Informational keywords: How to find and use them for SEO success

By Somayeh Niya / June 10, 2024

Informational keywords: How to find and use them for SEO success

Somayeh Niya
June 10, 2024

In the past people read books, and magazines or met an expert to get more knowledge or solve a specific problem. But in the information era, the internet made it easy. We use informational keywords every day on the internet to increase our knowledge.

Informational keywords are the best way to leverage your content marketing campaign. It isn’t exaggerated if I say it is an inseparable part of every successful brand.

In this article, I will cover the below topics to discuss informational keywords in SEO.

• What are informational keywords?

• Why are informational keywords important?

• What is search intent?

• Examples of informational keywords

• Types of informational keywords

• How to find informational keywords?

• What tools can you use to find informational keywords?

• How to optimize your website by using informational keywords?

• Informational vs commercial keywords

• Informational vs transactional keywords

• Conclusion

I wrote articles about other types of keywords such as primary keyword, secondary keyword, and semantic keyword. If you like, you can read more.

What are informational keywords?

Informational keywords are search terms used by users to find information, research topics, or learn more about a certain subject.

These keywords focus on providing answers, explanations, or insights rather than promoting products or services.

Some examples of informational keywords include “how to,” “what is,” “benefits of,” and “guide to.”

So, people who use this type of keyword are in the initial stages of their research process. They try to understand a topic better or solve a problem

Why are informational keywords important?

When users search for informational keywords, they are typically in the research phase of their buyer’s journey.

This is an opportunity for businesses to provide valuable content that addresses their questions and establishes trust. So, it increases your authority when you provide outstanding content and solve a problem.

By consistently creating high-quality content around informational keywords, you can not only drive traffic to your site but also build relationships with your audience. Building a relationship with your audience can lead to more conversion.

Furthermore, these keywords play a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.

Search engines like Google prioritize websites that offer relevant and informative content to users. Incorporating informational keywords naturally into your content can improve your website’s visibility and ranking in search results.

Before diving into informational keywords discussion, let’s take a look at search intent.

What is search intent?

Search intent is the purpose behind a user’s search query. It helps determine the type of content that would best serve their needs and expectations.

Before you choose any types of keywords, it’s crucial to know different kinds of search intent.

Because it helps you find the best content and marketing strategies that meet the needs of your target audience.

Below are four types of search intent:

Informational: Users seeking information or answers to their questions.

Informational intent keywords typically include terms like “how to,” “what is,” or “best ways to”, “tips” or “guide”.

These users are in the research phase and are looking for information to educate themselves or solve a problem.

Businesses can create blog posts, guides, or videos to target these keywords and establish themselves as authoritative sources in their industry.

Commercial: Users looking for products or services to meet their needs. They aren’t ready to buy and need to do more investigation to choose a product.

Users with commercial intent are closer to making a purchasing decision and are comparing different options. For example best SEO tools, Review Ahrefs, Semrush vs Ahrefs.

Transactional: Users ready to make a purchase or engage in a specific transaction. It means users made the decision before and want to buy.

Keywords that include phrases like “buy,” “price,” or “discount” often indicate transactional intent, suggesting that the user is ready to make a purchase.

Navigational: Navigational search intent refers to using a brand or website name. For example Nike shoes. It shows users just want to know about special brands and no need to shoes from other brands.

Examples of informational keywords

Here are some examples of informational keywords:

• How to start a blog?
• Guide to social media marketing
• What is search engine optimization?
• Top 10 travel destinations

These are examples of informational keywords. These keywords help to attract users who are in the research phase of their purchasing journey.

For instance, a blog post titled “How to start a blog” can target individuals interested in creating their own blog and provide them with valuable insights and guidance.

Types of informational keywords

Informational keywords can take various forms, depending on the user’s search intent. Some common types include:

How-to keywords

By using how-to keywords users seek step-by-step instructions or tutorials.

For example: How to make money online?

These types of informational keywords usually need a comprehensive guide about a specific topic. The broader informational keyword needs a more comprehensive guide.

How-to keywords often need to step-by-step process. Back to the above example, you need to write content that tells how to make money online step by step.

Users who use such informational keywords usually don’t have information about that query and the need for basic knowledge

Guide keywords

Users looking for comprehensive guides or manuals on a particular topic.

For example: Local Search Engine Optimization Guide

Guide keywords are similar to how-to keywords. They usually need a comprehensive guide. But they don’t need to write a step-by-step process.

Guide keywords may note the type the user needs. For example, a beginner or advanced guide.

Definition keywords

Definition keywords are used by users who are searching for the meaning or definition of a term or concept.

This keyword usually starts with ”What” or maybe uses a ”definition” or ”meaning” word along with the main keyword.

For example:
What is search engine optimization?
Search engine optimization meaning

List keywords

In this type of informational keyword users are interested in lists or compilations of information. Users search to find a list of specific topics.

For example:

List of irregular verbs
Python list programs and exercises

Question keywords

Many of the information keywords include a question word such as why, where who, and which. They are one of the common types of informational keywords because they are more conversational.

For example:

Why SEO is important?
Where is Jamaica?
Who is the richest person in the world?

How to find informational keywords?

Finding relevant informational keywords is crucial for optimizing your website. Here are some strategies to identify informational keywords:

Question keywords

Competitor analysis always works. You can check your competitors and use the informational keywords they are utilizing.

When you check your competitors, pay attention to their domain authority (DA). Choose the informational keywords of competitors that are close to yours.

Google suggestions

Google’s autocomplete gives an insight to explore information keywords. For example, your seed keyword is ”SEO tools”, and you want to write informational content around it.

Use one of the informational keywords (how to, guide, list, question word, etc) along with the main keyword.

For example, add ”which” to SEO tools. It gives you some suggestions.

These are some informational topics you can find around your main keywords.

Forums

Forums are the best place for finding informational topics because many of users sign up in these forums to get help.

Explore forums, Q&A websites, and social media platforms to identify common questions and topics of interest within your target audience

Surveys or polls

By directly engaging with your audience, you can gather valuable insights into the specific questions and topics they are interested in.

This first-hand information can help you tailor your content to address their needs and preferences.

Furthermore, conducting keyword research to identify trending informational queries can help your content to meet the current needs and interests of your target audience.

Which tools can you use to find informational keywords?

Several tools can help you find informational keywords for SEO optimization. Some of them are as below:

Semrush

Semrush’s Magic tool is one of the best tools to find informational keywords easily.

Type your main keyword in the Magic tool search bar. In the below tab go to the Intent section and select informational.

I typed ”search engine optimization” as the main keyword and selected informational intent.

As you see it suggests informational keywords.

AnswerThePublic

This tool generates keyword ideas in the form of questions that people are asking online. By targeting these questions, you can create content that directly addresses the information users are seeking.

Answerthepublic also gives data about CPC and search volume. It categorizes the result into different parts such as questions, comparisons, prepositions, and more.

How to optimize your website by using informational keywords?

Optimizing your website for informational keywords can significantly improve your SEO rankings. Here are some tips to make the most of informational keywords

Create high-quality content

Produce informative, well-researched content that answers the user’s query. If your final goal is selling a product, produce high-quality content and solve a problem.

It helps to increase your authority. People prefer to purchase from trustful and authoritative sources.

So, informational keywords directly affect your transactional or commercial keywords

Optimize on-page elements

Optimizing on-page informational keywords includes using keywords within web pages to gain the attention of users and search engines. Some important techniques include:

Include informational keywords in the heading, subheading, and URLs.
Ensure to use of keywords naturally in meta descriptions and title tags.
Ensuring that title tags and meta descriptions use keywords naturally.
Incorporate informational keywords in the image alt tag.

Optimize Off-page elements

Off-page keyword optimization has direct effects on search engine ranking. Key techniques include:

Use informational keywords in anchor texts when you link to other websites.
Ensuring that keywords are effectively integrated into your social media posts and content shared on various platforms.
Try to have a strong social media presence that aligns with your target informational keywords to drive traffic and increase your brand awareness.
Use a range of content marketing strategies including email marketing, social media posts, and ebooks while you are focusing on this type of keyword.

Link internally

Maybe it seems internal links aren’t important in comparison to backlinks. It’s completely a mistake to overestimate the importance of internal links. These links help your website structure. Relevant internal links within your content can improve navigation and signal the relevance of your content to search engines.

Informational vs commercial keywords

For example:
Best SERP tracking tools

These types of commercial articles introduce SERP tracking tools and buyers make a decision about which tool meets their needs. It at the same time adds to the user’s knowledge about SERP tracking tools. So, it’s both commercial and informational.

Informational vs transactional keywords

Informational keywords are research-oriented and aim to provide users with knowledge and insights. On the other hand, transactional keywords, show that the user is ready to engage in a specific transaction. This transactional action can be a purchase, signing up for a service, etc.

While transactional keywords are valuable for driving conversions, informational keywords lay the foundation for attracting and nurturing potential customers.

Conclusion

Using informational keywords is essential for SEO success. By understanding search intent, identifying relevant informational keywords, and optimizing your content accordingly, you can attract organic traffic, establish authority, and drive engagement.

Incorporate informational keywords strategically into your SEO strategy and unleash the potential for higher rankings and increased visibility.

Secondary Keywords: How to find & use them

By Somayeh Niya / May 12, 2024

Secondary keywords: How to find & use them

Somayeh Niya
May 12, 2024

When you want to write a blog post, choosing the right keyword is a concern. Main keyword is the primary keyword that you expand your content around. But how about secondary keywords? Many marketers overlook the power of secondary keywords.

In this article, I will explore the importance of secondary keyword in SEO and how to find and use them. First, let’s talk about what are secondary keywords in SEO.

What is a secondary keyword?

A secondary keyword is a term related to your main keyword. It’s a way to expand your content’s reach. Secondary keywords help you cover more topics that your audience cares about. They make your content more relevant and useful.

They can be close variations, synonyms of the main keyword, or related subtopics.

Why do you need secondary keywords for SEO?

There are two reasons:

They increase your chance to rank for more keywords.
They provide subtopics opportunities to optimize your content. It attracts more targeted traffic.

For example:

Primary keyword: oil-free moisturizers
Secondary keywords: oil-free cream, oil free facial moisturizer, what is an oil-free moisture, best oil-free moisturizers

Assume you write a blog post with the above primary keyword. Here secondary keywords are those subtopics and questions that your audience needs to know.

For example adding secondary keywords like ”what is an oil-free moisture”, ”best oil-free moisturizers” can help to add details to your content.

This allows you to reach a wider target audience.

Why are secondary keywords important in SEO?

Good content needs to provide necessary information for users. Using second keywords is a good strategy to achive this aim.

These types of keywords provide an opportunity to add more details to your content. They send a signal to search engines that your website is a good source for specific topics.

You need to use secondary keywords in your SEO basic strategies because:

Secondary keywords have lower competition.
They enhance user experience.
These keywords create comprehensive content.

Lower competition

Secondary keywords usually are subtopics or long tail keywords. It means they have lower competition than the primary keyword.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to use them.

Let’s say you write a blog post for ”bali vacation”. A secondary keyword can be ”What are vacation spots in bali?”. It is a subtopic that has lower competition than the primary keyword.

Increase user experiences

User experience is a factor in ranking on Google. It means users spend more time on your webpage.

Secondary keywords can increase the time users spend on your website. Because these keywords add more relevant content and answer questions that users need.

This relevant content can keep them engaged and encourage them to explore more pages on your site.

In the other word, it increases the dwell time and decreases the bounce rate. So, it sends positive signals to search engines and shows your website provides valuable information to visitors.

Create comprehensive content

Google likes full content. If you cover more subtopics, your audience gets more information.

On the other hand, it also helps you write long-form content. So, using secondary keyword is useful both for audience and search engines.

Prevent keyword stuffing

Yes. You are right. It has gone the time Google ranks a page just for it has many keywords. But you need it yet. Sometimes using the same keywords can damage to user experience.

Here, secondary keywords can help you.

You can use a synonym of the main keyword as a secondary keyword. It means instead of using the primary keyword, you can use its synonym and prevent keyword stuffing in your content.

How to find secondary keywords for SEO?

You understand secondary keyword is important. Now, let’s dive into how you can find them for your SEO strategy.

Understand user's search intent

For choosing effective secondary keywords, the first step is knowing the search intent behind the primary keyword.

You can’t use every secondary keyword in your content. Unless it has the same search intent as your primary keyword.

Otherwise, it will damage your SEO efforts.

For example, a query like ”how to choose the best running shoes” has an informational search intent.

You can’t consider a secondary keyword like ”cheap running shoes” for it, because it has commercial search intent.

Brainstorm the idea

The next step to finding secondary keywords is brainstorming different variations, synonyms, and subtopics.

For example, let’s say you want to write an article about ”Organic food recipes”.

First, think about synonyms of the main keyword:

• Chemical-free food recipes
• Natural food recipes
• Healthy food recipes
• Pure food recipes

These are close synonyms of the main keyword.

Next, think about close subtopics, and long-tail keyword variations of the main keyword.

• Organic dinner recipes
• Organic food recipes ideas
• Organic food recipes ideas on a budget
• Healthy food recipes for breakfast

You can add each of these secondary keywords and expand your content around it. But don’t forget:

As the name implies, a secondary keyword is just secondary. Don’t forget that the primary keyword is your main topic.
Secondary keywords with lower KD (keyword difficulty) are easier to rank.

Analyse your competitors secondary keywords

The third step is analyzing your competitors.

Analyze their blog post to find the keywords they are ranking for.

Why analyzing competitor’s secondary keyword is important?

Because it helps you find the gaps and opportunities that they may have missed. So, it helps you to become an outstanding resource for your audience.

Just don’t forget, competitor analysis is not about copying their keywords; Just it gives you insights to improve your own keyword strategy.

Put yourself in the customer's shoes

Like always the needs and expectations of your audience are important. Try to find secondary keywords that address their specific concerns and questions.

It helps you to create content that helps your audience and establishes your credibility.

For example, your primary keyword is ”women’s shorts”.

Ok, what are women’s needs and expectations for shorts?

They need to know about:

• Period shorts
• Women’s period underwear
• Menstrual sleep shorts

Remember, your secondary keywords should align with the intent of your target audience.

Search for their needs and address them. It attracts more qualified traffic and you will build a loyal customer base

Use SEO tools

The fourth step for finding secondary keywords is using keyword research tools.

These tools provide search volume, competition, and related keywords that you may not have considered.

Some keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs.

After you enter your primary keywords in these keyword research tools, it gives you many keyword ideas.

Search for those keywords that are synonyms of the main keyword. Or the keywords that can provide subtopics.

Use Google auto suggestions

When you type your primary keyword in the Google search bar, it gives you other keyword options.

Usually, they are more specific than your primary keywords. If it aligns with the primary keyword, you can use them as subtopics. This subtopic will be your secondary keyword.

In addition, using Google auto suggestions as a way to find secondary keywords has an important benefit: It mostly suggests secondary keywords that their search intent will be the same as primary keywords.

This is an example of informational search intent. As you see other suggestions also have the same search intent.

In this example, the primary keyword has commercial search intent. It also is the same for many of the other suggestions.

Organize keywords effectively

In previous steps, you found the secondary keywords.

Now, you have a secondary keyword list. It’s the time to organize them effectively.

Your secondary keywords are a collection of synonyms of the main keyword or subtopics.

Group them into categories based on their relevance to different subtopics or sections of your page.

For subtopics create content with subheadings that include that secondary keyword. Inside the subtopic use your primary keyword too.

And, use synonyms instead of your primary keyword naturally. For example, if you need to use a primary keyword two times in a sentence, use a synonym instead.

This will make it easier for you to create targeted content and optimize your page for maximum visibility.

How to use secondary keywords in your content?

Now that you have an understanding of how to find secondary keywords, let’s use practical ways to include them in your content.

One effective way to include secondary keywords in your content is by using them in subheadings.

Subheadings break up your content and make it more readable for the audience.

It also provides an opportunity to naturally use additional keywords.

Another strategy is using secondary keywords in image alt text. Alt text is an important element for web accessibility and SEO purposes.

It describes the content of an image to search engine crawlers.

So, use more images in your content. It helps to have sufficient space to include secondary keywords in your image alt text.

Also, you can add secondary keywords in the body of your content. Just don’t forget you should use them naturally in content. Otherwise, it won’t be effective.

How to improve your published content by using secondary keywords?

If you already published content and you want to improve your ranking by using secondary keywords, Google search console helps you to do it.

Go to Google search console and log into your account.

Then, go to the Performance tab and filter it by impressions.

Here you can check which query has the highest impressions.

For example, in this report below keywords are in one group and they pulled impressions for a specific blog post.

• best serp tracking
• best serp tracker tool
• serp tracking tool
• best serp tracking tool
• best serp tracker
• serp monitoring tool
• serps tracking tool

If they aren’t your primary keywords, you can use them as secondary keywords and optimize related blog posts.

These keywords indicate your page shown on the search result page for this query. Using them as synonyms of the primary keyword can help to improve your SEO. Or use them as subtopics in your content.

By doing this strategy you have more chance for gaining clicks for these keywords.

Secondary keywords vs semantic keywords (LSI Keywords)

Secondary keywords and semantic keywords (LSI keywords) are often used interchangeably. But they aren’t the same. There are some key differences between them.

Secondary keywords are specific keyword phrases related to your primary keyword.

They provide details to optimize your content.

For example, secondary keywords for ”how to make sandwich” are:

• Easy recipe to make sandwich
• How to make a sandwich without bread

Semantic keywords, on the other hand, are terms and phrases that are closely related to your primary keyword in terms of context and meaning.

They help search engines understand the topic and relevance of your content.

For example, some semantic keywords for ” how to make sandwich” are:

• sandwich
• bread
• cheese
• making sandwiches
• recipes
• butter
• learn
• making
• condiments
• knife

A good SEO strategy needs both secondary keyword and semantic keyword. These keywords provide chances of ranking higher in search results.

Examples of secondary keywords

To show the effectiveness of secondary keywords, let’s look at some real-life examples from different industries.

Example 1: Fitness Industry

Primary keyword: losing weight naturally

Secondary keywords: Lose weight fast and safely, reduce weight, lose fat naturally, weight loss tips for beginners, effective workouts for weight loss, and nutrition tips for sustainable weight loss.

For instance, if you are a personal trainer in weight loss, you can create content that focuses on the above secondary keywords.

It helps to attract individuals who are looking for weight loss solutions. It helps to position yourself as an expert in this niche.

Example 2: Technology Industry

Primary keyword: How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Service?

Secondary keywords: Web hosting provider, Types of web hosting, Tip to find the best hosting services

These secondary keywords can create full content. This is the content that every user wants to see on your webpage.

FAQ

1-What are secondary keywords?

Secondary keywords are closely related to the primary keywords and add more details to the main content. They can be synonyms or close variations of the primary keywords

2-How many secondary keywords should I use?

You can use 3-4 secondary keywords for every primary keyword in a webpage.

3-Which is more important, primary or secondary keywords?

Primary keywords are the most important keywords. Every webpage must have a primary keyword. But secondary keyword isn’t a necessity but they help to SEO of a webpage.

What is the difference between secondary and LSI keywords?

LSI keywords are conceptually related to the primary keyword that helps search engines find what your page is about. But secondary keywords are synonyms or close variations of the primary keyword that add more details and context to the main content.

What is a secondary keyword example?

Primary keyword: Benefits of yoga for your body

Secondary keyword: Best Yoga tips

Primary Keywords: How to use them for SEO Success

By Somayeh Niya / April 4, 2024

Primary Keywords: How to use them for SEO success

Somayeh Niya
April 4, 2024

In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), primary keywords play a vital role in driving organic traffic to your website. Understanding the significance of primary keywords can significantly impact the success of your SEO efforts. Additionally, knowing different types of keyword, how to select the right primary keyword and implementing it strategically can maximize its impact.

In this article, I’m going to discuss definition of primary keywords, their importance, how to implement primary keywords in content, and more.

What is a primary keyword?

Primary keywords, also known as focus keywords, are the main keywords that accurately represent the content and purpose of a webpage. They are the terms that users are most likely to search for when looking for information or products related to your website.

Primary keywords usually include 1 or 2 words. They always have a high search volume and also competition.

For example: ‘digital marketing”, ” email marketing”, ”fitness”, and ”skincare” are primary keywords.

When selecting primary keywords, it’s crucial to conduct thorough research to identify the most effective ones for your website. Consider factors such as search volume, competition level, and relevance to your content.

Why Primary Keywords are important in SEO?

Primary keywords act as signposts to search engines, and guide them to understand what your webpage is about. When search engines crawl and index your website, they analyze the content and metadata to determine its relevancy to specific search queries.

By incorporating primary keywords naturally throughout your content, search engines can better understand the purpose and topic of your webpage.

Primary keywords are essential for attracting the right audience to your website. Users who search for specific keywords are more likely to be interested in the content or products you offer, and it will increase the chances of conversion and engagement on your site.

According to a survey conducted by Moz, 70% of marketers find keyword research importance for improving their website’s search engine visibility. This survey can prove the value of primary keywords in driving organic traffic to a webpage.

It’s important to note that primary keywords should be used in a strategic and natural manner within your content. Overloading your content with primary keywords can hurt your website’s search engine rankings.

Primary Keywords Vs. Secondary Keywords

While primary keywords are the main focus of your SEO efforts, secondary keywords also play a crucial role in optimizing your website. Primary keywords are the main terms that directly reflect the core topic of your content, while secondary keywords provide additional context and variations to enhance the overall relevance of your webpage.

For example, if your primary keyword is “organic skincare,” secondary keywords could include “natural skincare products,” “chemical-free skincare,” “Vegan-friendly skincare,” or “sustainable beauty routines.”

By using a mix of primary and secondary keywords strategically throughout your content, you create a more comprehensive representation of your webpage’s topic, and achieve a wider range of search queries and user intents.

Secondary keywords can also help to capture long-tail search queries, which are more specific and typically have higher conversion rates. By including a diverse set of secondary keywords related to your primary topic, you can attract a more targeted audience interested in various aspects of the overarching theme.

This not only improves your website’s visibility in search results but also enhances the user experience by offering valuable and relevant information on related topics.

Strategies for Effective Keyword Research

Choosing the right primary keyword is crucial for successful SEO. It requires a combination of effective keyword research strategies and the use of tools designed to identify primary keywords related to your content.

Search intent

When conducting keyword research, it’s essential to understand your target audience and their search intent. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential visitors and think about what they would likely type into a search engine to find your content. Brainstorming relevant keywords and phrases is an excellent starting point for finding potential primary keywords.

For example, if you have a website that offers cooking tips and recipes, think about the specific terms your audience might use, such as “quick and easy dinner recipes,” “healthy breakfast ideas,” or “vegetarian pasta dishes.”

SEO tools

Using SEO tools in your keyword research offers insights into search volume, competition, and related keywords. Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer are examples of useful tools for identifying primary keywords that have high search volume and are less competitive.

These tools can provide valuable data on how often certain keywords are searched for and how difficult it would be to rank for them. By analyzing this information, you can narrow down your options and choose primary keywords that have a good balance of search volume and competition.

Google's auto completions

In addition to keyword research tools, consider leveraging search engine autocomplete and suggestions. When you start typing a query into a search engine, you’ll notice that it provides suggested auto-completions based on popular searches related to your query.

For instance, if you type “healthy snacks” into a search engine, you might see suggestions like “healthy snacks for kids,” “healthy snacks for school,” or “healthy snacks for weight loss.” These auto-completions can give you insights into the primary keywords people are searching for about your topic.

Competitor analysis

Analyzing your competitors can provide valuable insights into the primary keywords they are targeting. SEO tools like Ahrefs and SpyFu allow you to see the keywords your competitors currently rank for, giving you a competitive advantage in choosing the right primary keyword.

When you find the primary keywords that your competitors are targeting, you can identify gaps in the market and find unique keyword opportunities that they may have overlooked.

Key Locations to Incorporate Primary Keywords

Include primary keywords in the following key locations:

Page Title: The title of your webpage or blog post should include the primary keyword to clearly indicate its topic.

Meta Description: Write an engaging meta description that incorporates the primary keyword to entice users to click through to your website.

Headings and Subheadings: Use headings and subheadings to break down your content and include primary keywords to provide context to both users and search engines.

URL: Whenever possible, incorporate the primary keyword into the URL structure of your webpage or blog post. This helps search engines understand the topic before even crawling the page.

Image Alt Tags: Include primary keywords in the image alt tags to help search engines understand the visual content.

Body Content: Naturally integrate primary keywords throughout the body of your content, and ensure it flows naturally and provides value to your readers.

How Primary Keywords Can Boost Your Content's Performance?

Now let’s talk about how they can specifically boost your content’s performance:

Enhance Relevance

By incorporating primary keywords in relevant headings and subheadings, you provide search engines with clear signals about the topic of your content. This helps search engines understand the context and relevance of your content.

Improve User Experience

When you optimize your website’s URL structure by including primary keywords, you not only make it easier for search engines to understand your content, but also for users to navigate your website. A well-structured URL with primary keywords can provide users with a clear idea of what to expect when they click on your link, leading to a better user experience.

Visual Appeal

By including primary keywords in the alt tags of your images, you not only make them more accessible to visually impaired users but also help search engines understand the visual content. This can contribute to improved SEO performance and better visibility in image search results.

Natural Flow

Integrating primary keywords naturally throughout the body of your content is key to providing value to your readers. By seamlessly incorporating these keywords, you create a cohesive and informative piece of content that appeals to search engines and resonates with your target audience. This can lead to higher engagement, longer time spent on your website, and increased chances of conversions.

Conclusion

By understanding how primary keywords can boost your content’s performance, you can optimize your website effectively and achieve better SEO results. Remember, it’s not just about incorporating keywords but doing so strategically and naturally to provide value to both search engines and your audience.

Semantic keywords: Definition, Examples & How to find them

By Somayeh Niya / March 20, 2024

Semantic keywords: Definition, Examples & How to find them

Somayeh Niya
March 20, 2024

SEO has become complicated in recent years. Old strategies like keyword stuffing not only don’t work but also lead to penalization. Google bots are smarter now. They know what users are searching for, even if they don’t type the exact keywords. You can take advantage of this feature to increase the keyword ranking.

In this article, I’m going to discuss semantic keywords and how you can boost your ranking with these semantic keyword research.

What are semantic keywords?

Semantic keywords, or Latent semantic indexing (LSI), are those words or terms that conceptually relate to the main keyword. So, they are not the primary keywords. They surrounded the main keywords naturally to help search engines find the webpage.

For example:

You want to write an article about ” Pregnancy care”. Your primary keyword can be short or long-tail keywords. The semantic keywords for this article are words such as prenatal tests, baby growth, healthy eating, prenatal care, ultrasound, maternity care, etc.

It means semantic keywords are phrases that come up when discussing your main topic.

So, can semantic keywords be synonyms of the main keyword?

No. Semantic keywords go beyond synonyms of the main keyword, or similar words or phrases. However, it’s a good idea to use synonyms of the main keyword because it prevents keyword stuffing in your content.

Does semantic keywords matter in SEO?

Definitely yes.

LSI keywords help search engine bots find your content better. In previous Google algorithms, Google focused on existing keyword-match in search engine results. After the Panda update, it changed the focus on topical relevancy. So, existing semantic keywords in a web page are signs of the relevancy of that page to the query.

For example:

When a user wants to know about ”how to cook squash”, the search engine knows this is an informational query about squash vegetables, not squash sport. Consequently, search engine bots search for semantically related keywords like oil, oven, bake, roast, cooking, and so on.

Not only for homonyms queries, also is the same for all types of queries. As soon as search engines know search intent, they search for semantic keywords in the pages. So, by including semantic keywords in your content help to boost your ranking.

Benefits of Using semantic keywords

Using semantic keywords has several benefits for SEO. You can’t improve the SEO of your page without using proper semantic keywords. Pay attention to the below advantages to know more about the importance of relevant keywords.

Improve organic traffic

When users type a query in search engines, always like to receive large information about it. This includes hidden aspects of that query.

For example:

If someone searches for a ”fast breakfast idea”, it means other aspects of the idea are essential for that person.

So, in addition to common semantic keywords like grab-and-go breakfast, recipes, eggs, or granola, you should add other relevant keywords like healthy breakfast, nutritious breakfast, and delicious breakfast.

Adding this hidden side of a query not only improves your organic traffic but also helps to outrank your competitors. Because these are relevant semantic keywords for search engines.

Decrease bounce rate

When you use relevant keywords in your content, you will reduce the danger of entering the wrong user into your webpage.

For example:

If you have an article about Windows Home Design, by using semantically related keywords like bedroom, kitchen, aluminum, and iron you will help Google to understand this page is about house design, not windows home design software. So, it reduces the bounce rate.

Increase sale

If you own a website for selling products using LSI keywords can increase your sales. Because semantic keywords help to create a better search experience for buyers.

Visibility on SERPs

If you pay attention to all the basics of SEO along with LSI keywords, it boosts your visibility on search engine results.

Pay attention to below image:

Diet is a related keyword for this query. In the first webpage, it appears on search engine results.

Limit Google penalties

By using semantic keywords you will reduce the danger of Google penalty due to keyword stuffing. There is a limitation for using the primary keyword in the content, but semantic keywords make up this limitation and boost the chance of finding your webpage on search engine results.

How to find semantic keywords?

semantically related keywords come naturally in your content when you write about a topic. But if you want to improve SEO, you need to extra ways to grab more relevant keywords. Otherwise, your chance will reduce if you don’t use sufficient semantic keywords.

Google Autocomplete

Like always Google search is the best tool to overcome SEO difficulties.
For example, I want to add semantic keywords to my current article. The main keyword is ”semantic keywords”:

In Google suggestions beside the main keyword, the bold words or phrases are related semantic keywords. You can use them in your content.

When you are using Google autocomplete for SEO, it’s better to use browser in incognito mode. Because your previous search and local search in your area don’t affect the results.

Google image tag suggestion

Every search on Google has a particular part for images. It includes images of every ranked page.

After typing your main keyword on Google, go to the images section.

You can see words like puppy, kibble and bowl beside images at the top of search results. These are semantic keywords.

Scroll to the right to see more semantically related keywords.

The image result page also has related searches too. Click on one of the images and in the right-hand panel the image will be loaded. Then scroll down to see related searches for that particular image.

You can do it for any particular image to see relevant keywords.

If you use this technique for every particular image, be careful that keywords relate to your topic.

SEO tools

Some SEO tools have specific features for finding LSI keywords.

Google Keyword Planner
Semrush
Serpstat
Ahrefs
Moz

In addition to a list of related keywords that people search the entire web for based on the topic, these SEO tools allow you to filter words by connection strength, search volume, and more.

Semantic keywords tool

LSI Graph is a dedicated tool that largely is focused on semantic keywords. Just enter your primary keyword. Once you’ve received a list of related keywords, you incorporate them into your content.

Google Related Searches

Related Searches is a great feature of Google to find semantic keywords. It appears at the bottom of the first page in search results.

In the above image, you notice bold words or phrases near the primary keyword. By using these secondary keywords you can improve your content for ranking. Add the bolded word to your LSI keywords list.

Analyze competitor websites

Look at the content on websites that rank well for your target keywords. This not only gives you an idea of what topics are relevant to your industry but also helps you identify the semantic keywords they are using. By exploring ways to incorporate similar keywords into your content, you can align your website with the same search intent that drives traffic to your competitors.

Leverage social media and online communities

Monitor discussions and conversations related to your topic on social media platforms and online communities. Pay attention to the words and phrases people use when discussing the subject, as these can serve as valuable semantic keywords. By understanding the language your target audience uses, you can tailor your content to resonate with them and improve your website’s visibility.

How to incorporate semantic keywords in content?

Semantic keywords can appear in every part of content naturally such as sub-headings and body of the content. You can use them in the first paragraph or as anchor text in the body of the content.

Internal links are another way to use semantic keywords. Not only help to structure your website, but also search engines understand the relationships between your different pages.

But some parts of your content are more significant because search bots first skim these parts: It includes:

Title tags
Meta description
Image or attachment file names
Header tags
Image alt tags
Captions under images

By naturally incorporating these relevant keywords throughout your content, you help Google’s algorithms understand the content of your page.

Conclusion

Semantically related keywords play important role in modern SEO. By incorporating them into your content, you can improve your website’s visibility, relevance, and overall user experience. So, next time you optimize your content, remember to think beyond exact keyword matches and embrace the power of semantic keywords.

23 Types of Keywords in SEO: +How to Find, Analyze and Use

By Somayeh Niya / July 31, 2023

23 Types of Keywords in SEO: +How to Find, Analyze and Use

Somayeh Niya
July 31, 2023
Updated on: May 25, 2024

If you imagine SEO is a building, keywords are the foundation of this building.
Choosing wrong keywords leads you to the below results:

–Your page doesn’t rank by Google

–You call the wrong users to the page

So, the first step to finding the right keywords is knowing the different types of keywords in SEO.

In this article, I will discuss different types of keywords in SEO, how to use and find them, and more.

What is a keyword in SEO?

A keyword is a word or phrase people use for searching about a specific topic in search engines.

For example, imagine you have a website for selling dog foods. Your keywords are what people type in search engines to buy your products. Depending on the type of food you sell and customer’s questions, your keyword varies.

Why are keywords important in SEO?

When a user type a query in search bar, Google bots try to find the most relevant content. If Google doesn’t do it well, most probably lose users after some wrong results. So, keywords are super important for search engines.
That makes sense.

On the other hand, the main goal of every website is to acquire organic traffic. No one likes to pay for ads to gain traffic. Regardless of wasting money, paid traffic isn’t permanent and doesn’t bring authority to you. So, right keywords are crucial for creating perfect content marketing to drive organic traffic to the website.

To find the right keyword consider below steps:

Learn different types of keywords
Make a keywords list
Analyze keywords
Use keywords in the best places of content

Understanding the different types of keywords for SEO and how they work together is crucial for successful SEO strategies. By incorporating a variety of keywords into your content, you can improve your website’s visibility and attract more organic traffic.

Lets’ start!

Types of keywords in SEO: By length

Length of keywords is important in search engine optimization (SEO). Different lengths of keywords serve different purposes and have varying levels of competition.

Let’s take a closer look at these types of keywords in SEO based on length.

Short-tail
Mid-tail
Long-tail

Short-Tail Keywords

As the name implies, a short tail keyword consists of one or two words. These keywords are highly generic and broad. Due to their broadness, short-tail keywords often face intense competition, and ranking well for them can be challenging.

So, if your website doesn’t have high domain authority, it’s better to forget these types of keywords

For example, “shoes” or “SEO” are considered short-tail keywords. While they may bring traffic for websites with high DA, the conversion rate may be relatively low. Because users who search for this type of inquiry, don’t have the decision to buy any product.

Short-tail keywords characteristics:

1 or 2 words
High search volume
Vague user intent
High competition

How to use short-tail keywords: Using short-tail keywords isn’t recommended if you don’t have a strong and well-established site in your niche. Although they have a very high search volume, winning the competition isn’t possible for every website.

Mid-tail Keywords

As the name suggests, mid-tail keywords fall between short-tail and long-tail keywords in terms of length and specificity. They provide a balance between search volume and relevance.

For example, “running shoes for beginners” or “SEO tips for bloggers” are mid-tail keywords. These keywords can drive a good amount of traffic. And also remain specific.

Regarding competition, they relatively have high competition. They can gain traffic for websites with good domain authority (DA).

Mid-tail keywords characteristics:

3 or 4 words
Specify search intent
Mid-search volume
Relatively high competition

How to use mid-tail keywords: Mid-tail keywords are more specific with a midum search volume. However, they need a high or at least mid-domain authority to rank.

Long-Tail Keywords

In contrast to short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords are more specific and comprised of multiple words. These keywords usually have a lower search volume but are highly targeted.

For instance, “best running shoes for marathon training” or “affordable SEO services for small businesses” are examples of long-tail keywords. Although the search volume may be lower, the conversion rate is often higher due to more specific search intent.

Long-tail keyword characteristics:

More than 5 words
Highly specific
Low search volume
High conversion rate
Suitable for low DA websites

How to use long-tail keywords: These types of keywords in SEO have a crucial role, and they are suitable for every website with high or low domain authority. Websites that sell products can make the most out of long-tail keywords because the user is ready to buy something.

How to find SEO keywords by length?

Google autocomplete is a good way to find keywords by length.

When you type a short-tail keyword in Google, it suggests other keywords with medium length. You can add more details to these medium keywords and create long-tail keywords.

Using SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs is useful. These tools provide insights into the search volume and competition level of keywords.

Finding short-tail and medium-tail keywords is not difficult. But for finding long-tail keywords you need to do more research.

Forums like Quora and Reddit are good places to find long-tail keywords. Because in these forums people ask questions to solve a problem and questions are more specific by nature.

Types of keywords in SEO: By Search Intent

Understanding the intent behind users’ search queries is vital in selecting the most appropriate keywords for your SEO efforts.

There are 4 types of keywords by search intent:

Informational
Navigational
Commercial
Transactional

Before learning search intent keywords, let to take a look at the buyer’s journey. Every buyer goes through 3 steps before purchasing a product:

Awareness, Consideration, and Decision stages.

Why knowing the buyer’s journey is important?

Because every stage has a specific search intent. That’s why you should know which stage your customer is in, and accordingly select proper keywords according to search intent.

Informational keywords

These types of keywords in SEO indicate that users are seeking information or answers for their queries. These keywords usually start with “what is,” “how to,” or “benefits of.” For example, “What is SEO” or “How to bake a cake” are informational keywords.

Creating comprehensive and informative content around these keywords can help attract audiences looking for answers or guidance.

Informational keywords characteristics:

Use question words mostly
Look for a piece of information
Ask a solution
Low conversion rate

How to use informational keywords: If you want to use informational keywords, your content scope should be informational, even if your final goal is selling a product.

So, if you want to use informational content for conversion, be patient and constantly try to produce valuable content. Trust building is very important and it can’t be gained overnight.

Navigational keywords

Navigational keywords are used when individuals search for a specific website or brand. These keywords usually include the name of the website or brand they are looking for. For instance, “LinkedIn login” or “Samsung support” are navigational keywords.

Navigational keywords characteristics

Show a brand name
Help to Authority

How to use navigational keywords: Like informational keywords, these types of keywords may not be our primary focus. But if you have a local business, it is very vital to optimize your webpage with navigational keywords.

Commercial keywords

Commercial keywords represent an intent to research products or services before making a buying decision. They often include terms such as “best,” “top-rated,” or “reviews.” For example, “best laptops for video editing” or “top SEO agencies” are commercial keywords.

Commercial keywords characteristics:

Signals an intention to buy
Higher conversion rate than informational intent
Need to compare different products

How to use commercial keywords: Based on buyers’ journey users know they what need at this stage. But need to more information to compare different products. Creating high-quality comparison articles, product reviews, or informative guides can help capture the attention of users at this crucial stage of the buyer’s journey.

Transactional Keywords

Transactional keywords indicate that users are ready to make a purchase or engage in a specific action. These keywords often include terms such as “buy,” “order,” or “discount.” For example, “buy running shoes online” or “order SEO audit” are transactional keywords.

Transactional keywords characteristics:

Actionable by nature
High commercial intent
High conversion rate

How to use transactional keywords: Transactional keywords are best optimized through product pages and landing pages. Ensure that your content is persuasive, highlighting the benefits, features, and unique selling points of your product or service.

Below are some examples of search intent keywords:

How to find SEO keywords by search intent?

Understanding the search intent behind keywords requires analytical research. Tools like SEMrush or Moz Keyword Explorer can assist in identifying the search intent of specific keywords.

Search intent keywords aren’t the main keywords in your content. They come along with the main keywords to give direction to your content.

For using Semrush to find keywords by search intent, simply enter your main keyword in Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool and select the type of search you want. It will show you many search ideas to write about it.

Additionally, you can analyze the type of content that appears in search results for a particular keyword. It provides valuable insights into the search intent.

Types of keywords in SEO: By role

There are 3 types of keywords by role:

Primary
Secondary
Semantic

Primary keywords

Primary keyword (also called target keyword or seed keyword) is the major term you target in your content. It’s the heart of the content.

Every content should have at least one primary keyword, and content expand around this keyword.

Primary keyword characteristics:

Main word of content
Repeat constantly

How to use primary keywords: Primary keywords are repeated in titles, meta tags, subheadings, and in the body to find by search engine bots. It’s very important to consider metrics like keyword difficulty and search volume when you are going to find primary keywords. High-difficulty primary keywords will be hard to rank, especially for low-DA websites.

Secondary keywords

While primary keywords are the main terms that directly reflect the core topic of your content, secondary keywords cover additional context and relevant subtopics. Also, they can be synonyms of the primary keyword.

For example, if your primary keyword is “digital marketing” secondary keywords could include “digital marketing strategy,” “digital marketing
agency,” “digital marketing companies,” or “digital marketing courses.”

Secondary keywords characteristics:

Cover relevant subtopics
It can be a synonym of the main keyword

How to use secondary keywords: Secondary keywords are usually variations or synonyms of the main keyword. If a secondary keyword is a synonym, it’s a good chance to use it instead of the primary keyword to prevent keyword stuffing.

For ranking better you can use some secondary keywords in your content and repeat them naturally. Also, you should pay attention to the keyword difficulty of them. Lower keyword difficulty means a higher chance to rank.

Semantic Keywords

Semantic keywords (aka Latent Semantic Indexing or LSI) are a variety of related words to content and main keyword. Google bots find the relationship between words and concepts in every content. If you have these semantic words in your content, Google will understand it better.

By the way, semantic keywords are different from secondary keywords, and also it is not a synonym of the main keyword.

Semantic keywords characteristics:

Conceptually related to main keyword
It can be a variation of the main keyword

How to use semantic keywords: Since semantic keywords help to search bots to recognize what your content is about, so it’s better to use some of semantic keywords in subheadings and alt images. And you can incorporate them naturally in your content.

How to find keywords by role?

To find primary and secondary keywords, you can use tools like KWFinder. Simply enter your topic and give a variety of suggestions.

When you select one suggestion as a primary keyword, enter it in the tool to get more suggestions as secondary keywords.

To find semantic keywords you can use LSI graph tool. It’s a paid tool but there are verities of free LSI tools. .

Types of keywords in SEO: Google Ads Keywords

In addition to organic SEO, Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) provides an excellent opportunity to boost your website’s visibility through paid advertising.

Why understanding Google ad keywords is crucial for marketers?

It’s obvious. If you don’t use proper keywords in ad campaigns, maybe you waste the money which cost for advertisement.

Exact match

Exact match keywords trigger ads to appear only when the search query exactly matches the keyword. There can be no additional words before or after the keyword.

For example, if your exact match keyword is “running shoes,” your ad will only appear for searches that include the exact phrase “running shoes.”

Phrase match

Phrase match keywords allow your ads to appear when the search query includes the keyword phrase in the same order. However, there may be additional words before or after the phrase.

For example, if your phrase match keyword is “running shoes,” your ad may appear for searches like “buy running shoes” or “top-rated running shoes.”

Broad match

Broad match keywords trigger ads to appear when a search query includes any word in the keyword, in any order. For example, if your broad match keyword is “SEO tools,” your ad may appear for searches like “best SEO tools,” “affordable tools for SEO,” or “types of SEO tools.”

Negative keywords

Negative keywords exclude specific terms or phrases, ensuring that your ads don’t appear for irrelevant searches. By adding negative keywords to your ad campaign, you can maximize the relevancy and effectiveness of your ad placements.

For example, if you sell running shoes but not hiking shoes, you could add “hiking” as a negative keyword to avoid showing your ad to users searching for hiking shoes.

How to use Google Ads keywords: When you create an ad campaign, you have the main keyword. Additionally, you need to select optimal keywords (ad keywords that are noted above)and Google will display your ad based on those selections.

These keywords don’t need to be researched, and the Google ads platform proposed them to you as options.

How to find SEO keywords for Google Ads?

When you use Google ads to run an ad campaign, it suggests you to select the type of keywords (exact, phrase, broad match) you need to add to your campaign. Each of them has its pros and cons:

Broad & phrase match pulls useless queries
Exact match misses valuable long-tail keywords

To avoid this problem you can use negative keywords to prevent useless quiries.

Types of keywords in SEO: Time-Based Keywords

There are 2 types of time-based keywords :

Trend
Evergreen

Trend Keywords

Trend keywords are associated with popular topics or events happening in the current moment. These keywords allow businesses to ride the wave of what’s hot and happening, and capture the attention of a wide audience.

Whether it’s the latest fashion trend, a viral social media challenge, or a breaking news story, trend keywords can help you stay relevant and drive traffic to your website.

Trend keywords characteristics

Include a new and fresh topic
High search volume
Easy to rank at the early stage

How to use tend keywords: Incorporate these keywords into blog posts, articles, or landing pages that provide valuable information or insights related to the current topic or trend.

For example, if you run a technology blog, and there’s a new smartphone release generating buzz, consider creating a detailed review or comparison article using time-based keywords like “new smartphone XYZ review” or “comparison of the latest smartphones.”

Evergreen Keywords

Unlike trend keywords, evergreen keywords remain relevant and generate consistent traffic over time. They are not time-sensitive and are often associated with broader topics or evergreen content that stay relevant regardless of current trends.

Evergreen keywords are like the sturdy oak tree in the forest of search engine optimization; They provide a solid foundation for your website’s visibility.

Evergreen keywords characteristics:

High search volume
Constant inquiry demand
Mostly hard to rank

How to use evergreen keywords: Let’s say you own a gardening blog. While trend keywords may bring in temporary spikes of traffic, evergreen keywords like “how to grow tomatoes” or “best gardening tips” will consistently attract visitors who are interested in gardening.

By incorporating these evergreen keywords into your content, you can establish your website as a go-to resource for gardening enthusiasts.

How to find time-based keywords?

Always be updated for what happen in your industry. Using social media helps you to know about what happening. Producing content around trends keywords fast can be very effective in pulling many traffic to your website.

Google likes content about current topics. So, including trending keywords help you to rank.
Tools like Google Trends helps you to find keyword trends.

Another tool is BuzzSumo. To find trending keywords via this tool you need to log in. Then, at the top of your dashboard, on the left hand go to the Discover tab and select Trending.

On the other hand, to find Evergreen keywords, analyze your competitors’ pages. Those pages with a consistent flow of organic traffic mostly include evergreen keywords.

Types of keywords in SEO: By Target

In below you can see 4 types of keywords by target:

Branded keywords
Customer-defining keywords
Market-segment keywords
Product keywords

Branded keywords

Branded keywords are specific to a business and include the company name, product name, or any other unique identifiers associated with the brand. These keywords are essential for building brand visibility and capturing the attention of individuals already familiar with the business.

Branded keywords characteristics:

Indicate specific brand/product
Search volume depends on brand popularity
Specific search intent

How to use brand name: If you are going to boost your brand, you can write articles and include your brand in them. Also if you want to know about your brand name’s popularity, type it in search engines and see the results.

Customer-defining keywords

Customer-defining keywords are another valuable addition to an SEO strategy. As the name implies, it indicates a specific group of customers. Customer-defining keyword is a good way to achieve long-tail keywords by narrowing down a broad term.

Let’s say, you have an online shop for selling shoes. Customer defining keyword will be ”sports shoes for kids”, or more specific ”sports shoes for kids 4 to 7 years”.

Customer-defining keywords characteristics:

Medium search volume
More conversion than broad terms
Indicate specific audience

How to use customer-defining keywords: Types of your products and services indicate your customer-defining keywords. Based on use these keywords for those who need your product.

Additionally using customer-defining keywords helps the right audience visit your website. So, it can help to better user experience and also reduce your bounce rate.

Market-segment keywords

Market-segment keywords are specific scopes of an industry or service. Let’s say you own a shoes online shop. You have ”rubber shoes”, ”cork shoes”, ”leather shoes”. All of these are market segment keywords that have their market. These types of keywords aren’t broad so much. But it yet needs to be narrowed down if a website with low DA wants to use it.

Market-segment characteristics:

High search volume
Vague search intent
Low conversion rate

How to use market-specific keywords: If you have a blog and want to use these keywords, I should say you don’t have much chance, especially if your website has low domain authority (DA). So, check keyword difficulty before using Market-segment keywords.

Product Keywords

When users search for specific products of a brand they use Product keywords. For example, they have searched for ”Samsung Galaxy A55”. This keyword shows that they are looking for a specific type of mobile phone offered by this brand.

Product keywords characteristics:

Low search volume
Low competitive rate
Specific search intent
High conversion rate

How to use product keywords: If you sell products, this type of keyword is necessary for you. Writing content about different aspects of your product helps your selling and brand awareness.

Other types of keywords in SEO

In addition to the above types of keywords, there are some other types that they not included in specific categories.

Question-based keywords
Geo-targeting keywords
Competitor keywords

Question-based keywords

Question-based keywords are search queries in the form of questions. These keywords reflect the way people search for information online and can be highly valuable for businesses looking to provide helpful answers or solutions.

Question-based keywords characteristics:

Mostly they are long-tail
They can be both high-competition and low-competition
Informational search intent mostly

How to use question-based keywords: The best way is to create a FAQ section at the bottom of your blog post. These questions should be as subheadings that search bots find them.

How to find question-based keywords:

Researching popular question-and-answer platforms, forums, or online communities can be incredibly useful in this regard. These platforms are a treasure of information, filled with the most frequently asked questions in your field.

Also Asked is one of the great websites to find question-based keywords. This website gets all data from Google directly

Geo-targeting keywords

Geo-targeting keywords involve keywords based on geographic locations. For instance, “SEO services in New York”, “best cafes in London”, or “best restaurants near me” are examples of Geo-targeting keywords.

Optimizing your content with Geo-based keywords can improve your visibility and attract local customers interested in your products or services.

Geo-targeting keywords characteristics:

Highly relevant traffic

How to use geo-targeting keywords: Include location-specific content and optimize your website to target a particular region or city. Promote local events, attractions, or testimonials, and match your local currency to showcase your connection to the area.

By doing so, you not only improve your search engine rankings but also build trust and credibility among local customers.

How to find geo-targeting keywords:

The geo-targeting keyword is a must-have strategy for local businesses. It’s the easiest type of keyword research. Just you need to add your region to the main keywords you are going to rank.

For example ” the best Chinese restaurant” will be ‘the best Chinese restaurant in London”, or more specifically ”the best restaurant near Westminster in London.

Competitor Keywords

Competitor keywords are another valuable strategy for your SEO. These keywords involve targeting keywords that are associated with competitors in the same industry.

Competitor’s keywords are those keywords your competitors use at the same time to generate more traffic.

How to use competitor keywords: When you find your competitor’s keywords, cluster them into different groups. Then, create content around each category and use keywords in your content.

How to find competitors' keywords:

To explore these keywords you must search online and find your competitors. SEO tools like Ahref or Semrush give you a great insight to your competitor keywords. Just don’t forget for local SEO (if your business is limited to a specific area), you need to find local competitors.

For using Ahrefs tool:

Go to Ahrefs’ Site Explorer
Enter competitor’s domain
Go to the Organic keywords report

By this report, you can find the keywords that send visitors to your competitor’s webpage.

How to analyze keywords?

After you choose a keyword, it’s time to to measure some metrics. And it can’t be possible without analyzing some metrics with SEO tools.

3 factors must analyze carefully to choose the best keywords:

Cost per click
Keyword difficulty
Search volume

If a website has high authority, ranking becomes easier. So, website with lower authority should be careful to choose easy keywords to rank.

Cost per click

Cost Per Click (CPC) is a metric used in SEO to measure the cost of each click on an advertisement. CPC is calculated by dividing the total cost of the ad campaign by the number of clicks it generates. This metric is commonly used in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, where advertisers pay for each click their ads receive.

Keywords with higher CPCs tend to have high competition. So, target low CPC keywords, for example use long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have lower competition.

Search volume

Search volume is the number of times a given word has been searched in a search engine. You can find search volume by using some free tools like Google Keyword Planner. The search volume measurement metric is monthly mostly.

A higher search volume isn’t suitable for ranking especially when you’re inexperienced in this field.

So, it is better to focus on low-volume keywords under special circumstances.
One of the low-volume keywords is long tail keywords.

Keyword difficulty

Keyword difficulty (KD) refers to the level of difficulty in ranking for a given keyword. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, the latter being the hardest to rank for.

Keyword difficulty can measure with SEO tools like Google Planner. This measurement may be different from one tool to another. That means each tool maybe has various variables to measure keyword difficulty.

The higher keyword difficulty means a higher difficulty to rank it.
When you enter a keyword in Google Keyword Planner, it shows different URLs that have ranked for this keyword. The level of difficulty is different from one URL to another.

Where is the best place to put keywords?

After analyzing and choosing keywords, you should place them in the right spot in your content. This step is very critical. Otherwise, all of your efforts will destroy.

Title Tag

The most important spot for your keyword is in the title tag. A title tag is a blue part that appears on a search engine result page when users enter a query.

If your keywords don’t include in the title tag, you lose the chance to rank. In HTML it shows as title of a webpage.

Headline

Headlines serve as the first point of contact between a page and its audience, making them a crucial aspect of search engine optimization. It is the first title on the top of your web page and is different from the title tag. In fact, Headline serves as the H1 of a webpage in HTML.

Using keywords in headlines is effective for Google bots to find your page, and also people understand the gist of the whole of your content.

Incorporating relevant and well-researched keywords into your headlines is an essential aspect of effective SEO. It can improve your rankings and helps to attract more targeted traffic.

Meta Description

Meta description is a HTML attribute that provide a brief summary of the content on a webpage. It appears below the page title in search engine results and can greatly impact click-through rates.

To optimize Meta descriptions for SEO, it’s essential to include relevant keywords. These keywords should accurately reflect the content on the page and match the user’s search query.

Including keywords in meta descriptions helps search engines understand what the page is about and can improve its visibility in search results.

First Paragraph

Using keywords in first paragraph is necessary. Because search engines give more weight to the first few sentences of a page or article when determining its relevance to a particular search query.

When incorporating keywords into the first paragraph, it’s crucial to ensure that they flow naturally and don’t disrupt the overall readability of the content. Keyword stuffing can actually harm your SEO efforts by making your content appear spammy and low-quality.

Anchor Text

Anchor text refers to the clickable text that appears as a hyperlink on a webpage. By including relevant keywords in the anchor text, you can signal to search engines what the linked page is about and improve its ranking for those specific keywords.

However, it’s important to use anchor text strategically and not overdo it. Overusing keywords in anchor text, also known as keyword stuffing, can actually harm your SEO efforts by appearing spammy to search engines.

Image Alt Text

Image alt text is HTML attribute that is written for an image in webpage. Alt text has this potential to improve your ranking page when add your keyword to it.

Just be noted use more specific keywords for your alt text. Shot tail keywords don’t help to your SEO ranking. Pay attention to below image.

Good: <img src = “image.png” alt = “a little girl in green grass”>

Better: <img src = “image.png” alt = “a girl in black dress in green grass”>

Best: <img src = “image.png” alt = “a girl in black dress running in green grass”>

Conclusion

Keep it in your mind that keyword research is an ongoing process. As search trends and user behavior change over time, your approach to keyword research should be change too.

Ultimately, effective keyword research requires a combination of technical expertise, creativity, and a deep understanding of your target audience.

By taking the time to conduct thorough research and develop a comprehensive strategy, you can position your business for long-term success in the highly competitive world of SEO.

FAQs

How do I choose the right keywords for SEO?

Start by brainstorming a list of relevant keywords to your niche.
Use keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner to determine the search volume and competition level for each keyword.
Consider the intent behind each keyword. It helps you tailor the content to meet the needs of your target audience
Ensure the keyword relevancy. The keywords you choose should be directly related to the content on your website or the products/services you offer.
Finally, regularly monitor and adjust your keyword strategy based on changes in search trends and your own website analytics.

What types of keywords should I use for SEO?

Keywords with medium search volume and a low competition is the best keywords.
Long-tail keywords are good choice since they are more generic keywords and easier to rank.

How often should I update my SEO keywords?

If you’re in a highly competitive industry where new products or services are introduced frequently, then you may need to update your keywords more frequently. On the other hand, if your industry is relatively stable, then updating your keywords every few months may suffice.

How can I measure the success of my SEO keywords?

By regularly assessing keyword rankings, organic traffic, and user engagement metrics, you can informed about success of your SEO keywords and accordingly optimize your content and improve your overall search visibility.

Informational keywords: How to find and use them for SEO success

What are informational keywords?

Why are informational keywords important?

What is search intent?

Examples of informational keywords

Types of informational keywords

How-to keywords

Guide keywords

Definition keywords

List keywords

Question keywords

How to find informational keywords?

Question keywords

Google suggestions

Forums

Surveys or polls

Which tools can you use to find informational keywords?

Semrush

People also asked

AnswerThePublic

How to optimize your website by using informational keywords?

Create high-quality content

Optimize on-page elements

Optimize Off-page elements

Link internally

Informational vs commercial keywords

Informational vs transactional keywords

Conclusion

Secondary keywords: How to find & use them

What is a secondary keyword?

Why are secondary keywords important in SEO?

Lower competition

Increase user experiences

Create comprehensive content

Prevent keyword stuffing

How to find secondary keywords for SEO?

Understand user's search intent

Brainstorm the idea

Analyse your competitors secondary keywords

Put yourself in the customer's shoes

Use SEO tools

Use Google auto suggestions

Organize keywords effectively

How to use secondary keywords in your content?

How to improve your published content by using secondary keywords?

Secondary keywords vs semantic keywords (LSI Keywords)

Examples of secondary keywords

FAQ

1-What are secondary keywords?

2-How many secondary keywords should I use?

3-Which is more important, primary or secondary keywords?

What is the difference between secondary and LSI keywords?

What is a secondary keyword example?

Primary Keywords: How to use them for SEO success

What is a primary keyword?

Why Primary Keywords are important in SEO?

Primary Keywords Vs. Secondary Keywords

Strategies for Effective Keyword Research

Search intent

SEO tools

Google's auto completions

Competitor analysis

Key Locations to Incorporate Primary Keywords

How Primary Keywords Can Boost Your Content's Performance?

Enhance Relevance

Improve User Experience

Visual Appeal

Natural Flow

Conclusion

Semantic keywords: Definition, Examples & How to find them

What are semantic keywords?

Does semantic keywords matter in SEO?

Benefits of Using semantic keywords

Improve organic traffic

Decrease bounce rate

Increase sale

Visibility on SERPs

Limit Google penalties

How to find semantic keywords?

Google Autocomplete