Keywords are the foundation of any good SEO strategy. By optimizing content around relevant keywords, you can drive more targeted traffic to your site and improve rankings in search results.
However, not all keywords are created equal. Different types of keywords serve different purposes and have varying levels of competition and search volume.
In this post, we’ll break down the main types of keywords you need to know about when developing an SEO keyword strategy. We’ll look at:
- Seed keywords
- Long-tail keywords
- Brand keywords
- Competitor keywords
- Local keywords
- Transactional keywords
- Navigational Keywords
Let’s explore each of these keyword types in more detail.
Seed Keywords
Seed keywords, sometimes called short-tail keywords, are generally two to three words long. They capture the core essence of what a web page or piece of content is about in a condensed form.
For example:
- Digital Marketing
- Weight loss
- Software development
Seed keywords tend to have high search volumes because they are broad and describe popular search intents in a minimal number of words. However, that broadness also means more sites are competing to rank for these high-traffic terms.
That intense competition leads to much higher difficulty rankings for just seed keywords alone. You’ll need very authoritative domains with lots of backlinks to crack the first page for ultra-competitive seed terms.
When To Use Seed Keywords
Despite the difficulty, seed keywords still play an important role in SEO. Here are some cases where you would optimize a page around a seed keyword or phrase:
- When you have an established site and want to go after competitive keywords in your space.
- When creating category and home pages that cover wide topics.
- When targeting buyer keywords that have commercial intent.
- As an addition to long-tail keyword optimization.
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases usually containing 3-7 words.
Some examples:
- Benefits of daily exercise
- Types of digital marketing strategies
- Top software development blogs
The more words in a phrase, the more intent and context are provided. This additional specificity means fewer sites will be targeting the same long-tail terms.
Long-Tail Advantages
Optimizing for long-tail variations of seed terms offers important benefits:
- Less competition: Fewer sites targeting the same keywords leave more opportunities for new entrants to rank.
- Higher conversion rates: People searching for longer, research-oriented phrases are usually further down the sales funnel and closer to a conversion.
- More targeted traffic: Ultra-specific long-tail traffic converts better because you know exactly what users are looking for.
For most sites – especially newer ones – a long-tail-focused approach is the best way to drive consistent organic traffic. Once you build authority and credibility, you can pursue additional seed terms.
Brand Keywords
Brand keywords include your company, product, service, or personal name.
For example:
- Microsoft
- Oreo
- HubSpot
- Marie Kondo
Optimizing for branded terms helps ensure your website, social profiles, and other owned properties appear prominently in search results. This increases brand visibility and awareness.
Brand SERP domination is also key to managing negative SEO attacks. If competitor sites purposefully try to decrease your rankings, owning the first page for your brand name limits the damage.
Brand Keyword Tips
- Include branded anchor text links pointing back to your site from guest articles, partnerships, etc. This signals relevancy and authority.
- Regularly publish high-quality branded content. The more pages targeting your brand terms the better.
- Leverage schema markup like organization and logo markup to stand out in rich snippets.
While typically low competition, brand keywords are vital to monitor and maintain control over.
Competitor Keywords
Analyzing keywords your competitors are already ranking for can unlock massive SEO opportunities.
These missed targets likely have solid search volume but have been overlooked or under-optimized by your own site. By crafting content around these competitor keywords, you can siphon off searches they are attracting.
How To Find Competitor Keywords
- Reverse engineer competitors’ content and highlight keywords powering their organic traffic.
- Plug a competitor’s URL into ahrefs and scan their top-ranking pages for keyword ideas.
- Explore Google autocomplete suggestions when searching your competitor’s brand name and products.
- Check out their paid ads for a snapshot of the keywords they have deemed worthwhile to bid on.
Once you identify a promising competitor keyword, do some Google searches to confirm:
- Search volume and growth trajectories
- Keyword difficulty scores
- Other sites already ranking on page 1
Then build competitor-focused content tailored specifically around beating them on those terms!
Local Keywords
Local SEO is critical for driving foot traffic and bringing in customers from nearby areas. Key to local search rankings are, naturally, local keywords and phrases. These help connect searching users with options near them.
Some examples:
- Pizza Chicago
- Gym Miami
- Plumber Portland
Each of these features a relevant:
- Location: A city, region, zip code or other local area.
- Intent: Some kind of business, product, or service someone may need.
- Connotations of proximity: “Near me”, “closest”, etc.
So when optimizing pages, content, titles, meta descriptions, and other on-page elements for local SEO, be sure to work in geographic and intentional keywords. This signals relevancy to both search engines and users.
Transactional Keywords
Transactional queries are searches with immediate commercial intent or indications that a conversion is imminent. These keywords suggest users are ready to make a purchase now.
Some examples:
- Buy cheap flight tickets
- Huawei phone under $500
- Yoga pants on sale
- Order pizza delivery
Transactional terms explicitly state an intent to exchange money for a product or service. They often include:
- Purchase triggers like “buy”, “order”, etc.
- Specific pricing information and comparisons
- Calls-to-action like “get”, “purchase’, “shop”
eCommerce sites, lead generation pages, and other conversion-focused content should target transactional keywords. This way, you know any organic traffic is already in a customer mindset and more likely to buy.
Navigational Keywords
Navigational queries involve users searching for a specific brand, business, product, or service’s website or homepage specifically.
These keywords help guide searchers to the official domain they are seeking out.
Some examples:
- facebook.com
- pizzahut.com
- iphone.com
Optimizing for navigational keywords reinforces your site as the authoritative destination for your brand. It also nets searches from users already interested enough in your business to seek you out directly.
Key Keyword Takeaways
And there you have it – the main types of keywords that should inform any SEO keyword research and optimization strategy. Here are some key takeaways:
- Prioritize long-tail variations for their lower competition, higher conversion rates, and more targeted traffic. Pursue seed terms once you build more authority.
- Monitor brand keyword performance to limit negative SEO attacks and reinforce your site’s dominance.
- Reverse engineer competitors’ content to find overlooked keyword opportunities attracting an audience.
- Incorporate relevant local and transactional keywords to attract consumers ready to spend money.
- Claim navigational searches by making your official site easy to find.
These keyword optimization tips will steer your SEO strategy toward attracting qualified organic traffic faster and more efficiently. Let me know in the comments if you have any other keyword types to add!
