Types of Keywords in SEO
Do you research keywords before creating your content, or just pick them up randomly from your niche? Do you know what are the different types of keywords in SEO? Why are keywords important?
Well, these are a lot of questions related to keywords in Search Engine Optimization. In this write-up, we’ll discuss the types of keywords in SEO.
Keywords hold great importance in the SEO world. The ranking on search engine result pages is given on the basis of the keywords you set for your blog or article. That is why you must know all the types of keywords so that you choose the right keyword for your website and glorify on Search Engine Result Pages.
Keywords are the foremost thing that needs to be chosen wisely while creating any kind of content for any website and its SEO success. After all, your SEO success determines the flow of organic traffic to your site. Well researched, and a good keyword choice brings more views to your content, more potential customers, more conversions, and, yes, more revenue. So this highlights the necessity of choosing the right keyword. Hope you’ve understood why these are so important. Now, without wasting much time, let’s move ahead to the types of keywords in SEO.
Types of keywords in SEO
There are many different kinds of keywords in SEO based on different criteria. Let us throw light on the types of keywords in SEO one by one.
*Length-based keywords
1. Short-tail keyword
Short-tail keywords are short keywords containing three or fewer words. These are also known as the head or main keywords.
These keywords enjoy huge search volume but are highly competitive at the same time.
Short-tail keywords are searched first while initiating the keyword research. Also, they do not specify what the searcher is exactly looking for. That is why it is difficult to identify the exact or clear search intent with short tail keywords.
In addition, the conversion rate of the short tail keywords is considerably low due to the difficulty of matching the searcher’s intent.
For example: Suppose we type in SEO in the search bar; the results may vary greatly because it’s unclear what we actually want to know. Whether we want to know what SEO is, what it stands for, or how to perform SEO.
So, the major characteristics of short-tail keywords are: It has-
- High search volume
- High competitive rate
- Broad search intent
- Low conversion rate.
Since these do not specify the intent clearly, these can be used as theme keywords for your website that may appear regularly on your website and signify to search engines what your website is about. This will also help in your website’s SEO.
2. Long-tail keyword
Long-tail keywords are usually longer than short-tail keywords and consist of three or more words. These are more specific than the short-tails and thus clarify the search intent more clearly.
Long-tail keywords have lower search volume and face lower competition than short-tail keywords, which is why they have a higher conversion rate.
Using long-tail keywords to rank higher in SERPs is better because these are less in competition and can help you rank more easily compared to short-tail ones. You can use long-tail keywords for your blog, product pages, etc.
For example: When you search for How to perform SEO or the best SEO tools, these long-tails will specify your search intent more clearly to search engines, and you will get more precise results.
So, the major characteristics of long-tail keywords are: It has-
- Low search volume
- Low competitive rate
- Specific or clear search intent
- High conversion rate.
3. Mid-Tail Keywords
Mid-tail keywords, as the name suggests, lie in the mid of short and long-tail keywords. These are longer than the short-tail keywords but shorter than the long-tail ones. Mid-tail keywords enjoy moderate search volumes and are more descriptive than short-tail keywords. Also, these are less competitive than head keywords being more descriptive.
It is better to use Mid-tail keywords than the head ones because these are a bit more specific and can give you a desirable result than the short-tail keywords.
For example, SEO tools or SEO process is more specific than the generic word SEO.
So, the major characteristics of mid-tail keywords are: It has-
- moderate search volume
- Medium competitive
- More Specific
- High conversion rate.
Note: If you want to improve your position on SERPs, you need to be more specific with your targeted keywords. The more specific and clear your targeted keyword is, the more likely you can serve the searcher what he is looking for.
*Term-based keywords
4. Short-term latest and fresh keyword
This category includes the keywords that are recently in trend.
These keywords enjoy high search volume, moderate competition and high conversion.
Although these do not enjoy search traffic forever, these can help you cover the latest and fresh topics that users might search for with the ongoing trend, and you can be in their results by covering them. This way, you can attract new audiences to your site that might become your potential customers.
So, the major characteristics of Short-term latest and fresh keyword are: It has-
- Explosive search volume,
- medium competitive rate,
- specific search intent,
- high conversion rate;
Note: You must be prepared for a sharp growth as well as a sharp fall with this kind of Short-term latest and fresh keywords. These gain height with the trend and get down when the trend gets over.
5. Long-term evergreen keyword
The long-term evergreen keywords are the keywords that will always be suitable or the ones people will search for now and then. Although its search volume may fluctuate from time to time, the change won’t be extreme.
These evergreen keywords could be the subject or topic that will remain everlasting and important for years, and readers might continue to search for and desire to read it from the time.
This type of content is informative and never fades away. Its search traffic might not always be at its peak but may receive constant traffic and views.
These must be updated in a timely manner along with development and progress to maintain relevance with the present needs.
Strong and unique content never loses value, is appreciated and adds authority to your website. These can help boost your website’s authority, raise your position in SERPs and bring loyal readers to your site.
So, the major characteristics of Short-term latest and fresh keyword are: It has-
- Moderate search volume
- medium competitive
- specific search intent
- high conversion rate
*Intent-based keywords
Keywords may be based on the intent of the user. There can be four different types of user intent:
- Navigational
- Informational
- Commercial
- Transactional
Let us discuss one by one-
6. Navigational
The keywords that target a specific store, brand, product or service are the navigational kinds of keywords. The user knows about the product or service but wants to navigate to a specific location, brand, product or service.
Example- HP laptops, a Nike showroom in London, a digital firm in New York etc.
7. Informational
Keywords may be informational. Users may want to get information related to a specific topic, product, or business. You can create informational content using the keywords like guide on, benefits of, facts on, ways to etc. Also, you can include question-based keywords such as what, where, how, and who to create your informational and educational content.
These keywords signify the coverage of the subject matter and can educate the reader related to a particular matter.
8. Commercial
Keywords can be of commercial intent—the users with commercial intent desire to make a purchase. The user is more determined about what he wants to purchase. He already knows about the brand; he needs to find the specifications related to the product. You can specify product details, including its price, colour, shipping fee, expiry, and similar things, to give a clearer picture of the product enabling the user to make a purchase.
9. Transactional
Transactional keywords target the user who is ready to make a purchase after knowing the product details. The user intends to find the most profitable deal and compares products from multiple stores to grab the best deal. To target such users, you can use keywords like sale, best deal, best price, best quality etc., to attract them to purchase from you.
*Theme-based keywords
10. LSI keywords
In LSI keywords, LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing. LSI Keywords are theme-based keywords that revolve around your main keyword.
These are the synonyms or variations of your main keywords that you can use to optimize your content.
LSI keywords can help you rank for different variations of your main keyword and also help search engines to better understand your content.
To create or set the LSI keywords for your content, you must first decide on its main keyword. After that, you can create the keywords that revolve around the main keyword.
These keywords boost the ranking signal for the main keyword and are suitable for blog or content creation.
For example, the main keyword is “SEO tactics”. Some LSI keywords for it could be “SEO strategies” and “SEO best practices”.
So, the major characteristics of LSI keywords are-
- Low search volume,
- specific search intent,
- low competitive rate,
- high conversion rate.
*Business Specific SEO Keywords
Business-specific keywords are the types of keywords in SEO that target a specific industry, product, customer, or market. These are of the following types-
- Market Segment Keywords
- Customer-defining Keywords
- Product Keywords
- Geo-targeted Keywords
11. Market Segment Keywords
Market segment keywords are the keywords that target an overall industry. These keywords are generic and broad and are difficult to rank, but they help the users to understand what the company sells. Such as shoes, sunglasses, clothes etc.
For example- A clothing brand uses ‘clothes’ or its synonyms as a keyword to define itself in front of the market.
12. Customer-defining Keywords
Customer-defining keywords are the keywords that are specific to a particular type of customer. These target customers of particular interest, age, gender, etc.
To target your customers, first clarify the intent of your business, whom you want to target, and the age or gender you want to target. This will help you choose the right keyword for your customer and enable you to rank higher.
These keywords have low competitive rates, specific search intent, low search volume, and a high conversion rate.
For example, the above clothing brand targeting customers can use the keywords such as clothes for men, clothes for women, clothes for kids, etc.
13. Product Keywords
Product keywords are the keywords that target specific types of products or services. These keywords refer to something very specific that a searcher is searching for. These keywords usually include the brand name or specific detail about the product or service. You can be either what they want or don’t. So, while targetting these product keywords, try including the details of the product or the brand name. This will differentiate you from generic keywords and match user intent. These keywords enjoy higher CTR and convert more.
These keywords have specific search intent, low search volume, low competitive rates, and high conversion rates.
For example- A white-puma t-shirt for men
14. Geo-targeted Keywords
Geo-targeted keywords are the keywords based on the location. You can target the local area of your business, a specific city, or a state using geo-targeted keywords. Usually, these Geo-targeted keywords are necessary for local businesses and target specific products or services in a particular location. You can include the location of the product or service in the keyword to attract users belonging to a particular location.
These keywords have low search volume, a low competitive rate, specific search intent, and a high conversion rate.
For Example- Puma t-shirts in Chicago, Catering in New York, etc.
To conclude-
In this digital era, SEO is essential for each website that wants to rank higher on SERPs. And Keywords are one of the key elements for SEO success.
Above are the various types of keywords used in SEO on the basis of their length, intent, theme, and business.
We hope this article has clarified the various keyword types and their distinctions for you. The right choice makes all the difference, and picking the right keyword can raise your SERP ranking. Therefore, before writing any content, decide on the proper keyword and produce a hit.