What Are Keywords? 9 Types of Keywords

Neil Patel says keywords are like “the seeds of a tree. If you plant and nurture them carefully, they’ll bring you rich harvests of traffic and conversions.” And he’s right, because that’s absolutely true.

A keyword brought you to this blog article today. The same is true for your potential clients who use search engines daily to find certain information or specific types of content.

Basically, if you’re wondering what keywords are, here’s the deal: they are the bridge between a potential customer and your website. The better you identify and use the right keywords, the higher your site or blog will rank in search results—which means: more traffic, visibility, or sales (depending on your business type).

In this article, you’ll learn exactly what keywords are in SEO and SEM, and how many types there are—so you’ll know how to position yourself based on user intent/need, attract relevant website traffic, and climb into Google’s top results.

Keywords in SEO and SEM Campaigns

Any term used in a search engine (a single word or a full phrase) is considered a keyword. Therefore, keywords are especially important in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing, or PPC – Pay Per Click) campaigns. What’s the difference between the two?

In search engine optimization (SEO), keywords are integrated into your website’s text content to help you rank at the top of Google results. The real challenge is finding relevant keywords for your business that have enough searches in Google. Why? Because competitors are also bidding on those same keywords, so you have to find the most suitable option for you, based on your product range and available opportunities.

Proper SEO optimization brings you relevant traffic and top rankings—organically, without paying for ads, and for a long period of time.

On the other hand, when it comes to SEM or PPC, you need an advertising budget. That means investing in ads. How does it work? Every time a user makes a Google search on a keyword you set for your ad, they see a personalized ad at the top (or bottom) of the page, above organic results. In this case, you’ll pay every time someone clicks your ad. The more your Google Ads contain keywords relevant to your target audience, the higher your ad will appear in Google’s results. So it’s not enough to have a huge ad budget—you need to really know your audience and do thorough keyword research, especially if you don’t have a big promotion budget. Your competitors are often bidding for the same keywords and sometimes spend much more (especially big companies).

If you have an ads budget, is SEO still worth it?

Yes, yes, and yes. SEO brings you relevant, free, and steady traffic. If you run Google Ads and your ad is first in the results, the moment you stop ads, you can say goodbye to the top spot. What’s more, if you have an SEO-optimized site and run ads, your cost-per-click will drop significantly. No matter your marketing strategy, SEO should be a priority.

Types of Keywords With Examples

When a user goes to Google and types a keyword in the search bar, they’ve already decided they need a certain product or information. They’re ready to buy or read, depending on the case. In that moment, your website can be just a click away from what your potential client wants—if it’s SEO optimized.

That’s why keywords are part of your site’s foundation, guiding users to your pages. It doesn’t mean every visitor will convert; that depends on many other factors (relevance and value of information, page design, load speed, etc.), but at least with the right keywords you’ll be “visible” online. Otherwise, you could have the best products, prices, and design—but if no one finds you, it’s like you don’t exist.

Now that you understand what keywords are and how important they are for attracting organic, relevant traffic, you’re probably wondering how to pick or find the right keywords for your business.

Well, to identify the right ones that actually add value for your SEO, you need to know there are 9 types of keywords, based on the intent with which a user makes a Google search.

It’s very important to understand each keyword type, so you’ll know what and how to search—and how to properly integrate them into your SEO strategy.

Let’s go through each one:

1. Short-Tail

Short-tail keywords are short words, also known as “head-terms.” Basically, a general search term containing usually 1–3 words, covering a broad topic. This type of keyword usually has a high search volume, which means it brings more visitors but is also highly competitive. To be relevant for Google or keep up with the competition using short keywords, you need a wide range of products. They’re not suitable if you only sell a few products, lack Google authority, or don’t have a strong backlink profile. Still, they’re essential for research, helping you discover many more keyword opportunities for your business.

Some examples of short-tail keywords: women’s shoes, sports shoes, women’s pumps, women’s clothing, occasion dresses, men’s clothing, women’s coats, olive oil.

2. Long-Tail

Long-tail keywords are basically phrases with more than three words. These are usually much more specific than general search terms and reflect how people actually search. From an SEO perspective, you should leverage long-tail keywords as they are less competitive and—if you know your target audience well and create useful content—you’ll rank higher in Google more easily. Even though they get less search traffic than short-tail keywords, they’re more targeted and have a higher conversion rate.

Examples of long-tail keywords: women’s shoes size 35, waterproof running sports shoes, elegant women’s pumps with block heel, plus size women’s clothing Bulgaria, cheap plus size occasion dresses, men’s casual summer clothes, elegant black women’s coats, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil Greece.

And to make it clear how much long-tail keywords can help, here’s a more concrete example:

If, for example, you have an online store selling women’s shoes, a great opportunity could be to target the keyword: cheap size 35 pumps.

Why? It’s simple! How many sites do SEO for this keyword? Very few, because they prefer targeting keywords with a much higher search volume. Now you might say—isn’t that the point? No, because you need to find those specific keywords that can bring relevant visitors, are easier to convert, and have little competition. Otherwise, you’ll “fight” big chains (eMag, ePantofi, Dasha, etc.) with huge marketing budgets and a wide product range.

But if you do SEO on a very specific keyword like “cheap size 35 pumps,” Google will show your site to a potential client searching for size 35 at a good price—because you’re relevant and solving the user’s need, which is exactly what Google wants. Plus, you’ll have a better chance of making a sale.

Imagine how many women wear size 35 and end up on shoe sites that don’t even have that size… Plenty. What if they found your site and you gave them exactly what they need? That’s spot on.

If you keep doing SEO for a general (short-tail) keyword, the search engine won’t know what to show your potential client, and results will depend on search history, location, behavior, etc. What you’re doing is letting Google decide for you—not what you want. You want to redirect relevant, converting traffic to your site that (I keep repeating this because it’s so important) answers your client’s need. If competition is high for a general keyword, you might not even show up in the results.

So, find those unexplored opportunities—they can be extremely valuable and bring you real results.

3. Short-Term Fresh

Short-term fresh keywords are short or long words referring to something that recently happened and is trending online (major events, viral news about certain people or topics) or that gets a seasonal viral spike. Knowing trending keywords at a given time not only brings huge traffic but also keeps your website content fresh. These have moderate competition and explosive search volumes while viral/in season—but then things return to normal.

Examples of short-term fresh keywords: presidential elections, chatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI), Black Friday 2023, Halloween, Avatar, Valentine’s Day, March 8.

4. Long-Term Evergreen

Long-term evergreen keywords are always-relevant, ongoing topics of interest to your audience. You can create blog articles and in-depth guides based on these, bringing steady, quality traffic. Evergreen content never expires and holds its value long-term. Some great evergreen content: FAQs, “how-to” guides, tutorials, testimonials, useful resources for your industry, glossaries, etc.

Some concrete examples: how to make money online or offline, how to lose weight fast, how to quit smoking, how to make a YouTube business page, how to run Facebook ads step-by-step, how to grow website traffic.

5. Product Defining

Product-defining keywords are those that best describe the product you sell or the service you offer. They’re highly specific and have a high conversion rate, even if search volume isn’t huge. Why? When someone searches for a specific product, service, or info in Google, their purchase intent (or at least need) is very high. That client knows exactly what they want and isn’t interested in anything else. SEO-wise, this is a big opportunity for both attracting traffic and increasing your conversion rate.

Examples of product-defining keywords:

• Lenovo Legion 5 Pro 16ACH6H Gaming Laptop
• Elegant black women’s pumps with block heel, sequins, and zipper
• Round-trip plane ticket Bucharest–Rome, February 5–10, 2023
• Alb Creta Perlat W908 ST2-18 mm melamine chipboard
• Advanced Genifique Light Pearl Hydrating Eye & Lash Serum
• Bosch MUM54251 900 W kitchen robot, GOODYEAR UG8 FP 205/55R16 91T winter tire.

6. Customer Defining

Customer-defining keywords are search terms used by clients looking for items in a specific niche. To identify them, you need to really understand your client: interests, buying behavior, passions, hobbies. Keep in mind: these keywords usually have low search volume.

Some examples for a photography-related business: photography enthusiast, brands preferred by professional photographers, photo paintings, photo puzzle.

7. Geo-Targeting

Geo-targeting keywords are local keywords for targeting a specific area (county, district, city, country) where your business or database clients are. Using these keywords is one of the best marketing strategies for local businesses (beauty salon, restaurant, store, dental office, auto repair shop, etc.) and brings relevant site traffic and high conversions.

Examples: lawyer Brasov, dentist sector 3, café Brasov, accounting services Bucharest sector 3, car wash Iasi, furniture store Bacau, Lebanese restaurant sector 1, hairdresser Galati.

8. LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing)

LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords are words or terms conceptually and semantically related to your target keyword. Google sees them as the same thing and shows the same content for different keywords. Optimizing your website text using LSI keywords helps Google better understand your page, since semantic indexing identifies patterns in the relationships between terms and concepts. The more relevant you are, the higher your site will rank—since relevance is a top ranking factor in search engines. This means relevant traffic and much higher conversion chances.

Some examples of LSI keywords if your page’s main keyword is, for instance, credit cards: money, credit score, credit limit, interest rate.

9. Intent Targeting

Intent targeting keywords are those words, queries, or terms used by potential clients in search engines when they have a specific goal or reason (need) for searching.

The need for a service, product, or information usually means an action—i.e., a transaction. Which is what we all want, right? This is also Google’s #1 objective: satisfying search intent, returning a result that meets the user’s need. If you don’t meet the user’s need, you won’t rise in Google rankings. It’s that simple.

The most common search intents include:

• Informational keywords used when an online user seeks more info about a product, service, or guide—wanting to learn more. These are a significant portion of Google searches, so if you want visibility, definitely don’t ignore them. Examples: challenge traffic ticket, dry/cracked hands, what is SEO, why is my laptop buzzing, PFA or SRL, men’s haircuts 2023;
• Transactional keywords used when a user wants to buy certain products. Transactional keywords help you boost your conversion rate, so don’t ignore them. Examples: lawyer traffic ticket contestation, hand cream for dry/cracked hands, SEO agency price, cheap laptops, accounting services, hair stylist;
• Local intent keywords, used when a user seeks content relevant to a geographic area, e.g.: lawyer for traffic ticket contestation Brasov, SEO agency Brasov, laptop repair Brasov, accounting Bucharest, hair stylist Bucharest;
• Navigational keywords, used when a user searches with the intention to reach a particular page. Examples: lawyer Doru Botea, hand cream Notino (or eMag), SEO agency Marweb, laptop Emag, Roxintel blog, hair stylist Stailer.

Informational	Transactional	Local Intent (Geo-Targeting)	Navigational
Challenge Traffic Ticket	Lawyer for Traffic Ticket Challenge	Lawyer for Traffic Ticket Challenge Brașov	Lawyer Doru Botea
Dry and Cracked Hands	Cream for Dry and Cracked Hands	-	Notino Hand Cream (eMag)
What is SEO	SEO Agency Price	SEO Agency Brașov	SEO Agency Marweb
Why is My Laptop Buzzing	Cheap Laptops	Laptop Repairs Brașov	Emag Laptop

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So, if you want to rank higher, intent targeting keywords should be your main marketing strategy objective—especially for your content strategy. Why? These types of keywords are actually the steps (the journey) a client goes through before buying from you.

Your content must be tailored to your client’s stage and respond to their needs. When they’re researching a topic, product, or service, you need to make sure you have valuable and relevant content. When they’re ready to buy, your pages must be optimized and targeted for relevant keywords if you want to be one step closer to a sale. If your business is local, make sure you’re always “in your client’s path”—literally and figuratively. And finally, when your brand is already in their mind, help them get to your pages quickly and be just a click away from meeting their need.

No matter what query your potential client is making, you must be the answer and solution to what they’re searching for at that moment, even if they’re not ready to buy.

Focus on offering value and sales will follow as a consequence.

In conclusion, keywords are essential in both SEO and SEM if you want to optimize your site for search engines and run effective marketing campaigns. Keep these 9 types of keywords in mind and pick those that are relevant for your business—based on your marketing goals and, of course, on what your clients are searching for. The more clarity you gain about what keywords are, the different types, and how to use them to your advantage, the more you’ll attract relevant traffic and boost your sales.

I hope this article was helpful and that you’ll keep working on identifying those keywords that can really help you rank higher in search engines. Good luck!

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