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26 Types of Keywords in SEO A Markter Should Consider in 2024

Types of Keywords in SEO

Are you tired of getting a higher rank on Google? You are not facing the same issue. SEO can be pretty challenging because of its rapidly changing updates, techniques, and best practices. Stop worrying! I will reveal the magical power of keywords. 

The right keywords can increase online visibility by driving higher website traffic. Are you confused? Do you need help with which one to use in this competitive landscape? I am breaking down the 18 different types of keywords in SEO, which you should not miss. From long-tail to LSI, this blog post will cover all of them.

In this blog post, I will simplify keyword strategy with easy-to-understand tips and descriptions. Picking the right keyword will help your pages rank quickly on search engines. Are you all set to secure a higher rank in search results? Explore more and change your SEO game today!

Boost Your SEO with high-intent keywords at W3 Web School.

Learn more about the keywords and their use in SEO with the Advanced SEO Course in Kolkata!

Table of Contents

What Are SEO Keywords?

keyword SEO

SEO keywords are phrases or words that people usually use to search across search engines to find out more information or relevant content. These SEO keywords help search engines to find your content from the vast content sea of Google. If you select the right keyword for your content, it can help you in securing a suitable and higher rank in search engines. 

Higher ranking attracts more website or page visitors and organic search traffic, leading to higher engagement of potential audiences—types of Keywords in SEO range from single words to complex intent-specific phrases. Easy, simple, and relevant keywords are the most advantageous elements of a successful SEO strategy. 

If you optimize your content using the different types of keywords in SEO for search queries, the chances of brand identification will increase in no time. Don’t waste your time by keyword stuffing; focus more on high-value keywords to get the top position.

What is the Role of Different Types of Keywords in SEO?

Keywords play a vital role in SEO, acting as a prime feature that boosts the success of any SEO strategy. The reasons are highlighted below: 

Improves ranking on Search Engines

Keywords are essential to get a higher rank in search engines. They help search engines to identify your content and tell them what the content is about. Utilizing the most suitable keyword increases the chances of getting appeared on the first page of search engines. If you want to get more traffic on your website, you must secure a higher position over there. 

Boost online visibility

Diverse types of keywords in SEO increase the rate of online traffic and presence. If you want to reach a large number of audience, you must use short-tail keywords. To attract some particular visitors, you need to use prominent trail keywords. Both these SEO keywords help your site to become more visible and attract more potential visitors.

Drive local traffic

One primary keyword, geo-targeted keywords, helps drive more local traffic to your website due to its location-specific phrase. These keywords help local clients find your business, among others. These are usually recommended for local businesses, such as local services, coffee shops, or restaurants. 

Better user experience

Using the right and high-quality SEO keywords offers audiences a streamlined and enjoyable experience. These keywords help people find the content they want in the search engines quickly. 

Builds authority

Diverse types of keywords in SEO help you to develop your site authority. They offer significant information about the brand and answer users’ queries. Your website will become a trusted and well-recognized resource in your relevant field and local area over time. 

Drive more sales

SEO keywords are essential to drive more sales and reach more website visitors. These different types of keywords in SEO grab the attention of visitors who are willing to shop using terms such as “buy now” or “lowest price.” Turn their searches into conversion and sales.

Enhances content relevancy

SEO keywords help different search engines get an idea of your website pages and resonate with users’ search queries. When users click a particular keyword, search engines try their best to show results that are the most accurate and relevant.

Find relevant keywords to boost your SEO at W3 Web School. 

Learn more about the keywords and their usage, and join the best Digital Marketing Course in Kolkata today!

Types of Keywords in SEO

Proper keyword research is fundamental. This can lead to better audience engagement and higher conversions. There are different types of keywords you can apply to your content to get a higher rank on search engine result pages (SERPs): Keywords according to length, targeting, buyer’s intent, match, and more.

3 Types of Keywords in SEO based on Length

Informational keywords

Informational keywords are the heap of words or phrases that users hit to collect information, look for an answer, or learn more about a topic. These types of keywords in SEO have lower competition and lower rates of conversion and it is challenging to get a higher rank in search engines. 

These type of keywords establishes higher content authority and build trust among targeted audiences due to informative content, which helps users educate themselves. Informational keywords introduce users to the business products or services in a unique way of offering the full potential of the business and naturally convert customers towards the next stage of the buyer’s journey. 

For example: “How to make a chocolate cake,” “Best strategies for digital marketing,” and “A simple guide to Facebook Monetisation.”

Navigational keywords

Navigational keywords denote that the user is looking for a specific website to reach. For example, “Instagram Login,” “Twitter Login,” and “SEO tool adda login.” These keyword searches highlight that a user wants to navigate to the login page of Twitter, Instagram, or SEO tool adda. These keywords are generally used while users are in the consideration phase of their purchasing journey.

If a business optimizes its website for these specific keywords, then the user will find the website on top of the search results when hitting the exact navigational keywords. Marketers nowadays see this as a chance for higher conversion and use navigational keywords so that their business pages appear on top of the search engine result pages. 

Commercial keywords

Another different type of keyword in SEO that deals with advertising-related searches is known as commercial keywords. These are the promotional offers, coupon codes, and discounts businesses offer online to grab the attention of potential customers. 

These kinds of keywords are used when a searcher is looking for the product while gathering more information about the product. Some commercial keywords are “Nearby Pet Food Store,” “Belgium chocolate cake price,” “Tibetan takeout near me,” and “smartphones under 15000”. Commercial keywords help users to compare specific search products while stating the exclusive features directly. 

In addition to these, commercial keywords also compare the products of competitors while solving the search queries of users.

Transactional keywords

Transactional keywords are used by users when they are in the conversion phase of the buyer’s journey funnel. These types of keywords are used when a user is just heading toward the product or service they want to buy or sign up for something. These keywords highlight the intent to purchase some products or services from the search engine result pages. 

Some instances of transactional keywords are “Buy Nike Revolution shoe women,” “Buy iPhone 15”, and “Buy Google Pixel 7a”. If you make your webpage fitted for these transactional keywords, you can end up capturing more visitors and conversions. 

Digital marketers nowadays are widely using these high-intent keywords to boost their conversion-focused marketing strategies. In addition to this, transactional keywords are mainly used in various product pages and during PPC campaigns to drive higher conversion and sales.

Local keywords

Local keywords are those that highlight some locations or phrases related to local places, targeting users who are looking for services or products in a specific area. Some examples of the local keywords are “Best cake shops near me,” “Surgeon in Kolkata,” “Best Chinese restaurant in South Delhi,” and more! 

The motto of using local keywords is to reach the users who are looking for services at nearby locations. Local keywords are essential for local businesses that want to capture local clients. These keywords are generally high in intent as audiences are searching for specific local options for their demands or needs. 

Local keywords are widely used in Google My Business listings, local advertising campaigns, and local SEO strategies to target specific local clientele and drive more local traffic to the business.

6 Types of Keywords in SEO Based on Targeting

Market Segment keywords 

Another primary type of SEO keyword is a market segment keyword that is generally used in industries and related areas. Usually, these are broad and very generic, but help target audiences to understand what the businesses or industries are offering. 

Market segment keywords target specific niches within the wider market and are smaller in length than generic keywords. For example, “Meat Cutting Chopping board,” “Recyclable plastic plates,” and “Best birthday cake.”

These keywords in SEO function best for the main pages of the website as they define the products or services of the business. They are pretty challenging to rank yet offer the most extensive potential customer reach. 

Customer identifying keywords 

Customer-identifying keywords refer to the words or phrases that aid businesses in narrowing down the broader search terms to very specific client segments. Businesses are using these types of keywords to reach particular target customers that share standard features such as age, weight, gender, height, income status, work role, and more! 

Some examples of customer-identifying keywords are “Kurtis for Women,” “Books for 13-year-olds”, and “Tees for men.” Customer-identifying keywords highlight your customers’ queries. Usually, these keywords serve as the bridge between your business and the potential customers, giving suggestions that resonate with their demands and purchasing expectations. 

If you target these types of keywords for your business, you can also boost your SEO ranking, offering more suggestions to the search queries of your viewers. 

Competitor keywords 

You might have noticed that your competitors are ranked higher in SERPs due to some specific keywords or phrases, commonly known as competitor keywords. If you succeed in identifying those competitor keywords, you can get business strategies of your competitors, attracting the website traffic and placing the same strategies to yours. 

You will be able to spot the gaps in placing your target keywords and improve your marketing strategy later. Some significant examples of competitor keywords are “Premium Web Development Training Institute,” “Best Science coaching center,” “Most affordable furniture store,” and more! Sometimes, these keywords contain the names of your business competitors or their best products. If you are aware of their offerings, you better target your audiences and boost reach as well as conversion rates. 

Product keywords 

Product keywords are those that contain the brand names of a product. Product keywords come with higher conversion rates as they exactly match your search intent for some specific product or service of a specific brand. When searchers make searches about a particular product keyword, they are at the first stage of making a purchasing decision. 

Some primary product-defining keywords include “Zara red tops,” “Men’s Shoes,” “Laptop for gaming,” “Gucci Bohon bags,” and “Armani Exchange wristwatches for women.” It highlights that a user or customer is enquiring about the bags, wristwatches, and other items that are created by a specific product manufacturer. Product keywords don’t necessarily mention brand names when a user searches for some products. 

Brand Keywords

These types of keywords in SEO mention the name of the specific brand in the keywords when a user searches for a particular product. For example, “Nike Shoes,” “Adidas bags,” and “Apple 15 Pro Phone” are some examples of brand keywords. The aim of using such keywords is to grab the attention of users who are searching for a specific brand. 

Brand keywords are mainly applied to build strong brand loyalty and brand recognition among customers. The search intent of these types of keywords in SEO is relatively higher than product keywords as they offer brand-specific information. 

These keywords are usually used in campaigns that aim at brand marketing and brand reputation management to reach and attract potential customers from a wide range of users who are looking for branded services or products.

Geo-targeting keywords 

These are location-based phrases or keywords that offer advantages to local brands or businesses and help users with their location-based search queries. These keywords spot the search location or the place in which your targeted audiences are interested and make queries. Some Geo-targeting keywords are “Where can I get the best latte in Delhi?”, “Where can I find the best chocolate pastries in Kolkata?”.

Geo-targeting keywords are essential for the SEO of local businesses to use as they want to reach a wide range of users who live in that location. Businesses are capable of targeting a particular area, such as a country, state, or city, placing the geo-targeted keywords. 

5 Types of Keywords in SEO Based on Buyer’s Intent

Informational keywords

Informational keywords are the heap of words or phrases that users hit to collect information, look for an answer or learn more about a topic. These types of keywords in SEO have lower competition and lower rates of conversion and it is challenging to get a higher rank in search engines. 

These type of keywords establishes higher content authority and build trust among targeted audiences due to informative content, which helps users educate themselves. Informational keywords introduce users to the business products or services in a unique way of offering the full potential of the business and naturally convert customers towards the next stage of the buyer’s journey. 

For example: “How to make a chocolate cake”, “Best strategies for digital marketing”, and “A simple guide to Facebook Monetisation.”

Navigational keywords

Navigational keywords denote that the user is looking for a specific website to reach. For example, “Instagram Login”, “Twitter Login”, and “SEO tool adda login”. These keyword searches highlight that a user wants to navigate to the login page of Twitter, Instagram or SEO tool adda. These keywords are generally used while users are in the consideration phase of their purchasing journey.

If a business optimizes its website for these specific keywords, then the user will find the website on top of the search results when hitting the exact navigational keywords. Marketers nowadays see this as a chance for higher conversion and use navigational keywords so that their business pages appear on top of the search engine result pages. 

Commercial keywords

Another different type of keyword in SEO that deals with advertising-related searches is known as commercial keywords. These are the promotional offers, coupon codes, and discounts businesses offer online to grab the attention of potential customers. 

These kinds of keywords are used when a searcher is looking for the product while gathering more information about the product. Some commercial keywords are “Nearby Pet Food Store”, “Belgium chocolate cake price”, “Tibetan takeout near me”, and “smartphones under 15000”. Commercial keywords help users to compare specific search products while stating the exclusive features directly. 

In addition to these, commercial keywords also compare the products of competitors while solving the search queries of users.

Transactional keywords

Transactional keywords are used by users when they are in the conversion phase of the buyer’s journey funnel. These types of keywords are used when a user is just heading towards the product or service they want to buy or sign up for something. These keywords highlight the intent to purchase some products or services from the search engine result pages. 

Some instances of transactional keywords are “Buy Nike Revolution shoe women”, “Buy iPhone 15”, and “Buy Google Pixel 7a”. If you make your webpage fitted for these transactional keywords, you can end up capturing more visitors and conversions. 

Digital marketers nowadays are widely using these high-intent keywords to boost their conversion-focused marketing strategies. In addition to this, transactional keywords are mainly used in various product pages and during PPC campaigns to drive higher conversion and sales.

Local keywords

Local keywords are those that highlight some locations or phrases related to local places, targeting users who are looking for services or products in a specific area. Some examples of the local keywords are “Best cake shops near me”, “Surgeon in Kolkata”, “Best Chinese restaurant in South Delhi”, and more! 

The motto of using local keywords is to reach the users who are looking for services at nearby locations. Local keywords are essential for local businesses that want to capture local clients. These keywords are generally high in intent as audiences are searching for specific local options for their demands or needs. 

Local keywords are widely used in Google My Business listings, local advertising campaigns and local SEO strategies to target specific local clientele and drive more local traffic to the business.

3 Types of Keywords in SEO Based on Role

Primary/ Focus keywords

Primary or focus keywords are those that are the main keywords of a webpage or content for which the page is specially optimized and gets a higher search engine ranking. These keywords highlight the main topic of the webpage or content. 

The primary aim of placing such keywords within the content is to signal the search engines about the content. Primary or focus keywords must be used in the headings, meta title, meta description, and all over the content. In addition to this, it should also be incorporated into the image alt text and URL to boost the SEO score.

For example, if you want to start your own blog post, you must use “best 5 practices of digital marketing” and “Best 10 books on web designing” as your primary or focus keywords. 

Secondary keywords

Secondary keywords are the ones that are highly related to your focus or primary keywords and offer help in highlighting the subtopics. The main motto of using such keywords is to provide support for focus keywords to secure a higher rank for a wide range of relevant keywords. 

Secondary keywords attract more traffic by highlighting different angles of the content. These keywords are added in the subheadings, image alt texts, and body texts and must complement the focus keyword in a natural way. 

If you are making a blog post for a focus keyword, “best laptops 2024”, then you must include “Top-rated laptops” and “latest smartphones” as secondary keywords. 

Semantic keywords

These are semantically related keywords to the focus keywords. These are relatively the same as secondary keywords and offer context primary keywords, although they are typically not similar to the exact synonyms.

The primary purpose of placing such keywords is to help search engines comprehend the exact context of the topic and boost relevancy. Semantic keywords help your content rank higher in the search engines for a range of search queries highlighting the content is relevant and easy to understand. 

Semantic keyword bridges the gap between focus and primary keywords. For example: if you are making a blog post for the primary keyword “best laptops 2024”, you must take “laptop software,” “Laptop trends,” “Laptop Antivirus,” and “battery backup in Laptops” as semantic keywords.

3 Types of Keywords in SEO Based on Match

Exact match keywords

These are the keywords that trigger the ads when a user hits the exact keywords or the nearest variation of those keywords. Exact match keywords might restrict the audience reach but offer the highest relevance as compared to broader match phrases. 

Some exact match keywords are “shoes for boys,” for which the ads are triggered by only exact keywords “Shoe boys” and “boys shoes.” These keywords ensure that the ads appear only when a user searches for shoes for boys. The content will only rank when someone hits the exact phrases on the search engines. 

You need to do specific audience targeting leading to higher ad ranking and relevancy to get better retes of conversion.

Broad match keywords

These types of keywords do not match the focus keywords exactly. Broad match keywords enable your page to rank for searches that are loosely related to your keywords, covering misspelled words, synonyms, and relevant searches. 

If “Buy Cricket bat” is your focus keyword to rank on SERPs, then you also can rank for the broad match keywords “best cricket bats to purchase” or even “buy tennis racket.” These are different variations or extended versions of your focus keyword.

These keywords offer you the chance to gain higher traffic and online presence. You can measure your marketing strategy and track the performance of keywords for higher traffic, conversion, and context relevancy. 

Phrase match keywords

These keywords fall between the categories of exact match keywords and broad match ones. Phrase match keywords enable you some freedom in using some targeted keywords but not that much flexibility like the broad match ones. 

For example, if users are searching for the phrase match keyword “Men’s white T-shirts,” your web page can appear on top in the search engine result pages for the keywords “best men’s white T-shirts” or “Men’s white T-shirts on sale,” But your web page will not appear if the user hits the Phrase match keywords like “T-shirts for Men.”

Phrase-match keywords usually maintain a balance between context relevancy, precision, and targeted reach.

Some other Types of Keywords in SEO

Seed Keywords

Seed keywords are those phrases that build the foundation of keyword research and highlight the content of a website or brand. These are usually known as primary or focus keywords and contain one to two words addressing the prime offerings of your website or business. Some examples of seed keywords are “Shoes,” “Bags,” “Marketing,” and “Strategies.” 

You can find seed keywords by investing in the keywords of competitors and website navigation menus. These keywords pave the stone for finding the long-tail and mid-tail keywords. Also, seed keywords help in understanding the latest search trends. These types of keywords in SEO are generally general and broad. 

Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are those that are not included in a PPC campaign to limit adverts from being displayed for irrelevant keywords and searches. For a luxury watch brand, “most affordable,” “free,” and “cheap” are considered negative keywords. This means if a potential user hits one of these negative keywords, there might be a possibility that your webpage might not appear at the top of the search results.

The aim of using such negative keywords is to guarantee that ads are not provoked by unrelated or non-concessional search phrases. It also boosts the campaign performance and quality score, enhances the CTR, and saves on the ad spending budget. Negative keywords limit over-execution, limiting the effect on organic user searches.

Niche Keywords

If you want to target a particular segment of the market, then niche keywords are for you. The main aim of using these keywords is to capture the attention of audiences with particular demands, mostly with higher rates of conversion and lower competition. 

Some instances of niche keywords are “eco-friendly bed sheets,” “handmade paper bags,” and “vegan keto sandwiches.” These niche keywords are widely used in SEO, PPC, and content marketing campaigns to reach a large number of potential customers. 

Niche keywords are high-intent keywords, and users are looking for very specific products or services or any information that resonates with these types of SEO keywords.

Long-term Evergreen Keywords

Some of the keyword types remain popular and are mainly used over long periods of time, and they are commonly known as long-term evergreen keywords. The search volume and context relevancy usually stay the same. 

In addition to this, evergreen keywords do not need to be updated regularly; once-a-year modification is enough. The fluctuation of search volume doesn’t impact these keywords as they remain there for a longer time for longer relevance.

Examples of such evergreen keywords are “How to make a cake,” “Tips for writing a cover letter,” “How to lose weight in 7 days”, and “Understanding Bitcoins.” In some cases, these evergreen keywords link your robust content to another highly relevant webpage on your website.

Seasonal Keywords

These types of keywords are those that simply gain popularity and have increased rates of searches at a specific time of the year. For example, if you are selling cakes for X-mas, your seasonal keywords might be like “X-mas cakes,” “special X-mas cakes,” “Live X-mas cakes,” etc. 

Customers looking for these seasonal keywords are more likely to want to buy X-mas cake, so if you are successful in getting ranked for those seasonal keywords, you can end up with huge organic website traffic and conversions. 

One significant benefit of these seasonal keywords is they are for a limited time period, so you need to identify the right time to apply your marketing strategy and gain success. It also makes your SEO strategy more targeted and highly effective.

Voice Search Keywords

These are the phrases or keywords specially optimized for voice search queries, which are usually longer than other keywords. Along with this, voice search keywords help in retaining more conversion rates if you compare them with normal text-based searches. 

Some examples of voice search keywords include “What is the weather today?”, “find me a nearby cake shop,” “How do I make delicious pasta?”. The major aim of using these keywords is to reach users who are looking for a voice-activated assistant voice-activated assistant, such as Alexa and Siri to conduct searches.

Wrapping Up,

An effective keyword strategy that covers a range of SEO keywords helps a website get a higher search engine ranking with higher organic traffic and online visibility. These are the different types of keywords in SEO that should commence with keyword research. This journey helps you boost your website’s SEO and increase your reach & conversion rates. By using the superpower of different types of keywords in SEO, marketing professionals can optimize their content to match with a wider audience in this rapidly changing domain of searches.

In this learning towards SEO success, you can learn more about various keywords from the expert mentors of W3 Web School through their advanced digital marketing course.