What Is a Keyword?

A keyword is a word that serves as a key to the meaning of another word, sentence, or passage. We can also refer to a word or phrase as the keyword when we want to accentuate how important it is.

Another definition refers to a keyword as a significant word from a title or document used particularly as an index to content.

What are keywords in SEO?

In terms of search engines, a keyword basically means any search term entered on a search engine (like Google, for example) that has a results page where various websites are listed. These keywords are search terms used by SEO specialists to optimize a website in order to rank at the top of Google’s results for specific keywords.

Moreover, keywords are search terms that a website owner or SEO professional will use to optimize a website in the hopes of ranking at the top of Google’s results. In fact, every word or phrase that is searched on a search engine is considered a keyword.

Why are keywords important for SEO?

As someone who owns a website, it’s important to have on your page keywords that are relevant to what people are searching for, so they’ll have a higher chance of finding your website among the other results.

Therefore, when your website is properly optimized and is listed at the top of the results for a search, that keyword can be seen as a free source that brings traffic to your website.

Keywords are essential because they can also be targeted with marketing. If there is a marketing budget available for you, then you can place pay-per-click (PPC) ads on specific keywords through Google Ads.

Short-tail vs long-tail keywords

There are two types of keywords: short-tail keywords and long-tail keywords. A short-tail keyword contains one to three words, while a long-tail keyword has more than three words.

It’s worth knowing that longer-tail keywords are generally less expensive, but they are also less competitive (there is a lower volume of searches).