Do you know what are Keywords is precise? You may have heard a lot about them. However, you still do not know what they are for or how they should be used today within the content strategy and Online visibility of your Website, Blog, or eCommerce.
On the contrary, perhaps you know what they are but have heard that other search engines do not give them so much importance. In any case, the reality is that they are still a determining factor in any positioning strategy. However, their importance is now associated with the search intent of users.
This natural evolution of keywords will be one of the premises we will develop extensively throughout this article. But first, I will start by analyzing in detail the new definition of what a keyword is and what types of intentions users can have when using them in their search queries:
What are Keywords?
A Keywords is all those terms formed by one or more words (phrases) used by users to make a search query in a specific Internet search engine.
Precisely for this reason, we refer to them as “key“ since they are the concepts or parameters that determine in a certain way the thematic results that, theoretically, the user expects the search engine to return as a result of their respective queries.
At present, and thanks to the new Google updates, that old definition has undergone a significant evolution. To such an extent that today you could RE-DEFINE IT as:
A keyword is a thematic search intention that a user performs on Google, with the primary objective of finding the best answer to an information or consumption need. This new feature makes keywords important not only for what the user is looking for but also for what he wants to find.
Previously, the importance of a Keyword was such that some preferred to abuse these terms in the contents of their websites (Keyword Stuffing) to try to increase the chances of ranking or appearing in the first results of some queries.
Today, this practice has radically decreased since Google does not see it with good eyes and can even penalize it with an algorithm (Panda) that is mainly concerned with controlling the quality and relevance of the content and monitoring many of these techniques only try to manipulate the results.
Now, as I said before, the search engine gives more and more importance to the thematic intentionality of the user’s query, making the fact that the content satisfies the real needs of the user prevail above all else and, therefore, resolve relevant way the doubt or “query” that I make to the search engine.
In addition, as I constantly repeat in my lectures and classes (and I will not tire of doing so):
The Content is the Realm where the User must be Happy. Therefore, the user is the only and authentic King” (which contradicts the hackneyed idea that “content is king”)
And, let’s be honest, reading a text where more than half of the content refers to a single keyword or phrase is quite annoying and makes no sense that it is positioned among the first positions of any search engine.
What is the relationship between keywords and search intent?
As with almost everything, Google’s algorithms also change over time. In fact, it is constantly evolving to improve and prioritize all the content that best suits the user’s query.
And by the way, since the year 2013, when the Hummingbird algorithm appeared and began to apply, it began to prioritize and use semantics and artificial intelligence when deciding which search results to put in the first place.
This, together with the fact that there are “entities” that Google has already begun to understand on its own and to relate to the search intention that the user could foreseeably have (what it calls the “Knowledge Graph”), make up the key that it usually takes to when it comes to offering us increasingly accurate results concerning what hypothetically we want users to find in the SERP.
These are based on these 3 “key” terms:
- Know
- Do
- Find
What are keywords used for?
You may intuit it with all of the above, seeing how they have been changing and how they have adapted to this new concept called “search intent” or Search Intent. Now, let’s see a little the reason for these and what they really serve from the point of view of a webmaster:
1. Define the thematic intention and the relevance of the content
I have already told you about the importance of “search intent“ for Google, but how can you know the user’s intent for those words?
There are different keywords, each with its own characteristics and intentions. These help you define the thematic orientation your content should have (something that we will see below).
Depending on what you want to achieve, you should choose one type or another. It is also possible to combine different kinds of KW in one place, but you must always define the main objective for your content; this way, it will be easier for you to rank for a specific keyword.
2. Appear in search results
It is evident from the previous explanations that they allow you to appear in the SERPs. For our websites to appear in search engines, someone has to “search for us” with those terms that you enter manually (or by voice).
3. Let Google understand what your content is about
Keywords are the most direct method of telling Google what the content published on your digital platform is about. Through them, the search engine knows what you offer and for which users they are directed.
Therefore, it is necessary to correctly select the keywords you will use. You should also keep in mind the relationship between the different terms you use on your web pages, making it easier for Google to rank your content.
4. They help you get more qualified traffic.
Suppose you don’t know the subject well. In that case, it may sound a bit strange to you, but believe it or not, these are important factors when determining the geolocation from which your Web organic traffic comes.
In this way, if we use the keyword food, it is most likely that our traffic will come from India, while when using the keyword food, we will have more traffic.
The same applies to other terms. Selecting the appropriate words and concepts allows us to appeal to a more specific audience, at least geographically speaking. And this not only applies to keywords but to all our content in general.
What are the types of Keywords that exist?
As I was telling you, there are different types. You must know what they are. Depending on the situation and what you want to achieve with your digital project, you will have to choose one.
That said, there are 3 large groups, and each of them contains other subtypes, as we will see below:
- Based on search intent.
- Depending on the length of the keywords.
- And own or particular criteria.
Keywords according to search intent.
Here we can differentiate between:
1. Navigational
This typology occurs when the name of a website, a Brand, or a specific company is typed in the search engine. For Example: « PrestaShop, «WordPress, «etc.
In this case, the user’s intention is to enter, a priori, the official website of these brands. But, for convenience or because you don’t know your domain address for sure, you prefer to enter from a result of the search engine itself.
2. Information
In this case, we are referring to those search intentions that are carried out, as its name suggests, to simply find information. In other words, the user here would not have economic or transactional pretensions when making their query.
For example, using a term similar to the one we are dealing with today, « what is keyword research » would correspond to this type.
3. Transactional or Commercial
As you can guess, they intend to activate in the SERP those websites that offer products or services, such as online stores in the sector that corresponds in each case.
For example, “buy CrossFit sneakers.”
4. Commercial research
According to the search intention, this last case of Keyword is a combination of the previous two since it refers to that query corresponding to the user who is looking to clear up his doubts about a purchase he is thinking of making.
Although initially, it carries a predisposition to buy/contract, it is still at a point of indecision.
Good examples of this could be:
- What are the best 5.9-inch phones
- Best SEO keyword research tools on the market
- How to choose a portable air conditioner
Blogs or niche/affiliation websites usually have a place where extensive comparisons are generally offered.
Keywords according to their length or accuracy in the search.
Next, this classification attends to the number of terms that include said query; that is, we do the search that is being carried out more and more exact:
1. Short tail
In SEO (search engine optimization), they are usually called “seed or generic” keywords and are made up of one or two words.
These terms usually have a very high search volume since they are very generic and more abstract in terms of their accuracy, as is the case with slippers, blog, table, chair, sock, etc.
2. Medium tail
These are somewhat more specific search terms and one with a little less search volume than the first ones. They are usually made up of 2 or 3 words, which makes the user’s intention who uses them a little more concrete or specific than the “seed” ones.
For example: «Women’s shoes,» «marketing blog,» «corner table,» «gaming chair,» etc.
3. Long-tail Keyword
Long-tail keywords, which is what they are usually called in Content Marketing and SEO (search engine optimization), are made up of phrases with 3, 4, or more terms, which suggests that, obviously, they are concepts with a volume of much less search but with greater accuracy in the results that you want to obtain.
Unlike the two previous cases, this low volume (in most cases) coincides with the intense competition since they refer to much more specific ideas or searches.
Good examples could be: “buy Adidas women’s shoes,” “marketing blog specialized in SEO,” “white kitchen corner table,” etc.
Special criteria to rank other keywords
There are some other types of key concepts that I will mention below. Taking them into account and combining them with the previous ones should be a good strategy:
1. “Branded” Keywords
They refer to all those searches that contain the name of a company or brand in the phrase.
As you can guess, those who search this way are users who already know you, but for convenience or because they don’t write your entire Web domain in the browser, they do it this way.
2. Locales
They are those formed by the product or services you can offer, together with the locality, country, or region the user wants to limit their search.
These usually tend to be of the medium and long-tail type; as an example, we have a « master of digital marketing in Patna.»
“You may also like:
Keyword Planner Complete Guide to Google Keyword Planner!
3. Matching
Here are all those combinations related to the ads that you can make in your Google Ads account, where we can differentiate:
- Wide.
- Wide modified.
- Of phrase.
- Exact.
- Negative keywords.
Conclusions
To finish, I want to clarify again that the Keywords “have not died,” nor have they ceased to be one of the determining factors for Google.
What has happened is that they have simply evolved and adapted to give the user a better experience.
Remember: now, it is not only enough to choose the correct term based on the number of monthly searches or on the competition; there are also many more factors that come into play, such as the thematic intention that the user wants to solve and the type of content that the user really wants to solve. You need to create it within your website to be able to answer it.
In short, you must continue to optimize your content for the different keywords, which are still one the important factors for web positioning.
Still, now you must also consider that this content adapts to what the user really wants to find.
For this reason, it constantly analyzes what the user is looking for, what type of content is appropriate for that query, and tries to resolve their information or consumption needs in the most relevant way possible.