Simply put, they are words or phrases that people type into a search engine when looking for an answer, product or service online. Generally speaking, keywords can be broken down into two categories: short-tail and long-tail – based on the length of the query.
Short-tail keywords may consist of only one or two words such as “shoes”. These are the most generic type of phrases with the highest volume of searches which makes them harder to rank for in the SERPs – especially if you’re a business that’s just starting out.
Meanwhile, long-tail keywords tend to be more descriptive with a lower volume of searches and include three or more words like “brown leather shoes size 10″. As these are more specific and relevant to a given topic or audience, you have a better chance of ranking higher in the SERPs.
Beyond length, keywords can also be grouped based on intent:
- Informational keywords – used when someone wants to learn more about a topic (eg: “how do I choose running shoes?”).
- Navigational keywords – help people find specific brands or websites (eg: “Nike running shoes”).
- Commercial keywords – indicate that someone is researching products before making a purchase (eg: “best running shoes under £50”).
- Transactional keywords – signal an immediate purchase intent (eg: “buy Nike Air Max 270 shoes”).
Additionally, there are also industry specific keywords and all have their own unique functions when it comes to SEO success.
Market segment is used to describe a type of product or industry (eg: computers, cat food), customer defining terms are related to a particular type of demographic (eg: shoes for women) product usually refers to a specific brand or item (eg: Macbook Air) and geo-targeted are based on location (eg: Italian restaurant Manchester) which are extremely useful for reaching customers in your local area.
Why are keywords important?
Keywords are like a golden ticket that can lead users straight to your door. After all, it is estimated that the first 5 results in the SERPs account for 67.6% of all clicks – so no matter how awesome you and/or your website is, if it’s not ‘findable’ then there’s simply no point!
By optimising your webpages’ titles, descriptions, headlines, blog posts, images alt text etc., with relevant keywords people are actually looking for online, you will be able to improve your search engine rankings and attract more targeted visitors not only from the search bar, but other sources such as paid advertisement campaigns (PPC) and social media platforms like Facebook & Instagram Ads.
It is also important to note that not all keywords are created equal; some will perform better than others depending on various factors such as location and seasonality. As such, it is critical to conduct keyword research before implementing them into your content strategy to ensure that the ones you choose will actually help drive organic traffic to your website.
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We understand that in order to succeed online, you need an effective website with a strong SEO strategy in place. Here at Digibean we focus on creating beautiful websites that rank high in search engines to ensure you stay on top of the competition – literally!
Put yourself in pole position and call our team now on 0161 958 6292 or drop us a message: [email protected] for more information.