- September 22, 2021
- SEO
- Answer The Public , What is a keyword , What is a query , Google Trends , Keywords , Informational keywords , Navigational keywords , Transactional keywords , Keywords , keyword , keywords , negative keywords , Search Intent , Semrush , SEO tool , Seozoom , keywords meaning , Keyword research tool , types of keywords ,Ubersuggest
When it comes to positioning on search engines , we cannot fail to mention keywords, also called keywords or even in some cases key words. Surely you have already heard of keywords, but how much do you really know what they are and what role they play in positioning a site on search engines? Today we want to help you dispel any doubts and understand how to choose and use them to the best of your ability to improve your online visibility. Read on to learn more.
Topics index
- What is a keyword: meaning
- Various types of keywords (informational keywords – navigational keywords – transactional keywords)
- Search Intent: what it is and what it is for
- What is a query
- What are keywords used for
- How keywords help SEO rankings
- Where to place the keyword
- Conclusions
What is a keyord : meaning
Anyone who wants to gain visibility on Google
and other search engines cannot overlook keywords. As you can guess from the literal meaning of this term, the “keywords” or “keywords” are words that allow you to immediately identify, and at first sight, the topic dealt with within a web page.
The keywords are entered in the Google search field, when you want to find a specific topic. The “keyword” can be composed of two or more words that together provide a search key for users looking for something on Google. Using these search keys you can make users find the topics you talk about on your blog, or the products you sell in your online shop.
But be careful: not all keywords are the same. For example, by typing in Google the key word “pizza” you can find both the takeaway pizzerias that deliver in your geographical area, and – for example – the pizza recipe.
So how is it possible to get around the problem and get more precise results? For example, by writing an article on your blog, using so-called “long tail” keywords in the right way, that is, composed of three or more words. Long tail keywords usually have lower search volume, but they are also more effective.
Additionally, it’s also important to understand what the intent of a given search query should be, as we’ll see shortly.
Various types of keywords
We have already seen together the difference between long tail and short tail keywords, or the number of words that can make up a keyword. But that is not the only distinction that can be made. In fact, as anticipated: there is not just one type of keyword. Thanks to the composition of words, Google is able to understand the search intent.
When choosing a key word it is important that it reflects the search intentions of your users, especially when they do not yet know you but really need you, your products and your services.
In fact, many people first carry out more generic searches and then, gradually, more and more specific, until they get to your website.
There are three types of keywords that can suggest the kind of research carried out by users:
– informational keywords
– navigational or branded keywords
– transactional or commercial keywords
For example, informational keywords serve, as the name suggests, to provide guidance to people who are not yet fully aware of which product they need, nor do they know about you and your services. The navigational or branded keywords are instead those that could be used by people who know you, but not your products, finally the transactional or commercial ones, are for those who already know you, but want to be convinced.
Informational keywords
Informational keywords, or kw as they are often abbreviated, are the keywords a user uses to get information. This is the first step in the buying process, still quite far from the actual transition. Users who use informational kw know they have a need or a problem, but are still learning how to solve it. For example, this category may include keywords such as “positioning on search engines”, entered in the search field by people who are looking for an SEO consultant who can help them position their site on search engines, but do not yet know it. .
Knowing how to use this kind of keywords with awareness will serve to attract the visits of people who can then become customers in the future. This kind of research also includes the classic “How to do…” guides, which will help you to be found by this kind of audience. Then nothing prevents you, within a guide of this type, from including the solution to the problem, which could be an e-book to download or your contact to request a quote.
Navigational keywords
Navigational keywords are those that are used by users who already know your products and the services you make available. This kind of keyword is used to make sure that those looking for you can reach you on your website.
The user already knows who you are, but they may not remember your site address, or they are looking for your phone number on Google. It may also be useful to work on this keyword, perhaps using – depending on the sector in which you are located – tourist portals, review or booking sites. Usually the navigational kw are used by users who are already quite advanced in the purchase process.
Transactional keywords
Finally, transactional keywords are used to optimize direct-to-sale content. Thanks to this type of keyword you will intercept all users who wish to make the purchase, so they are very important. This category includes keywords such as “SEO Milan consultant” or “Milan website positioning”. No more guides or generic information are needed, users have now understood that they need a certain product or service, and that product or service could be you.
There is also a particular category of keywords, namely negative keywords . Negative keywords are in fact applied at the campaign or ad group level. Negative keywords are used to exclude terms or phrases that you do not want to associate with your ads, within a search query.
Negative keywords require a lot of research effort, and we recommend having a professional perform this task. In fact, it is necessary to draw up a list and keep it continuously updated with new terms, based on the performance of your ads on Google.
Thanks to this particular type of keyword you will make your ads even more performing, because all those searches not related to your goal will decrease. Such as people looking for a certain product or free resource. This will allow you to save budget, not spending money unnecessarily.
Search Intent: what it is and what it is for
We have already anticipated, the search intent, also called “search intent” is essential when you decide to work on positioning and keywords. In fact, the reason that prompts a user to do a specific search on Google is called search intent.
When we talk about navigational search intent we mean that users have typed a domain directly into the bar. Instead, with informational search intent, it means that through search queries you are looking for information on a certain topic. Commercial search intent is when a user conducts a survey and searches the web for a particular product or service to compare different offers. Finally, transactional search intent refers to a user’s specific desire to purchase a product or service. These queries are therefore the most important to intercept because they are closer to buying. To intercept search intent it is necessary to work with SEO.
What is a query
The searches are called “queries”. In fact, this term refers to the search words that are typed in the search bar. Knowing the ones used by users to reach a website is essential.
Many, at this point, may therefore ask themselves: are keywords and queries the same thing?
The answer is no. Queries are in fact a kind of question that the user can ask Google.
For example “how to search for keywords for a website?” it is a query, but it is not a keyword. The keyword could instead be “keywords per website”.
What are keywords used for
Thanks to a keyword you can make sure that a user, by typing those words there in a search engine, can reach the pages of your site. Or, if you have activated paid campaigns on Google, which can see your ads, and be directed to a landing page or, again, to a page of your site optimized for the user to perform a certain action.
Instead, from the point of view of websites, keywords are used to indicate to Google the topic covered within a web page. Without keywords, Google will hardly understand the topic of your site, and therefore will not be able to give you the visibility you need.
A keyword, therefore, acts as a bridge between users and sites or web pages that could serve to satisfy certain needs.
Thanks to the right keywords it will be possible to increase visits and traffic to the site. And then, ultimately, you can also improve your business.
How keywords help SEO rankings
Google contains an infinity of information, much more than we could imagine. So how does he propose a certain result to a user, based on his searches? With keywords.
The choice of keywords is, for this reason, one of the fundamental aspects for the positioning of a website. In fact, if you want to get a good position in the results of Google searches, you need to focus on keywords that are relevant. The ideal is to also choose some synonym, in order to avoid keyword stuffing, a very common practice years ago but now frowned upon by search engines. With “keyword stuffing” we mean the excessive repetition of keywords within a text. Much better to use synonyms or related keywords, to make Google understand what you are talking about. In fact, once SEOs thought in terms of “keyword density”, today this practice is no longer applied, leaving room for “keyword intent”,
The first step in deciding which keywords to use for your website is setting goals. That is: what is the purpose of your website? Do you want to make yourself known by those who still don’t know who you are or do you want to sell more? Based on the objective, you will need to choose certain keywords.
Keyword tool: what you need
Once you have defined your goals, you will be able to choose your keywords. The ideal is to combine long-tailed and shorter-tailed keywords. To do this you can use one of the many keywords tools, in order to get an idea of the search volumes of the keywords that interest you.
Various SEO tools, such as Semrush, Seozoom, Ubersuggest, Answer The Public and Google Trends, can help you in this phase.
Search volume is important because it indicates the number of searches made for a keyword. In fact, there are keywords composed of a single term that have a huge search volume and competition, and then there are others composed of two or three terms, which have less competition but also lower search volumes. Finally, there are the long-tail keywords, which we have already mentioned, which are composed as we said of three, four or more words and have little competition but are also much more specific. Appearing in Google’s results with a generic keyword is very difficult, especially for a small company. Furthermore, appearing with more specific keywords, such as long-tailed ones, is more profitable because you will be able to intercept the needs of a specific demand, even a niche one.
At this point, define your keywords, you will have to create quality content that contains the keywords you have chosen.
Where to place the keyword
Choosing the best keyword or rather the best keywords to allow users to get to your website or blog, as we have just seen, is essential. But that’s not the only important step. In fact, even the “how” keywords are inserted into the text of the website or the web page to be positioned is fundamental. For keywords to be effective and allow users to get to your website, they must be positioned as naturally as possible, without forcing, within the most important elements of the page.
How to position the keyword in the Seo Title
The title tag is the string used to communicate the theme of your web page to Google, so the main keyword you want to use must be entered in this string. This keyword will be the one that will act as a pivot for your content.
How to position the keyword in the Meta description
The Meta Description is also essential to make Google understand the theme of your web page. Therefore, you must also enter your main keyword here, so that your page is better positioned. In this case, unlike the title, you will have to insert it within a sentence, a description. This part will also be what users see in their search results. So, since it might invite them to join your site, it will need to be engaging and persuasive.
How to position the keyword in the Permalink
The permalink is the URL of the web page. To optimize this reference address, you can make it contain the main key word of your page. In fact, if you want to get good positioning results, you need to create an SEO friendly URL, by entering the same keyword for which you want to position the article or web page on search engines.
How to position the keyword in the images
Keywords can also be inserted in image alt. This will help Google to thematize your site even more, and therefore to appear more easily in the search results. In the alt tag use the keywords that describe the photo, and consequently also the theme of your web page, but without forcing.
How to place keywords in H1, H2 …
Even the headers, that is the H1, H2, H3…, can give useful suggestions to the search engines regarding the theme of your page. You can choose to enter keywords here, based on their importance – from main to related – from H1 to H6. H1 is the most important header, H6 the least important. Usually H1 contains the main keyword, H2 the most important related keyword, and so on.
Conclusions
The work that is carried out on keywords is a part of the much broader work carried out to optimize a website with the ultimate aim of positioning it on Google. We have talked about it on several occasions: to be really effective, SEO must make different activities work in concert, on site or off site.
To do this, and to make sure you do everything in the best way, it is important to contact a professional. An SEO Specialist who can search for the best keywords for you and your online business and who knows how to position them in the best possible way, putting into practice all his knowledge on the subject.
Contact SEO Leader , to request an SEO quote and for an informative chat! I will help you choose the best keywords for you and position your website in the top positions of the search engines.
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