Keyword research tells you what your customers type into Google. For Sri Lanka, there's a catch: most keyword tools show tiny or zero search volumes for local searches, so many businesses give up or target the wrong terms. Here's how to do it properly.
Why Sri Lankan keyword research is different
- Low reported volumes: tools often show "0 to 10" searches for terms that clearly bring customers. Volumes are rounded and estimated; local terms are under-reported.
- Mixed language: people search in English, Sinhala, Tamil and "Singlish", such as "car sale Gampaha" or "wedding hall Kandy price".
- Local vocabulary: "boarding" not "student accommodation", "tution class" (often misspelt), "lorry" not "truck", "land for sale" not "property".
- Overseas audiences: tourism and export businesses need keywords used by foreign buyers, which are very different.
Step 1: Start with your customers
Before any tool, list:
- What customers ask when they call or message
- The words they use, not your industry jargon
- The towns and areas you serve
- The problems that lead them to you
Step 2: Use Google itself
- Autocomplete: start typing your service and see suggestions. Try adding town names.
- People also ask: the questions Google shows are real questions.
- Related searches at the bottom of the results page.
- The results themselves: what kinds of pages rank? Lists, service pages, directories?
Step 3: Use tools, with care
- Google Keyword Planner: free with a Google Ads account. Set location to Sri Lanka.
- Google Search Console: shows real searches you already appear for. The best data source once your site is live.
- Google Trends: compare terms and see seasonality, such as hotel searches by month.
- Paid tools (Ahrefs, Semrush): useful for competitor research, less reliable for Sri Lankan volumes.
Treat volumes as relative, not exact. A keyword showing 50 searches in Sri Lanka might be worth far more than one showing 5,000 worldwide.
Step 4: Understand search intent
For every keyword, ask what the searcher wants:
| Intent | Example | Best page type |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial / local | "SEO company Colombo" | Service or location page |
| Transactional | "buy office chair online Sri Lanka" | Product or category page |
| Informational | "how long does SEO take" | Blog guide |
| Navigational | "PayHere login" | Not worth targeting unless it's you |
Search the keyword and look at what ranks. If Google shows blog posts, a sales page won't rank, and the reverse.
Step 5: Include Sinhala and Tamil
Many searches happen in Sinhala or Tamil script, or transliterated. Our guide to Sinhala and Tamil SEO covers how to target them.
Step 6: Map keywords to pages
Group related keywords and give each group one page:
- "SEO Colombo", "SEO company in Colombo", "Colombo SEO services" → one Colombo page
- "SEO price Sri Lanka", "SEO cost", "SEO packages" → one pricing page or guide
Avoid creating several pages targeting the same thing; they compete with each other.
Step 7: Prioritise
Score each keyword group by:
- Business value: does it bring customers?
- Difficulty: who ranks now, and can you beat them?
- Effort: do you already have a page to improve?
Start with high-value keywords where you already rank on page two.
Get a keyword plan
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