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What are keywords?

The keywords in SEO are terms or phrases that users type into search engines to find information, products or services. From the perspective SEOThe words guide the creation of content and optimisation of web pages to improve their visibility and positioning in search results (SERPs).

 

Last updated 04 December 2024

 

What is SEO?

SEO is a process of optimising a website in order to get free, natural and organic traffic from search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. Search engines incorporate the most important information from web pages to help users find exactly what they are looking for. Like SEO consultantIf you have a keyword, you should study the information you have to add to the URL that competes for a certain keyword.

In the process, it is important to analyse the best positioned urls for a given search, the related semantics, whether it has images or videos, text length, readability, interlacing and title structure, to name a few factors. All this must contribute to be the best possible response for the user in order for Google to climb our url to the TOP 10 of Google.

local seo keyword research

What are Keywords?

In the SEO environment (search engine optimisation)Keywords are terms or phrases that people use in search engines, also known as "search keywords".

In addition, keywords represent the main ideas, topics and themes that define the content of a web page.

The more relevant the keywords on your page are to search queries, the more likely it is that users will find your content. Therefore, in SEO, it is essential that the keywords you use in your content match the keywords that users search for in Google.

Headline vs. tail (and long tail) keywords

There are two main types of keywords:

  • Head keywords: These are short, general terms, such as "mattresses".
  • Tail keywords: They are longer and more specific phrases, such as "orthopaedic mattresses in Madrid", the latter of which has an important component for the Local SEO.

Some digital marketers further classify keywords into categories such as "fat head" (very general), "chunky middle" (intermediate terms) or "long tail" (very specific). These classifications can be useful for strategy planning, but are not always decisive in practice.

KEY WORDS

​What is a tail or long tail keyword?

Long tail keywords are terms that users use to search for very specific information on a topic or to purchase a product.

What is the main difference between head and tail keywords?

  • Headline keywords: These are popular terms with high search volume and broader or general topical relevance. Although they receive many searches, they are often highly competitive. For example, "mobile phones".
  • Tail keywords: These are more precise phrases that users use to find very specific information or a specific product. Generally, these keywords are longer (between 3 and 5 words, although they can be shorter or longer), have a lower search volume and are usually easier to rank for. An example would be: "best camera mobile phones 2024".

The keywords "trainers" and "trainers" generate approximately 60.5 billion and 33,100 monthly searches, respectively.

On the other hand, our long tail keywords, such as "men's white trainers" and "women's urban dress shoes", although they have fewer searches, 12,100 and 6,600 monthly searches respectively, offer more targeted opportunities and less competition.

Keywords are also ranked by their level of competition. The level of competition is set from 0 to 100. That is, the closer to zero the less competition and the closer to 100 the greater the number of competitors. 

Competition is established by measuring the number of optimised urls competing for a keyword in the SERPs or search results.

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The temptation of general keywords

Many marketers and website owners find it difficult to resist general keywords. For example, ranking in the top spot for "trainers" in Spain could see you competing for a pie of 60,500 monthly visitors, assuming an average click-through rate (CTR) of the first Google result of 27.6%. However, when searching for "trainers" on Google Spain, the results include giants such as:

  • Zalando
  • Footlocker
  • JDSports
  • New Balance
  • Foot District

Fierce competition on general keywords

When you perform a search for "men's running shoes", you will see a very similar set of results. Competing against these established domains can be a monumental task and probably difficult to achieve a sustainable return on investment (ROI).

Long tail keyword opportunity

On the other hand, analysing results for keywords such as "women's urban trainers dress" with a positioning difficulty of 9 and "men's white trainers" with a difficulty index of 34, we can establish achievable medium-term objectives. These searches are more specific, less competitive and with a more segmented audience. This approach can be much more effective in generating qualified traffic and sales.

The estimated monthly search volume for long tail keywords is significantly lower. (Note: in tools such as Semrush Keyword Magic ToolYou can accurately measure the number of monthly searches for a keyword by country).

Lower volume, but higher quality

This means fewer potential visitors for those keywords. However, if you search for "women's urban trainers dress", you will notice that the search results page (SERP) is much less competitive, only 9 difficult, which makes it easier for you to rank.

You should bear in mind that a difficulty index below 30, allows even newly created websites with very little domain authority to compete for the Top 10 results on Google.

Qualified traffic and optimisation for conversions

The most valuable thing about long tail keywords is that they make it much easier to attract qualified traffic. Because they are more specific, these keywords allow you to create pages that are highly optimised for conversions and have more useful content for users.

Thanks to Google algorithms such as Hummingbird y RankBrainFor example, content optimised for a search such as "zapatillas urbanas mujer vestir" will also be relevant for related queries such as "zapatillas urbanas mujer vestir":

  • "urban women's shoes".
  • "women's urban trainers brands".
  • "women's casual shoes".
  • "modern women's trainers".
  • "black women's urban trainers".

Long tail keywords make it easier to rank in less competitive niches, they also significantly improve conversions by attracting users with clear and specific intentions. This makes them an essential element for any SEO strategy effective.

long tail keywords

What is a keyword strategy?

It is about developing a list of relevant words that your audience uses when searching for content in search engines. The main objective is to design a content strategy that attracts users who search according to the listed keywords.

The ideal strategy includes a combination of high-volume terms with high commercial intent, as well as keywords targeted at different stages of the buying cycle. This way, you can attract users at all levels of the conversion funnel and guide them to purchase.

search keywords

​Search volume vs. competition

Although it is tempting to prioritise search volume, it is more effective to balance your strategy between keywords of low volume and low competition vs. main terms with greater difficulty.

This balance allows you to get consistent traffic and build a solid ranking base without relying exclusively on highly competitive keywords.

Strategy beyond On-Page SEO

Your keyword strategy does not need to be limited to the SEO on-page. For example:

  • Brand awareness campaigns: You can use competitive keywords by using guest blogging or outreach campaigns to build links on higher authority sites.
  • High-volume keyword retargetingIf you can rank for high-volume top terms, these can be of great value for campaigns in other marketing channels, such as retargeting.

A well-designed keyword strategy focuses not only on volume, but on a holistic approach that considers the buying cycle, user intent and the balance between competition and relevance. This ensures that you will attract quality traffic that will contribute to the overall success of your business.

Search intent (commercial keywords)

Long-tail keywords tend to attract users with a high probability of conversion. But how do we know this? Google provides many clues about the user's intention when searching online.

Learn how to identify and address the keyword intent is critical to a successful strategy. This includes:

  • InformationalUsers are looking to learn something.
  • NavigationalSearch for a specific page or resource.
  • Transactional / CommercialThey are ready to make a purchase or conversion.

Incorporating keywords relevant to these three types of intent is essential to building a solid strategy.

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Keyword search

The process of finding the right keywords for your website is known as keyword research and is divided into three main steps:

  1. Discovery
    Find search terms relevant to your business, industry, topics and niche. Depending on the size of your website, this list can be extensive.
  2. Refinement
    Filter keywords using indicators such as search volume, competitiveness and search intent. Organise the remaining keywords into categories.
  3. Competitive analysis
    Look at what keywords your main competitors are using. Remember that any site that appears in the search results for your keywords is a competitor, so research those sites as well.

Find the right keywords

At the end of your keyword research, you will have a solid list of terms that people use to search for relevant content for your website. This is crucial to ensure you attract qualified and competitive traffic.

Pro-tip: Follow the keyword research guide by Semrush to refine your strategies and take your SEO to the next level.

Use of Keywords

The use of keywords in SEO is carried out in two main ways:

  1. On-Page Optimisation
  2. Content Planning
list of keywords

Content Planning

Your keyword strategy and your content strategy should be naturally aligned.

Recommended approaches:

  • For new sites: Use your keywords as a basis for generating content ideas. Develop high quality content that covers the topic related to a keyword in depth.
  • Avoid keyword cannibalisation: Make sure that a single page targets several related keywords, rather than creating multiple pages that compete with each other for the same keyword.

Useful tools to improve your content marketing:

  • Mapping of existing content: If you already have a website with content, assign your keywords to existing pages to optimise them and improve their ranking.
  • Planning new content: If you have keywords without relevant pages, use this as a starting point to develop new strategic pieces of content.

Additional advice

  • Create useful and relevant content. This not only improves your SEO positioningbut also better meets the needs of the users.
  • Take advantage of related keywords and synonyms. This helps RankBrain to better identify the general topic of your content and improve your visibility in relevant searches.
search keywords