Keywords are vital in creating comprehensive and effective search engine optimization (SEO) or site optimization plans. They help with web positioning, making your brand more visible and accessible to prospective customers and clients. But not all keywords are created equal in terms of structural similarity and search volume; two important factors considered in SEO strategies.
The most popular and high-traffic keywords are those found in head phrases. They create searches with a limit of two search phrases; they are generic searches with fierce competition.
On the other hand, long-tail keywords are used in queries with three or more terms. They result in highly focused and articulated searches with lower traffic volume but considerably higher quality.
You can maximize each keyword’s potential by understanding the differences between the various types of keywords. However, it is highly recommended to ask for help from a professional like Figment Agency when it comes to identifying and targeting keywords, as they can provide impeccable results.
So, to help you boost your SEO, let’s take a closer look at various types of keywords and how they can help you drive traffic to your website.
Long-Tail Keywords
Online searches and the idea of a niche market that a brand might establish on the internet perfectly apply to this idea. Queries with three or more terms are extremely complicated and specific, similar to complex natural language. Therefore, they have a reduced search volume, limiting the number of potential visitors they may drive to the website.
However, they are better at detecting users’ search intentions. Positioning for long-tail keywords provides pertinent material in response to a user’s unique query. This encourages the user to visit the website and, ultimately, to convert. Positioning on less competitive keywords costs a significant amount of traffic but results in a better-profiled audience with a higher likelihood of conversion.
Short-Tail Keywords
The “short-tail” keywords ensure visibility and high traffic volumes if the long-tail keywords are precise and contribute to increasing conversions. The head term keywords are generic search terms composed of one to two words at most. These are prevalent and active online searches, and the competition is fierce because of the high level of public visibility.
To place the site at the top of the SERP, targeting the long tail keywords more precisely while simultaneously optimizing the head terms will be necessary. In this approach, the brand’s website will be used as a response to user inquiries for both more general searches and more specialized requests by search engine crawlers.
Other Types of Keywords
All forms of keywords are incorporated into the two major groups known as head terms and long tail. Within these two categories, it is feasible to differentiate five different types of keywords that vary in the user’s search intent. These two categories represent the structure of the keywords and the composition of the queries.
Informational keywords are the most general ones people use to search the internet for information on a certain subject. They speak of the opening stages of the client’s journey.
The user uses somewhat different navigational keywords to hunt for precise and direct information, such as how to log onto a platform or what a product costs. At this stage, users are close to the conclusion of their customer journey and are constantly looking for information, but already know what they want and how to acquire it. Meanwhile, when a user submits a very specialized query, transactional keywords indicate the most advanced level of the customer experience.
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords
LSI keywords are those that are related to your main keyword but are not that keyword itself. For example, if you are selling cars, your main keyword might be “cars,” but some of your LSI keywords could be “auto sales,” “vehicles,” or “transportation.”
Including these related keywords on your website can help search engines better understand your site’s content and index it accordingly. In turn, this can lead to higher rankings for your site on search engine results pages (SERPs). As a result, using LSI keywords is an important part of any SEO strategy.
Geo-Targeting Keywords
Geo-targeting keywords is an SEO strategy that involves targeting keywords specific to a certain geographic location. This can be done by including the name of the city, state, or country in the keyword or by creating content relevant to the local area.
For example, a business that sells snow shovels would want to target keywords like “snow shovels for sale in Denver” or “snow shovels for sale in Colorado.” By geo-targeting its keywords, the business can improve its chances of showing up in search results for people looking for snow shovels in Denver or Colorado.
Brand-Specific Keywords
These keywords immediately allude to the brand, its goods, or its services. Local SEO techniques require the use of local keywords, which are crucial. Based on these indicators, the SERP results will be geolocated; therefore, local SEO is vital to block this search.
Relevant Keywords
The optimum SEO plan incorporates the appropriate mix of keywords, particularly long tail and short tail. The head terms keywords should be used to generate traffic, while long-tailed ones should be utilized to enhance conversions and sum up the distinction and overlap between these two types of keywords.
Together, they give the website a significant competitive edge and place it at the top of the SERP. This is why it’s essential to conduct keyword research that examines similar terms.
You may identify keywords to focus on, optimize the site for different keywords, and increasingly decipher the users’ search intent by knowing what searches users conduct regarding a specific topic while also looking at correlations and variations. Conducting thorough keyword research and analysis can set your brand apart from the competition by optimizing its web positioning.
So there you have it – a comprehensive guide to boosting your SEO with keywords! Keep in mind that not every strategy will work for every business; you’ll need to experiment and find what works best for you and your niche audience. But by using these tips as a starting point, you can give your website the edge it needs to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
So, what type of keywords are you going to target first?