Keyword

What is a Keyword?

A keyword is a term that people search for online – either on a search engine or other research website – in order to find information. When someone lands on your website or webpage, they would have typed in a keyword phrase and/or searched for that phrase in order to find your content. Keywords are important because they are what people use to find information. And, when people are researching a topic, they are actively looking for solutions to their problems, ideas on how to proceed, or sources of inspiration.

Keywords are the unspoken code that helps search engines understand what pages are about. Without keywords, users and search engines would have a difficult time finding your content. Keywords also help crawlers know what your page is about and which words you consider to be important. That’s why keyword research is such an integral part of SEO.

Types of Keywords to Find and Understand

Broad Keywords

Broad keywords include common terms that many people might search for. A good example of a broad keyword is “dogs”. All dog owners might search for this term, but it’s not very specific. Determining the right keyword type is the first step to creating a keyword list that will drive traffic to your website.

Narrow Keywords

Narrow keywords are more specific than broad keywords. When creating a keyword list, you’ll want to choose a mix of broad and narrow terms. Narrow keywords are great because they allow you to hone in on a very specific group of readers. A good example of a narrow keyword is “dog training tips for small dogs”.

Long Tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are a combination of short and broad keywords. These are often times longer than 15-20 characters but shorter than average blog posts. A good example of a long tail keyword is “how to train your dog not to bark when you’re not home”.