7 Types of Keywords to Target in Your SEO Campaigns

Search engine optimization (SEO) algorithms are constantly changing. Because of this, SEO is an ever-evolving beast that requires businesses to stay on top of new trends and keyword opportunities.

It’s not an easy task. It takes a lot of time, research, and planning to launch an effective SEO campaign. Many people use link-building services to help master the ins and outs of SEO. 

A successful SEO strategy hinges on correctly using keywords in your website, blog posts, and other online content. Additionally, using high-value keywords in your meta description can help attract more audience and drive more organic traffic to your website. Thus, keywords play a crucial role in your SEO campaigns. 

If you want to boost your website in Google search results, here are seven types of keywords you should target in your SEO campaign.

If you want to boost or optimize your website for Google search results in 2023, here are seven types of keywords you or your SEO team should target in your SEO campaign. Also note that AI is playing a bigger role in search algorithms and keyword intent, so whatever keywords you end up choosing below, they must serve the right intent.

1. Generic Keywords

Determining which keywords you should target can be tricky when starting with SEO. Examining your competitors is one of the best ways to determine which keywords you should use. 

The keywords that represent your business name are what we call “generic keywords.” These are the keywords that your business is known for. For example, if you own a bakery and the business name is “Jane’s Bakery,” the keywords will be “bakery,” “cakes,” “pastries,” and so on.

Generic keywords, although known for being broad, have high volume of searches. As such, they can help provide your website with more traffic and potential conversions each day. 

2. Long-tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are keywords that are more specific to your business. Long tail keywords are great for two reasons: They are less competitive than broad ones. Two, they offer greater conversion rates and click-through rates. For example, let’s say you run an online bakery. One of your generic keywords is “cakes.” 

Now, there are plenty of people searching for “cakes.” Other businesses will be targeting this same keyword,  which will likely be very competitive. On the other hand, targeting a long-tail keyword like “homemade black forest cake” will be easier to rank for.

3. Short-tail Keywords

Short-tail keywords consist of three words or less. Unlike long-tail keywords, they are less effective because they aren’t as specific. But that doesn’t mean they are worthless. 

Most blog posts, including this one, use multiple keywords. They’re crucial for your SEO strategy as they provide high volume to your website, which can help you achieve high search engine rankings. They can allow you to position your website in front of more prospective customers.  

4. Exact Match Keywords 

Exact match keywords are keywords that exactly match your business name, product, or service name. In the past, these types of keywords were seen as very competitive yet worthwhile to pursue. However, with Google’s BERT update in late 2019, the focus has shifted away from exact match keywords to semantic search and natural language. Now, you can’t just throw exact match keywords into your existing content or you may risk over-optimizing your site, which Google may penalize. Instead, the focus should be on creating content that uses natural phrasing relevant to your business while incorporating important keywords through semantic connections. This means weaving in your target keywords in a way that flows naturally within your content rather than forcing in exact matches. The goal is to demonstrate expertise and provide value for searchers rather than gaming the system.

5. Topic-Based Keywords

Topic-based keywords are broad keywords that are related to your products or services but are not specific enough to rank for. Topic-based keywords are great for expanding your SEO campaign. You can incorporate topic-based keywords into your product descriptions. You can also target these keywords by adding them to your subheads.

You can hone in on the people who are most likely to buy from you and learn what they’re looking for when they visit your website. This helps you create compelling and useful content that draws in visitors and keep them coming back.

6. Evergreen Keywords 

Evergreen content never goes out of style. Neither do the keywords in the content. FAQS and how-to guides are the most common type of evergreen content. 

While evergreen content doesn’t age, it’s still a good idea to update it from time to time to ensure its relevancy. 

7. Location Keywords

If you’re a small local business, you’ll be able to target potential customers based on their location. You can also target people planning trips or vacations with keywords that are based on events and holidays. 

For example, if you have a ski shop in Colorado, you can target keywords like “skiing in Colorado,” “Colorado ski resorts,” and “Colorado ski vacation.” This will help you bring in more customers in the winter when skiing is popular.

Location keywords can help search engines understand your website better by narrowing down a general search and providing results near the user’s location. They can also be helpful to small businesses because they provide them with an opportunity to compete with the competitors within their area. In other words, location keywords can help widen your reach among potential local customers, resulting in high rankings on local search engine result pages.

Conclusion

Google and other search engines are constantly changing their algorithms to prevent websites from gaming the system. However, this doesn’t mean that SEO is pointless. Far from it! It just means you need to know what works and what doesn’t to stay ahead of the pack. Therefore, if you want to learn which keywords can work effectively for your SEO campaigns, keep the information mentioned above in mind, and you can get a more favorable outcome.  

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