SEO strategy because they help Google know what your content is about and identify.
Keywords can be divided into three groups based on different criteria: according to their search intention, according to their composition and according to their match type.
Regardless of their type, all keywords are important in an SEO strategy because they help Google know what your content is about and identify it with the user’s search intention. In short, keywords are one factor that search engines consider when ranking content in the SERP.
In this article, we delve into the different types of keywords so that you know how to differentiate them, and we analyze how to use them in your SEO strategy to achieve the best possible positioning.
Types of keywords according to search intent
Search intention is the objective with which the user searches on the Internet. According to this, we can find the following keywords.
Informative
An informative keyword is one that users use when they ask a question to receive specific information about something specific or general, but without having a purchase intention.
Navigational
The navigational keyword is one that users enter in the search engine, containing the name of a brand. Normally, users who use a navigational keyword aim to join the company’s website. A clear example is entering names like Nike, Zara or Seat in the search engine.
Commercial
They are the keywords that have a clear commercial intention. Users enter it in the search engine when they want to buy something.
In this case, the user already knows the product but wants to research it before purchasing it.
Transactional
They are very similar to commercial keywords, but the user has a greater purchase intention in this case. “Second-hand cars for sale” or “Nearest Italian restaurants” are a good example of transactional keywords.
You can differentiate them from the previous ones because they usually contain words like “buy”, “on-sale”, and “reduction-sale subscription”.
Types of keywords according to their composition
On the other hand, a keyword can be generic and made up of one or a few words, or it can be more specific and made up of several words. According to these criteria, we can distinguish the following types of keywords.
Keywords “short tail”
They are also called short-tail or generic keywords and do not contain many words in their composition. An example could be “Jammu hotels” or “health insurance.”
They are very broad keywords and usually have more results than the following ones, so there is greater competition to position them.
Long tail keywords
Long tails are keywords with three or more words in their composition; therefore, when using them, the user makes their search more specific, leaving more pages out of the results than in the previous case.
Types of keywords according to their agreement
In this case, this distinction is only useful when publishing ads in Google Ads. In fact, not considering this typology is one of the most common mistakes when designing ads on the platform.
Keyword match is the competition between a user’s query and a keyword. Depending on the degree of agreement chosen when designing the ad, an advertisement will be shown on some occasions or others.
You will understand everything better if you still have doubts because it is a more complex classification than the previous ones when we explain the different types of agreement.
Broad match
Suppose when designing an ad, we choose the broad match option. In that case, the advertising will be displayed when the user’s query includes the established keyword and any variations, synonyms or plurals. Therefore, they usually have many search results and a lot of competition.
For example, suppose you chose the keyword “kitchen tables” with this match. Your ad will also show when the user searches for “white marble kitchen table” or “kitchen tables 2 meters long.”
Phrase Match
In this case, your ad will only be shown to users who have entered a keyword that includes the same words and in the same order as you when choosing the keyword.
It is similar to broad agreement but is a little more restrictive, as it does not allow synonyms, plurals, or changes in word order.
Exact match
In this case, your ad will only be shown to the user who has entered the keyword for which you want to position your advertising in the search engine.
Negative match
When designing an ad on Google, you can choose the keywords for which you do not want your pages to appear because you consider that whoever searches for them will not be interested in your product.
For example, imagine you sell suits but don’t want users interested in “diver suits” or “diving suits” to reach your page. Well, these would be your chosen negative keywords.
How to use each type of keyword in your SEO strategy
Informative: Using them to attract potential clients who are still in the broadest part of the sales funnel is interesting.
Navigational: Ideal for already-known brands that want to continue maintaining their organic traffic.
Commercials: These usually work well in review articles or comparing different products.
Transactional: In this case, they are very interested in an SEO strategy that aims to get potential clients in the narrowest part of the sales funnel to finally convert. They are very interested in paid ads, on product pages and for physical stores.
Broad match and short tail: Also very interesting for potential clients still in the wide part of the funnel.
The exact match, per phrase and long tail, is perfect for reaching a specific audience.
Negative match: Including them for ads when you do not want to receive traffic from specific users is interesting.
Also Read: What is Search Engine Optimization?
