The internet is a seemingly endless trove of resources, but in the saturated world of online marketing, it’s easy for your website and ads to get lost. Keywords are crucial signposts that point consumers, as well as Google and other search engines, to your content. Keywords are terms and phrases that large segments of your target audience are searching for in their online queries.
When these keywords are strategically incorporated into content, it communicates to search engines that your website answers your audience’s questions. As a result, your website will appear higher on the search engine results pages (SERP), making it easier for people to find your products and services, leading to more traffic and conversions.
Understanding Keywords
What Is a Keyword in Digital Marketing?
In digital marketing, keywords are terms and phrases that represent your brand, and values that are important to your ideal customer. At the same time, search engines use keywords to identify and sort relevant content. By identifying what keywords your audience uses and incorporating them into content emphasizing experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T), companies can appear higher up in Google searches and attract new customers.
Why Are Keywords Important for Search Engine Optimization?
Keywords are important for search engine optimization (SEO) because they help Google determine what content people should see first. When people search for answers to questions or solutions to problems, they often click on results that appear high on the first page of their search results. When your website incorporates the same keywords your audience is searching for, while following E-E-A-T principles, the content has the potential to rank higher on Google and other search engines.
Keywords can have a crucial impact on both organic and pay-per-click (PPC) traffic because they directly impact who sees your content. These search terms and phrases are essential for ad campaigns because they offer more potential for conversions, while reducing overall ad spend.
Keywords fall into two categories: short-tail and long-tail. Short-tail keywords consist of one or two general search terms that people are searching at a high volume, but also words that other businesses use, making search engine ranking more competitive. Long-tail keywords are phrases of three or more words with lower search volume but less competition, potentially leading to longer-term traffic and sales. Determining the right short-tail and long-tail keywords depends on your industry and niche, but SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner can help guide research.
Types of Keywords
Informational, Navigational, and Transactional Keywords
Several types of keywords relate to search intent:
Informational Keywords
These are used by individuals who are seeking information on a specific topic, or looking to learn or understand a new concept. Informational keywords are essential because they help build trust and expertise with your target audience. Although informational keywords sometimes suggest lower purchase intent, they present an opportunity to educate potential customers about your brand. For instance, a healthcare company might optimize for informational keyword searches like, “how to prevent heart disease.”
Navigational Keywords
These are search terms and phrases used by people looking for a website or topic on that website, such as “Facebook business page.”
Transactional Keywords
These indicate that a consumer is ready to buy a product or service, and have more potential for conversions. As a result, transactional keywords tend to include search terms that imply higher purchase intent, like “buy” or “download.”
Branded vs. Non-Branded Keywords
Branded keywords refer to any navigational keyword search that includes your brand name. Conversely, non-branded keywords are broader search terms that may be used by people unfamiliar with your business. While branded keywords help target customers who’ve already been to your website, non-branded keywords attract new leads by reaching a wider audience.
Negative Keywords and Their Impact
Negative keywords are terms and phrases that companies intentionally leave out of their SEO strategy. This ensures that your content will not appear in irrelevant searches for people who are less likely to click through content and convert to customers. For instance, luxury brands may exclude words like “discount” or “cheap.”
Geo-Targeted and Seasonal Keywords
Geo-targeted Keywords
These are important for local businesses that want to target their content to customers in their area. By setting up a Google Business Profile, companies can gain insight into what keywords their local audience uses and tailor content accordingly.
Seasonal Keywords
These help companies optimize content for specific times of the year. A query for “Halloween stores in Phoenix” is an example of a geo-targeted keyword that utilizes seasonal search terms.
Keyword Research Strategies
How to Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research starts with understanding what your ideal audience wants and needs, and how this influences what they might be searching for online. After brainstorming words and phrases potential customers may use that relate to your products and services, you can use keyword data and SEO tools to get an idea of how many people are using these search terms and how competitive they are.
Best Keyword Research Tools for Advertisers
Free research tools like Google Keyword Planner and subscription platforms like Semrush and Ahrefs help marketing professionals identify and analyze keywords related to their brand and hone in on which terms have the most opportunity for ranking.
Google Keyword Planner shows search volume for keywords and categorizes the level of competition for keywords as low, medium, or high. Semrush and Ahrefs are subscription services that combine search volume and competition with other data to determine keyword difficulty (a percentage between 1 and 100 that estimates how difficult it is to rank for specific search terms and phrases — the lower the keyword difficulty, the easier it is to rank high on search engine results pages).
Google Trends can also help identify what keywords may spike in relevance during the news cycle or certain times of year. More comprehensive tools like Semrush track keyword data over time, identify trends with keywords, and recommend related keywords, phrases, and synonyms. Ahrefs also leverages search data to estimate potential traffic related to keyword trends and provides a graph showing how keywords’ rankings change over time.
Using Keywords in Campaigns
Incorporating Keywords Into Ad Copy
Once you’ve researched and compiled a list of relevant keywords, the next step is strategically incorporating them into ad copy. An effective optimization strategy involves using keywords in headlines, title tags, meta descriptions, the first paragraph, and around three more times throughout the content. That said, it’s also important to avoid over-optimizing content with excessive keyword use, which can backfire with SEO. Tools like Semrush can help flag keyword stuffing and suggest semantic keywords or synonyms for better ranking prospects.
How Keywords Influence Quality Score
Keywords have a significant impact on the quality score, a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 that gives marketing professionals an idea of how their Google ads compare to competitors. Keywords signal relevance to Google and other search engines, potentially helping your content to rank higher. This can then boost click-through rate (CTR), which increases an ad’s quality score.
Likewise, using branded and long-tail keywords that indicate an intention to purchase can also improve your conversion rate, positively impacting your quality score. Overall, a high quality score is crucial for successful campaigns because it makes it more affordable to bid on keywords, leading to higher ad positioning with a lower cost per click (CPC).
Landing Page Optimization with Keywords
Landing pages are crucial for keyword optimization because they have a specific goal, like signing up for a newsletter or purchasing a product. To appear high up in your audience’s search engine results page, you have to incorporate relevant keywords, ideally with lower competition and keyword difficulty.
When customers click on a landing page, it suggests that they are ready to take action, so it’s important to create informative, detailed content while utilizing high-intent keywords like “buy now” or “subscribe.” Landing pages can also use keywords to link to internal content that can further educate consumers on your brand and increase CTR and conversions.
Key Takeaways
Keywords are terms and phrases that communicate to search engines how relevant your content is for your target audience’s online queries. Websites optimized with relevant keywords while adhering to E-E-A-T principles can rank higher on Google and other search engine results pages. Keywords with higher search volume and lower keyword difficulty have the best potential for SERP ranking. Remember that different keywords serve different purposes: While branded and long-tail keywords are good for targeting customers with high purchase intent, informational keywords can educate new customers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I find the right keywords for my business?
To find the right keywords for your business, brainstorm about who your ideal customer is and what problems your products and services can help solve. For example, a wellness brand may want to engage with customers who are looking to improve their eating, exercise, and sleep habits, so keywords like “how to lose weight” or “best ways to improve sleep” would be long-tail keywords to research further. Free tools like Google Keyword Planner can give you a basic idea of how many people are using certain keywords and how competitive it is to rank for them. Subscription platforms like Semrush and Ahrefs can offer more detailed information about keyword difficulty and competitor analysis.
What is keyword stuffing and why should it be avoided?
Keyword stuffing is a manipulative SEO strategy that involves the excessive use of keywords to trick search engines into thinking that content is more relevant for queries than it is. The problem is that when irrelevant pages are ranked higher, it hurts the overall user experience and erodes trust in your brand. Since Google has made several core updates to its algorithm to address this issue in recent years, websites can get penalized for keyword stuffing with lower rankings. Resources like Semrush and Ahrefs measure content’s keyword density and can help marketing professionals avoid over-optimization.
How often should I update my keyword strategy?
Companies should update their keyword strategy quarterly. However, any time Google announces a significant change to its algorithm, or if there are any major shifts in your industry, it’s important to reevaluate your SEO approach. Declines in traffic can also be a sign that you should reassess your keyword strategy.
