Keyword Research For Deck Builders In 2026
Do you know what words have the biggest impact on your website?
If not, this is what keyword research will show you…
So you can find these high-impact words and phrases, and use them even more!
Doing keyword research for deck builders is one of the best way to understand how your clients online for your services…
And will allow you to optimize your website to match their needs and get more leads.
Let’s dive in.
What are keywords?
Think of keywords as the combination of words your clients type on Google to find you.
It could be anything like ‘deck builder near me‘, ‘decking services around TN‘, ‘deck installation in TX’, ‘porch construction‘ or more.
There are hundreds of words and combination of words that can make your website pop up.
The only difference between them is the subtle intent of that Google search.
Which brings us to…
Keyword intent
Think of these two keywords…
‘deck contractor near me’
Or…
‘deck materials’.
Now, what do you think the person searching this was actually looking for?
Because the first one seems like he was ready to choose a contractor, and the second was looking for information.
There are 4 keyword intents:
Informational Intent
- how to build a deck
- why to seal or stain a deck
- what are the best decking materials
- when's the best time to build a deck
- how much does a deck cost
To match this intent: write educational content where you’re answering the query.
Navigational Intent
- Deck Bros reviews
- Riverview Decks warranty
- composite decks from Decks On Point
- 3-day-decks by Deck Bros
To match this intent: have a website page dedicated for these branded searches.
Transactional Intent
- free decking estimates
- deck building quote in Knoxville
- schedule deck replacement Omaha
- book deck expansion
To match this intent: have a sales page where you convince users to request a quote. These transactional keywords are great for Google Ads.
Commercial / Investigational Intent
- best deck builder in Omaha
- Riverview Decks vs Deck Bros
- top porch installers in Fairfax
- financing for new decks
To match this intent: have a city page, comparison page, show reviews, testimonials, and differentiate yourself from your competitors.
Tools for Keyword Research For Deck Builders
You’re a deck builder, not a marketer…
So investing in an SEO tool shouldn’t even be on your list of priorities.
If you don’t work with a marketing expert (too bad), you’ll have to do the keyword research yourself.
And because we still want to help you out, we’ve made a simple, free keyword research tool for deck builders to help you get it done.
If you work with a marketing or SEO agency for deck builders, they’ll probably use professional tools like Ahrefs and Semrush.
What To Look for when researching keywords
Keyword research for deck builders is not rocket science, but it does require a little bit of knowledge if you want to get it right.
Keyword Search Volume
The search volume shows the number of monthly searches for that combination of words.
You’d think the higher the search volume, the better.
And that’s almost always true…
But you need to keep in mind the next aspects as well.
Key Insight: Instead of focusing on how many people are searching for a topic, check the estimated monthly organic visitors on Ahrefs to gauge its popularity. This helps decide whether it’s worth writing about.
Keyword Difficulty
Say you found a keyword with over 100,000 monthly searches…
But then you see the keyword difficulty is ‘very high’.
This means that keyword is targeted by a lot of your competitors, and ranking for that keyword will be very hard and require a lot of work.
The sweet spot is a keyword with a large number of keywords, and a difficulty of ‘easy’ or ‘medium’, so you can rank for these keywords faster.
Key Insight: To figure out the difficulty yourself, search the combination of words on Google. If you see big names ranking for that, like The Spruce, House Beautiful. Bob Vila, This Old House, etc., that’s going to be hard to rank over.
Keyword intent
After you find the search volume and the difficulty, think about what are these people actually looking for.
Here’s an example:
- composite decking - people are most likely interested in finding information about this type of flooring. They're still researching the material.
- composite decking installation in Boise, ID - these users are ready to look for a contractor to install their new deck. They're much more likely to be a potential client than the first one.
So, how do you choose the right keywords?
Focus on a relatively high number of searches, but if you’re just starting SEO, always look for easy keywords to rank for. If you want to educate, your page must include pros and cons, prices, images, etc. If you want your page to sell, there’s a lot more involved.
Tools For Keyword Research For Deck Builders
If you have plenty of time on your hands to learn SEO and do it yourself, these are some tools experts use.
For deck building contractors who want to start doing SEO, Ahrefs is probably the best tool for this. It has tons of features, but it’s also fairly easy and intuitive to use.
It is, however, very pricey.
Semrush is also great for doing keyword research for deck builders, but it’s pricier than Ahrefs and feels more complicated.
Like Ahrefs (and most other keyword research tools) take the info it displays with a grain of salt – only Google truly knows the real number of searches for a particular query.
Google's Keyword Planner Tool
Google Keyword Planner is a FREE tool you could use that comes directly from Google, with all of Google’s data! That means all the info you see is 100% real, recent data.
To access the Keyword Planner, you need to create a Google Ads account and start a campaign.
Other ways to discover keywords
#1. Use Reddit
Reddit is a gold mine for anyone doing research. Check subreddits like /contractors or /homeimprovements or /deckbuilding and see what are people talking about.
You can spot trends in the decking industry, learn about them, and them write a piece of content for your website as well.
#2. Use Your Knowledge
Do you know about a new material that is increasingly more popular? Write about it!
If you’re among the first ones on the internet to write about something, your changes of ranking for that keyword are much higher.
#3. Check out your competitors
Find another deck builder website and see what blog posts/pages they have.
If you notice a pattern between multiple websites, you might have a winner.
Of course, these keywords might be harder to rank for, but if you have better content, that page will still move the needle.
Keyword Research For Deck Builders - Done Right
Doing SEO for deck builders is not about writing content on your website.
There are dozens of pieces all moving together to make Google trust you more and put you in front of your audience.
With the right keyword research and strategy, we can make all website users move through a funnel designed to warm them up…
And ultimately request a consult with you and make selling much easier.
Wrapping up
Keyword research for deck builders is not rocket science, but you can’t afford to spend your time learning how to do it.
Focus on your business, and let a professional take care of the SEO side of things.
We’ve helped dozens of deck builders grow their businesses with the right kind of SEO…
The one that actually makes your phone ring.
That’s what happened to Luan from Deck Bros, to Nate from Riverview Decks, to Carter from Decks On Point, and more!