A money keyword, according to reports from SEO practice, is a search term that is closely tied to a purchase intent, so ranking for it promises revenue rather than just visits. The term has no formal definition and is used loosely in SEO and advertising.
What counts as a money keyword?
Sources describe the same idea: people searching for such terms are close to buying. Typical cases are transactional terms like “buy running shoes online” and comparison terms like “best laptops”, which a German glossary lists as the two types. According to reports, these terms are valuable to many advertisers, so they tend to be competitive and, in paid search, expensive.
Why the label needs care
A keyword is only a money keyword for a specific business. SpyFu makes this point: the search term must match both the audience’s need and the way the business earns money, whether through sales, memberships, or affiliate links. Volume, difficulty and cost per click alone can mislead. Checking the search results page shows whether the intent fits your offer.
Example
For an online shop selling coffee machines:
| Keyword | Intent | Money keyword? |
|---|---|---|
| buy coffee machine | transactional | yes |
| best coffee machine under 200 | commercial investigation | usually |
| how does a coffee machine work | informational | rarely |
The examples are invented.
Sources
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