Keywords play an integral role in search engine optimization. For your online content to get its deserved attention, you need to understand the different types of keywords and their strength to multiply your search engine optimization efforts. You need to develop strategic keyword research solutions by knowing the ideal keywords to target.
What is a Keyword
A keyword is a search query that includes ideas, words, topics, or phrases used by searchers into search engines, defining what a particular content covers. Content creators and website owners need to optimize their content for keywords relevant to what their target market is searching for.
There are many different keywords and each has different purposes. Below, are nine types of keywords for every professional SEO specialist needs to know:
- Long-tail
Long-tail keywords include a specific combination of several terms, usually four or more words. The keywords are more descriptive and typically have low traffic volume compared to other types of keywords. The lower the search volume, means the higher the chance of ranking, increasing your conversation rate in the long run.
Example: best smartphone accessories for Apple.
- Short-tail
Short-tail keywords are generic keywords, also identified as head keywords. From their name, you can tell they have fewer words compared to the long-tail keywords. These keywords usually have one or two words but cover extensive search terms.
Short-tail keywords gather high volume traffic resulting in competitiveness in search ranking. They are quite challenging to rank for and there is a lot of competition when it comes to converting potential customers.
Example: smartphone accessories.
- Evergreen
Evergreen keywords have a steady search volume over time since they are queries people will always have. They do not describe trending topics, they describe evergreen topics. Some evergreen keywords can transform into topical keywords when a particular occasion makes them seasonally or culturally relevant. For example, when a particular city hosts the world cup, the city gets more attention and traffic in terms of searches during the world cup period.
Example: symptoms of a cold
- Fresh Keywords
Fresh keywords refer to new, trending content. With the aggressive competition in several industries, fresh content is king. Companies have to track trends to meet consumers’ complex and evolving demands.
Selecting fresh keywords enables your site to get the required clicks and traffic. To achieve this, organizations need to create dedicated pages for products and services that are currently trending. When generating SEO tags, companies should include trending keywords in their meta descriptions, titles, and headlines.
Example: Wonder Woman 1984 reviews
- Geo-targeting
With geo-location penetrating the online industry, organizations use geo-targeted keywords to meet their customers’ changing demands. Geo-targeted keywords target a specific area, which may include the country, state, city, or community.
These keywords work well for the local companies since it directs the potential customers’ searches towards local businesses. It enables them to reach an extensive range of customers within their area since most search users target physical services and stores near them.
Example: laptop shops in Georgia, Atlanta
- Product Defining
Product defining keywords are used to search for specific products and services. They are ideal for e-commerce stores because you can target the exact audience you want with product defining keywords. These keywords enable customers and prospects to find exactly what they are searching for.
Example: bike pump
- Customer Defining
Customer defining keywords include search terms used by a click or subset of audience or customers. Basically, customer defining keywords include the “name” of your audience.
Potential customers use phrases defining themselves in the search engines because it makes it easier to find exactly what they are looking for. The market for customer defining keywords is quite large, so companies need to strategically select the appropriate keywords to reach the right target audience.
Example: cameras for professional photographers
- Branded
Branded keywords are search terms, including the brand names, acronyms, campaigns, taglines, and parent companies. They include the company’s brand name, product descriptions, product type, or product name.
Branded keywords are used by customers searching for products coming from a specific company or brand. As long as the keyword bears the company’s brand, it is deemed a branded keyword irrespective of other words around it. The brand name included in the keyword should be your company’s name and not other companies’ brand names.
Example: best Apple laptops and tablets
- Non-branded
Non-branded keywords are also known as unbranded. They do not use any specific brand names but describe the customer’s problem. They are not unique to any particular brand or domain.
Non-branded keywords include phrases and terms of what the company offers, and it does not include the organization’s brand name. Using non-branded keywords gives your customers and prospects more options since they are not limited to specific brand names.
Example: best soccer organization of all time
Bottom Line
Keywords are essential in improving a company’s visibility and enabling them to keep up with the competition. They help organizations reach an extensive range of customers by increasing their conversion rate. When choosing a keyword for a page, consider the goal of the page and choose the right type of keyword based on the purpose. For example, if the purpose of a page is to build brand awareness, use a branded keyword!
Bu using the different keywords mentioned above, a company can get their customers’ and prospects’ undivided attention and convert them into buyers.
Ready to learn more about keywords and SEO? Reach out to Colibri Digital Marketing for a 30-minute complimentary digital strategy session!