What Abortion-Minded Women Are Searching For in 2025: The Keywords That Could Save Lives

By Cornerstone Marketing Strategies

Understanding search intent isn’t just marketing strategy—it’s mission-critical. When a woman in crisis searches for answers at 2 AM, will your pregnancy center appear, or will she find an abortion provider instead?

The Bottom Line Up Front

The search landscape has dramatically shifted since 2022. Women are now searching earlier in their pregnancies, using more specific medication-related terms, and increasingly looking for telehealth options. If your pregnancy center isn’t optimizing for these 2025 search patterns, you’re invisible to the women who need you most—and lives are at stake.

The Post-Dobbs Search Revolution

Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, online search behavior has fundamentally changed. In the four weeks immediately following the ruling, certain search patterns skyrocketed:

“Medication abortion pills” — up 70%
“Do abortion pills expire” — up 350%
“States where abortion is illegal map” — up over 1,050%

But here’s what most pregnancy centers are missing: these aren’t just statistics. They’re SOS signals from women in crisis.

The Top Search Categories Women Are Using Right Now

1. Medication-Related Searches (The New Dominant Category)

The landscape has shifted dramatically toward medication abortion. By the end of 2024, 1 in 4 abortions were provided via telehealth, representing a massive change from just 5% in mid-2022. This means women are searching differently than they did even two years ago.

High-Volume Keywords:

“Abortion pill”
“Medication abortion”
“Abortion pill online”
“How to get abortion pills”
“Abortion pills by mail”
“Do abortion pills work”
“Side effects of abortion pill”

Why This Matters: Women searching these terms are in the earliest stages of decision-making. They’re researching options before they’ve committed to a choice. This is your golden window to reach them.

Your Strategic Response: Create dedicated content pages about “abortion pill facts,” “what they don’t tell you about the abortion pill,” and “abortion pill alternatives.” These should be compassionate, factual, and include clear calls-to-action to schedule a consultation at your center.

2. Location-Based Searches (Immediate Intent)

These searches indicate a woman who is ready to take action RIGHT NOW. The clock is ticking in minutes, not days.

Critical Keywords:

“Abortion clinic near me”
“Pregnancy help near me”
“Free pregnancy test [city name]”
“Abortion services [city name]”
“Pregnancy center [city name]”

Geographic Variations Matter: Women in Texas might search “telehealth abortion pill Texas” while women in California search “how much is an abortion in California.” Your Google Ads campaigns must be location-specific and address state-by-state realities.

Your Strategic Response: Optimize your Google My Business profile, run location-targeted Google Ads, and ensure your website prominently displays your city and state on every page. Local SEO is no longer optional—it’s essential.

3. Symptom and Timing Searches (Early Pregnancy Uncertainty)

Women often search about pregnancy symptoms before they’re even sure they’re pregnant. These are your earliest intervention opportunities.

Common Keywords:

“Am I pregnant”
“Early pregnancy signs”
“How soon can I take a pregnancy test”
“Missed period”
“Pregnancy symptoms week by week”

Why This Matters: Research shows that “pregnancy and sex” was the most commonly searched pregnancy-related keyword with 48,100 searches per month, followed by “pregnancy and weight” at 18,490 searches monthly. Women are searching for general pregnancy information long before they search for abortion.

Your Strategic Response: Create blog content addressing these early concerns. A woman searching “early pregnancy signs” today might be searching “abortion clinic near me” next week. Be there for her at every stage of her journey.

4. Cost and Procedure Information (Comparison Shopping)

Women facing unplanned pregnancies are often in financial crisis. Cost concerns drive significant search volume.

Important Keywords:

“How much does an abortion cost”
“Free pregnancy test”
“Abortion cost [city/state]”
“Pregnancy help financial assistance”
“Free ultrasound”

Your Strategic Response: Be transparent about your free services on your website. Create a comparison page showing the costs of abortion versus the free services you provide. Many women don’t know your services are completely free.

5. Options and Alternatives Searches (The Window of Hope)

These searches represent women who haven’t made up their minds yet. They’re the most reachable audience.

Powerful Keywords:

“Alternatives to abortion”
“Unplanned pregnancy options”
“Considering abortion”
“I’m pregnant and don’t know what to do”
“Pregnancy options counseling”

Your Strategic Response: This is where your mission shines. Create content that speaks directly to confusion and fear. Use real stories, clear explanations of all options (parenting, adoption, abortion facts), and compassionate language that validates her struggle while offering hope.

The Keywords Abortion Providers Are Dominating (That You Need to Target)

Research analyzing pregnancy center marketing strategies found that anti-abortion pregnancy centers were targeting over 15,000 queries related to abortion, including phrases like:

“Telehealth abortion pill [state]”
“First trimester abortion”
“Abortion services near me”
“Planned Parenthood”
“Abortion pill cost”

Here’s the reality: If you’re not willing to use the word “abortion” on your website and in your ads, you’re forfeiting the game to abortion providers. Many pregnancy centers avoid abortion-related keywords because they don’t want to “promote” abortion. But here’s the truth: talking about abortion doesn’t mean you’re promoting it. It means you’re willing to have the conversation about abortion to address why she’s considering it while you offer truth, support, and hope.

How Search Behavior Has Changed: What You Need to Know

Earlier Decision-Making

Women are making abortion decisions earlier in their pregnancies than ever before. With the increasing availability of medication abortion and fewer barriers to accessing the abortion pill online, the window to reach women is narrowing.

What This Means: You can’t wait for women to be 8-10 weeks pregnant anymore. You need to reach them at 4-6 weeks—or even before they’re sure they’re pregnant.

Mobile-First Searching

The majority of pregnancy-related searches now happen on smartphones. Women are searching in private moments—late at night, in their cars, during breaks at work.

What This Means: Your website must be fast, mobile-optimized, and have click-to-call functionality prominently displayed. If your site loads slowly on mobile, she’ll click the back button and find someone else.

Information Verification

Women are becoming more sophisticated about verifying whether a center actually provides abortions. They’re reading Google reviews, checking multiple sources, and looking for disclaimers.

What This Means: Be crystal clear about what services you DO provide. Don’t hide behind vague language. Transparency builds trust.

The Google My Business Advantage (Your Secret Weapon)

One of the most underutilized tools by pregnancy centers is Google My Business (GMB). When a woman searches “pregnancy help near me” or “abortion clinic near me,” your GMB listing can appear in the map pack at the very top of search results—above all other organic results.

How to Win with GMB:

Claim and verify your listing (if you haven’t already)
Post weekly updates with client-focused content and photos
Collect and respond to reviews (this dramatically impacts your rankings)
Use accurate, consistent business information across all platforms
Add relevant categories like “Pregnancy Care Center,” “Women’s Health Clinic,” “Social Services Organization”

This free tool can literally put you on the map—both figuratively and literally—when women in your area search for help.

Creating Content That Converts Searches Into Appointments

Having the right keywords is only half the battle. Your content needs to:

1. Address Her Actual Questions

Don’t just optimize for search engines—optimize for scared, confused women. Answer real questions like:

“How long do I have to decide?”
“What will an ultrasound tell me?”
“Can I afford to keep this baby?”
“What if the father wants me to abort?”

2. Speak to Her Emotional State

Use empathetic, non-judgmental language. Women aren’t searching for clinical information—they’re searching for hope and help in a crisis moment.

3. Make Scheduling Ridiculously Easy

Every page should have a clear, prominent call-to-action. Phone numbers should be click-to-call on mobile. Your appointment scheduling should be simple and fast.

4. Load Lightning-Fast

You have literally seconds to capture her attention. If your page loads slowly, she’s gone.

The Geographic Reality: State-Specific Strategies

Search patterns vary dramatically by state. A woman in Texas faces different realities than a woman in California, and their searches reflect that.

States with Abortion Bans:

Higher searches for “abortion pills by mail”
More searches for “closest state where abortion is legal”
Increased searches for “pregnancy help” and “free ultrasound”

States Bordering Ban States:

Significant increase in out-of-state search traffic
Women searching “[Your State] abortion clinic near [Their City]”
Higher volume of all pregnancy-related searches

Your Strategic Response: If you’re in a ban state, emphasize your comprehensive pregnancy support services. If you’re near a border, you’re seeing increased traffic from neighboring states—make sure your Google Ads campaigns target those areas.

The Shield Law Factor: A New Challenge

Eight states have enacted “shield laws” that protect providers who prescribe medication abortion via telehealth to women in states with bans. This has created a new category of search behavior: women in ban states searching for telehealth options.

Why This Matters: By the end of 2024, an average of 12,330 abortions per month were provided under shield laws. These are women who might never physically visit an abortion clinic—they’re receiving pills by mail after an online consultation.

Your Counter-Strategy: Create content specifically addressing medication abortion obtained via telehealth, including information about:

The lack of in-person medical evaluation
Potential complications with no local medical support
The importance of accurate dating via ultrasound
Emotional and psychological considerations

Action Steps: Implementing This Research at Your Center

Immediate (This Week):

Audit your current website for abortion-related keywords
Claim or optimize your Google My Business listing
Add “abortion” and related terms to your most important pages
Check your mobile site speed (use Google’s PageSpeed Insights)

Short-Term (This Month):

Launch or revise your Google Ads campaigns with these updated keywords
Create 3-5 new blog posts addressing medication abortion
Set up location-specific landing pages for nearby cities
Install click-to-call functionality prominently on mobile

Long-Term (This Quarter):

Develop a comprehensive content strategy around these keyword categories
Build out detailed service pages for each offering (free ultrasound, options counseling, material assistance, etc.)
Create case studies and testimonials (with permission) showing real women you’ve helped
Implement a review generation strategy for your Google My Business listing

The Ethical Imperative: Why This Matters

Some pregnancy centers hesitate to use abortion-related keywords, fearing it’s deceptive or that they’re “tricking” women. Let me be clear: using these keywords is not deceptive if you’re transparent about your services.

Women searching for abortion information NEED to know that alternatives exist. They NEED to know that pregnancy centers offer free services, accurate information, and comprehensive support. If you don’t appear in these searches, you’re not giving them the opportunity to make a fully informed decision.

As one marketing guide for pregnancy centers states: “It’s vital to reach women on their phones early in the search process, before the abortion clinic can reach them.”

This isn’t manipulation. This is mission.

Why Professional Help Makes the Difference

Understanding these search patterns is one thing. Implementing a comprehensive strategy across SEO, Google Ads, content marketing, and conversion optimization is another. The most successful pregnancy centers work with marketing professionals who specialize in this space and understand both the technical requirements and the mission-critical nature of the work.

At Cornerstone Marketing Strategies, we’ve managed over 400 successful pregnancy center marketing campaigns. We’ve connected over 100,000 leads from women considering abortion with their local pregnancy centers. We know what works because we’ve seen the results: one center increased abortion-minded visits by 90% in a single year. Another saw a 425% increase since they started working with us.

The Bottom Line

The search landscape for pregnancy help is constantly evolving. Women are searching earlier, using more specific terms, and increasingly looking for medication abortion information. If your pregnancy center isn’t adapting to these changes, you’re becoming invisible to the women who need you most.

Every search is a life hanging in the balance. Every keyword is an opportunity to reach a scared woman before she makes an irreversible decision. The question isn’t whether you should invest in strategic digital marketing—it’s whether you can afford not to.

Ready to Reach More Women?

If you’re ready to implement these strategies and start reaching abortion-minded women in your community, we’re here to help.

Schedule a Free Strategy Session: Let’s review your current online presence and identify the biggest opportunities for reaching more women. We’ll show you exactly what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change.

Get a Free Marketing Audit: We’ll analyze your website, Google rankings, and ad campaigns to see how you compare to abortion providers in your area—and create a roadmap for outranking them.

Call or Text: 573-395-6044

Get Started

About the Author: Cornerstone Marketing Strategies specializes in digital marketing for pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations. With years of experience working in the pro-life movement and over 400 successful campaigns, we understand both the technical requirements of effective digital marketing and the mission-critical nature of reaching abortion-minded women. Contact us to learn how we can help your center save more lives.