What is a keyword?

You might be reading the term “keywords” and already planning to shut it out of your mind, but stay a while and read on. Keywords can be confusing, and many business owners prefer to leave them entirely in the hands of their SEO experts. While this is of course the right thing to do, because they can get confusing, it’s still a good idea to have a general understanding of what they are.

If you’re still reading, I’m going to take some of the mystery out of keywords for you.

What is a keyword?

Put simply, a keyword is a word or term that people will use when searching for something online. For example, maybe somebody is a huge fan of cats in costumes, so they take to Google and type in “Halloween costumes for cats.”

Why are keywords important?

Keywords are important because they instantly provide a link between what a customer is searching for, and your product or service. They help search engines to know what your content is all about and help to connect that content with your intended audience.

How do I know which keywords to use?

For this one, you’ll need to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes. What would they type into Google when looking for a product or service you offer? Think about the words or phrases they would use when searching for something that solves their problem.

How many keywords do you need?

This can depend on what you’re providing to your customers or clients, and the size of your website. For a single page, you’ll generally have one main keyword, and likely a handful of related keywords.

How many keywords per page?

Generally, a page will have one main keyword, as we talked about in the previous point, but depending on your content, what you offer to your audience, and what you want to focus on, there can also be a number of sub-keywords.

How do I track keywords / rankings?

There are various methods of tracking your keywords with helpful rank-checking tools, such as SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz Pro, and Serpfox.