Let us say you want to book tickets for a Coldplay concert in Sydney. How do you go about doing that? You will type phrases like “Coldplay Sydney concert tickets”, “Coldplay concert tickets,” and “Sydney Coldplay concert tickets”. These are the search terms or phrases you will use to get more information about the Coldplay concert in Sydney. In the digital marketing world, these are known as keywords.
But, what are SEO keywords? SEO keywords are “terms” or “phrases” typically sprinkled across online content to improve search engine ranking for those terms.
This blog sheds light on the importance of SEO keywords, their types, and how to find the right keywords.
What are SEO Keywords?
As mentioned earlier, SEO keywords are search terms and phrases used to discover relevant information about a certain topic. Website owners must aim to incorporate all the relevant keywords on their pages with informative content to improve the chances of people finding their website on the search engine result page (SERP).
It is also important to understand that keyword research is an ongoing process since search language is evolving constantly.
Types of SEO Keywords
Now that we know what SEO keywords are, let us explore the several types of SEO keywords.
Short Tail Keywords
Short tail keywords, often referred to as focus keywords are one or two words with high search volume. These keywords are harder to rank since they have high competition and high monthly search volume.
Examples of short-tail keywords: website hosting, premium domain names, and web hosting.
Long-tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are typically search queries or phrases that contain two or three words. They have a lower monthly search volume compared to short-tail keywords and are easier to rank.
Examples of long-tail keywords: best web hosting in Australia, best restaurant in Stockpool, top-rated restaurant in the world.
Mid-tail Keywords
A blend of short and long-tail keywords, mid-tail keywords are typically longer than a short-tail keyword, but shorter than long-tail keywords. The search volume for mid-tail keywords is moderate and lies between short-tail and long-tail keywords.
How to Choose Keywords for SEO that Drive Traffic
Now, onto the tricky part; choosing the right keywords to boost traffic. Here is how you can pick the best keywords for SEO.
Speak to Customers
It is particularly important to speak to your customers to understand what search terms they use to find products and services you offer. What is the most common search term? What are the popular search queries in different languages?
Speak to your customers to understand the pulse of your customers and customer language.
SERP
Find relevant keywords your audience is looking for leveraging SERP features, particularly the ‘People Also Ask’ and ‘Related Searches’. You can get a fair understanding of other search suggestions your target audience is searching for.
Keyword Research
Conduct in-depth keyword research using different SEO tools including Moz, Semrush, Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, etc. These tools allow you to sort, filter, and group keywords depending on factors including intent, category, relevancy, keyword difficulty, volume, etc.
Why are SEO Keywords Important
It is worth noting that SEO is not static and requires consistent efforts to ensure your website ranks well across search engines.
SEO keywords play a key role in boosting search engine rankings, click-through rates (CTR), and eventually improving user engagement.
Here are a few reasons why SEO keywords are important.
1. Better Search Engine Ranking
Keywords allow search engines to identify and bifurcate your website’s content, depending on different topics, intent, and queries. This way, the search engine pulls up your website whenever you can match it with relevant search queries. The right keywords enhance your website’s ranking resulting in higher organic traffic to your site.
2. Improving Click-through Rates (CTR)
Your web traffic will see a significant improvement when your keywords start ranking and start appearing on the first page. This also means more people are likely to click on your page’s link, increasing the click-through rate (CTR). A high CTR indicates to search engines that your website contains unique, informative, and relevant content that resonates with the readers.
3. Understanding Search Intent
The main objective of every search engine is to ensure relevant data is accessible within seconds. SEO keywords allow you to understand the intent behind a search query and craft compelling content that aligns with your target audience’s preferences. Using these keywords also allows you to scan through the internet to identify the type of content that is doing well within your niche.
4. Staying Ahead of the Curve
SEO has evolved rapidly in recent years thanks to Google’s swift algorithm updates and strides taken by AI-powered search tools. While digital marketing was not a mainstream field a couple of decades ago, it has quickly become one of the most sought-after fields today. It is particularly important to stay abreast with the latest trends in the SEO world to stay relevant and ahead of the curve.
Finding relevant keywords allows you to think out of the box and curate engaging and unique content ideas to captivate your audience.
Parting Notes
Your SEO strategy is incomplete without a solid keyword strategy. An SEO keywords list allows you to ideate and craft a content plan for your website and off-page SEO activities. Remember, you cannot just decide to create content that does not resonate with your audience. Additionally, creating content without relevant keywords will hinder your chances of getting a higher rank on search engines for search queries.
Leverage the benefits of SEO tools to find good SEO keywords specific to your industry or target audience. Aim for low-hanging fruits like low-difficulty keywords and long-tail keywords to boost your chances of ranking higher and improving organic traffic.
Enhance your website’s visibility with expert SEO services. Optimize your SEO keywords today and drive more traffic to your website content!
What are SEO Keywords – FAQs
What are SEO keywords examples?
Some of the most common examples of SEO keywords include short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords, geo-targeted keywords, branded keywords, product-specific keywords, etc.
How do I pull SEO keywords?
You can find relevant SEO keywords by using different free and paid SEO tools available in the market.
What is a suitable number of keywords for SEO?
The ideal number of keywords for SEO depends on several factors including quality of keywords, content size, user intent, etc. Ideally, you should aim to rank 1 primary keyword along with 2-4 secondary keywords per page.
