year period.
Why the right keywords are crucial
By placing relevant keywords on your moving company website, you can grow your online presence, increase website traffic, and start building a stream of qualified moving leads for a fraction of the cost of pay-per-click (PPC).
Here are just some of the benefits a strong moving company SEO strategy can deliver:
- Increased organic traffic
- More qualified leads
- Higher conversion rates
- More new customers
- Greater brand recognition
- Low-cost leads on an ongoing basis
36% of SEOs say on-page optimization is the most important ranking factor for local organic search results. Add keywords to your header tags (H1, H2, and H3 headings and subheadings that separate content on a landing page), meta descriptions, and alt text to boost your rankings.
Take care to avoid keyword stuffing and always keep the end customer in mind when making your updates. Before we get into the best practices, let’s break down the different types of keywords you might come across in your research.
| 👉 How much should you be spending on Google Ads? These tips will help you set the right budget for your next campaign. |
Types of keywords for moving companies
If you’re doing it right, you probably have a long list of potential terms you could target. To make it easy to prioritize the best keywords, group them into three basic categories: high-volume, long-tail, and hyperlocal.
Hyperlocal
Hyperlocal keywords include spatial and location-based terms, such as zip code, neighborhood, or even a street name — for example, “moving company Ditmars Queens.”
When it comes to local SEO, it’s all about positioning your moving business as the best in the market. Once you’ve optimized your Google Business Profile (GBP) and hit 150 customer reviews, it’s time to double down on hyperlocal keywords.
Google Keyword Planner has special features for targeting specific locations that may not be available in other keyword research tools. A good understanding of exactly what locals are searching for, like neighborhood nicknames, can be important here.
High-volume
High-volume keywords are high search volume terms that are typically one to three keywords in length. Also known as ‘short-tail searches,’ high-volume keywords are usually broad in nature. For example, ‘moving services’, which has 14K monthly searches in the US.
These keywords are popular and frequently searched, but they can be harder to rank for since there’s more competition. Even if your likelihood of ranking on page one of the search engine results page (SERP) is low, high-volume keywords can still be helpful for guiding your keyword research. You can plug them into a range of keyword research tools like BrightLocal, Ahrefs, and SEMRush to quickly generate related keywords that are easier to rank for.
Long-tail
Long-tail keywords are more specific search terms that tend to include three or more keywords — for example, “moving services in [location]” or “need help moving heavy furniture.” They help newer sites build domain authority by answering less common questions that don’t have strong coverage in the SERP.
Many business owners underestimate the value of long-tail keywords, but it’s worth noting that these types of keywords actually make up the majority of all Google searches. Not only that, top-ranking results have now shifted from transactional to informational.
If you’ve already optimized all your major high-volume opportunities, start targeting long-tail keywords by prioritizing those that signal intent to purchase.
| 👉 Want more ways to rank? Get 9 moving company blog ideas to increase organic traffic. |
How to find the right moving company SEO keywords
No two moving businesses are the same. And they shouldn’t have the same keyword strategy either.
Take time to make sure your keywords are aligned with your ideal customer and goals. The following best practices can help keep you on track.
1. Understand search intent
What exactly are your potential customers looking for when they search a particular term?
Understanding search intent is critical for effective keyword selection. To arrive at the ideal list of keywords for your business, it’s best to start broad. Consider all related questions and topics that might be of interest to a potential new customer.
Next, group your keywords according to the following categories:
- Transactional: With transactional keywords, searchers want to hire a mover and are actively comparing companies — for example, ‘best movers.’
- Navigational: Used to find local products and services, these keywords are usually hyperlocal search phrases that include the name of the city, state, neighborhood, or zip code, or spatial terms like ‘near me’ or ‘nearby.’ An example of a navigational keyword is ‘professional movers near me.’
- Informational: With these keywords, users are trying to find more information about a topic, like how to pack for a move, the best time of year to move, or how to adjust to a new city after a move.
With a clear understanding of intent, you’ll be able to focus your efforts on the right keywords at the right time as your business grows.
“A common misconception for moving companies' SEO is that you should solely focus on ‘moving companies’ keywords. All that this does is add to the already crowded and competitive market. I've had better success when I focus on either location-specific keywords or go niche with my SEO. Use keywords relevant to your niche to help you stand out in the crowd.” — Ryan Carrigan, CEO and Founder at moveBuddha
2. Find out what potential customers are Googling
One sure way to find the right keywords? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes.
Type your own search terms into Google to see what else automatically appears in the dropdown, people also ask, and people also search sections. Consider what questions they’ve asked, common pain points, or anything a new prospect might be wondering about their move. You can then use Google Trends to explore related queries.
Google Keyword Planner is another free resource that can help you generate keywords, analyze existing rankings, forecast how a keyword will perform in the future, and find out if a specific keyword has a low, medium, or high volume of searches. You’ll need a credit card and a $50 hold to sign up, but you don’t actually pay anything to use the service.
If you need a more advanced keyword research tool, it might be time to look into platforms like BrightLocal, SEMRush, or Ahrefs. Premium SEO tools can help you discover new keywords, view your current page rankings, see your competitors’ top keywords, and more.
💡Pro Tip: Improve your PPC strategy by adding any any irrelevant terms that come up in your search to your list of negative keywords. You can also use Google Trends to understand which keywords have a more seasonal pattern to them to make sure you’re spending your ad budget on the right keywords at the right time.
3. Dive into Reddit and other online forums
Many people turn to online forums like Reddit and Quora when they can’t get a reliable answer to their moving questions in the SERP.
By tuning into the latest conversations taking place among your target audience, you can identify specific pain points where you can fill the gap. For ideas, try typing keywords directly into Reddit, or typing “[keywords] reddit” into Google search. The questions and forums that come up in specific threads dedicated to moving will give you a better understanding of what searchers and potential customers really want to know.
4. Monitor performance
If you haven’t done so already, set up your Google Analytics (GA) and Google Search Console (GSC) to get access to reports that can help you understand which keywords are bringing users to your site.
If you’ve already got it set up, navigate to GSC, click on the Performance tab, then Queries to see your top queries, clicks, impressions, clickthrough rate (CTR), and more.
Get the best keywords and the strongest margins
Shifts in digital marketing are constantly changing the game for local movers. To execute a high ROI marketing strategy as you scale, you need to know which efforts are worth your time and budget.
That’s where SmartMoving can help. With built-in Online Reputation Management (ORM) tools and read-to-run ROI reports, you have everything you need to plan, execute, and measure a profitable marketing strategy.
Book your free demo today to see SmartMoving’s profit-boosting features in action.
