In SEO, a keyword is a word or phrase that people type into a search engine and that a page is meant to be found for. A keyword can be a single word or several. The term also has other meanings, for example in programming and in literature; this entry covers the search meaning.
Keyword, query and focus keyword
A query is what a person actually types. A keyword groups similar queries and spellings into one target, for example “xml sitemap tutorial” with its variants. The focus keyword is the main keyword a single page is written for. Search Console shows real queries in the Performance report under the Queries dimension, which groups data by the search query users typed.
Modern search no longer needs an exact phrase match. Semrush notes that search engines have not worked on exact match for some time, so a keyword is better read as a signal for a topic and an intent.
Types of keywords
- By length: short-tail keywords are broad and frequently searched, long-tail keywords are longer, rarer and more specific.
- By intent: informational, navigational, commercial and transactional.
- By reference: brand keywords contain a company or product name, money keywords sit close to a purchase.
These categories follow common usage among SEOs, and Google does not define the term.
Which metrics belong to a keyword?
Search volume estimates monthly demand. Google’s Keyword Planner reports average monthly searches, by default over twelve months. Keyword difficulty estimates how hard it is to rank, and search intent describes what the searcher wants. All of these values are tool estimates and differ between providers.
Example
For a page about canonical tags, the focus keyword could be “canonical tag”. “How to set a canonical tag” is a long-tail variant, and “rel canonical” is a synonym.
Meta keywords
The HTML keywords meta tag has nothing to do with keywords in the SEO sense; see the entry on meta keywords.
Sources
- Performance report (Search results) – Search Console Helpsupport.google.com
- Average monthly searches in Keyword Planner – Google Ads Helpsupport.google.com
- What Are Keywords in SEO – Semrushsemrush.com
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