By
Ryan Boog
Key phrases (or keywords) are the cornerstone of your website. They’re the bread and butter of your SEO plan. Popular tools like Google Adwords rely on keywords to sell customized advertising to interested people who are likely to convert into sales.
Keywords are also your free ticket to an audience for your website content. (Free being you don’t have to pay to utilize keywords in your content… but it does take time and energy to research the right ones, write good content with them, and ultimately be the top search result for them.)
What are key phrases and keywords?
Basically, key phrases are short, simple descriptors that people type into search engines (like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) in order to find information or answer a question about a specific interest or need. For example: «chocolate chip cookie recipe,» «fun things to do in St. Paul, Minnesota,» or «auto repair shop.» As little «summaries» that return information, keywords are also a way to quickly sum up what a business or brand does or offers.
The thing about key phrases is that users create them to fit their search query. These phrases are super important to your search engine optimization (SEO) because they help online users:
- Find your website on the Internet, and
- Quickly understand what your website is all about.
Not only do key phrases help real, live people find your website, but they also broadcast to Google that someone searched your website using a specific term, which helps Google create a profile of your website.
Key phrases and your SEO plan
SEO as a whole is not just limited to just key words – BUT key phrases and words are a HUGE, IMPORTANT piece of your SEO strategy.
Why? Here’s why: the goal of SEO is to spit your website out near the top of the search engine results page (the page that returns a list of results for your online search, a.k.a. SERP) for the search terms your targeted audience is typing in. If your targeted audience see your site pop up on the SERP’s, they will have an easier time:
- Interacting with your website,
- Finding information about your company or business, and
- Learning more about what makes you awesome.
As king of the SERPs you will be visible, accessible, and respected. In return, this means lots of traffic and ultimately, great sales.The reason you want to climb the SERP’s is that people don’t have time to scroll through 100 search results on Google or Bing. Instead, they’ll scan the first page usually, and if they don’t see what they’re looking for, they’ll move on.
But there is no way you can climb the SERP’s and be visible to your target audience if the common search terms your audience is typing in are nowhere to be found on your page.
Where to put key phrases
Tuck them throughout your website content! It shouldn’t be too difficult to weave them in, as these phrases are the main topics and themes of what your business is all about. Websites get in trouble when they try to include phrases awkwardly into content. Example: “Are you looking for a great affordable lawn care service Minneapolis MN?”
Don’t force key phrases into content like trying to fit big feet into small shoes. It will only hurt you and the reader. Our best advice is to be helpful and write normally. Some key phrases (like the above example) are just too hard to incorporate into paragraphs that visitors will read, so don’t try unless you can do it seamlessly.
How do you decide what key phrases or keywords to pick?
Thankfully, you don’t have to guess what people are typing into Google. You can use Google Ads to research what key phrases people commonly search – in every category imaginable – and also see just how many of your competitors are pinpointing the same keywords. Key phrases and words can be anywhere from “low” in competitiveness to “high.” Pick your own battles.
Your key phrases have to be broad enough that lots of people search them frequently so that you’re targeting a real need. Keeping that in mind, some key phrases are way too specific – we call those “long tail key phrases.”
I’ll give you an example. “I accidentally spilled wine on my mom’s tablecloth, what can I use to get it out”.
This is a very specific key phrase that you can select, but you want your key phrases to be specific enough to pinpoint a real, exact need or niche people are looking for. “tablecloth stain remover” might be a more logical selection here.
To sum it up: key phrases are essential to SEO success. Choosing the right ones can mean major traffic and visibility to your prospective customers!
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You’ve probably heard that doing keyword research is an essential, first step in optimizing your website properly. But how about these keywords: can they only be single words or can they also be longer multi-word keyphrases? And what exactly is the difference between the two? In this SEO basics post, we’ll explain the difference between a keyword and a keyphrase.
Keyphrase versus long tail keyword
You’ve probably also heard of long tail keywords and that these are more specific than focus keywords. Most of the time – but not necessarily – they consist of more words. You might wonder what the difference is between long tail keywords and keyphrases? Keyphrases by definition exist of more than one word and they can be either general or specific. Long tail keywords may consist of more words, but they do not always. The main difference between the two is that keyphrases can be general or specific, e.g. [puppy training] or [puppy training for deaf dogs] whilst long tail keywords are always more specific [puppy training location in LA].
A (focus) keyword is a word that describes the content of your page or post best. It’s the search term that you want to rank for with a certain page. So when people search for that keyword in Google or other search engines, they should find that page on your website.
E.g. Your website is about dogs, and you’ve just written a blog post all about puppies. The keyword that describes the content of that post best is probably: “puppy”.
What is a keyphrase?
A (focus) keyphrase is the search term that you most want your post or page to rank for, so when people search for that keyphrase, they should find you.
E.g. Your website is all about dogs, and you’ve just written a blog post all about how puppies can become obedient. The keyphrase that describes the content of the post best is something along the lines of: “puppy obedience training”
What are the differences?
Keywords or keyphrases should both describe the essence of what the post is about. The difference between the two is that keywords are single words, while keyphrases are made up of a few words.
Read more: Keyword research: the ultimate guide »
Iris Guelen is Lead Email Marketing at Yoast. She loves to write and is responsible for all Yoast mailings and Yoast product pages.
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Table of Contents
- What are key phrases in English?
- What does key words and phrases mean?
- How do you identify key phrases?
- Can keywords be more than one word?
- What are key terms in writing?
- What are all the key concepts?
- What are examples of key concepts?
- Why are key terms used in research must be defined clearly?
- What is make a list of useful keywords?
- How should terms be defined?
- What should be included under definition of terms?
- What are the main parts of the definition statement?
- What are the two types of definition of terms in research?
What are keywords? Keywords are ideas and topics that define what your content is about. In terms of SEO, they’re the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines, also called “search queries.” If you boil everything on your page — all the images, video, copy, etc.
What are key phrases in English?
Basically, key phrases are short, simple descriptors that people type into search engines (like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, MSN, etc.) in order to find information or answer a question about a specific interest or need.
What does key words and phrases mean?
Strictly speaking, a keyword means one single word. When the first search engines were launched, they had relatively simple algorithms and many users used single words for their searches. So a key phrase means a set of separate words that build a phrase (so it’s a multi-word search term).27
How do you identify key phrases?
Keywords and phrases can easily be found by scanning . . . Use a thesaurus to identify synonyms. Find pictures related to your topic, then describe the picture. Brainstorm keywords with a librarian, your instructor, or a friend.17
Can keywords be more than one word?
Yes, a keyword can be more than a single word. The name for a keyword that involves more than one word is a long-tail keyword.
What are key terms in writing?
noun. a word that serves as a key, as to the meaning of another word, a sentence, passage, or the like. a significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of a document or other item being indexed, used as the index entry. Digital Technology.
What are all the key concepts?
These key concepts provide a framework for language and literature, informing units of work and helping to organize teaching and learning.
- Communication. Communication is the exchange or transfer of signals, facts, ideas and symbols.
- Connections.
- Creativity.
- Perspective.
What are examples of key concepts?
These range from concepts that refer to simple, concrete things (for example, ‘bunsen burner’, ‘watercolour paint’, ‘basketball’) to those that refer to complex, abstract things (for example, ‘power’, ‘love’, ‘religion’). ‘Key’ concepts are ones judged to be particularly important in a certain context.
Why are key terms used in research must be defined clearly?
These terms should be clearly defined according how they are used in the study in order to make easy understanding of the problem and avoid ambiguous meaning to terms which can be otherwise interpreted in different ways. Make sure to define though common may have special meaning or used differently.18
What is make a list of useful keywords?
Make a List of Useful Keywords. Keep track of the words that are used to describe your topic. This will help you when you are searching in different databases, because not every author uses the same keywords to describe the same topic.8
How should terms be defined?
1) Defined terms and definitions must be used to make the interpretation of a contract easier: they make contract provisions concise; whereas the use of defined terms should at all times reduce any risks of ambiguity. A defined term should not include “(s)”: where defined, a defined term is either singular or plural.
What should be included under definition of terms?
Definition of terms is usually an annex to a work (book, research paper, pamphlet,etc.) either at the beginning or more likely near the end with a list of acronyms, jargon, credits, etc. This is an important part of Research paper or report is that in which the key or important terms in the study are clearly defined.21
What are the main parts of the definition statement?
What are the three parts of a definition statement? All definitions have three parts: term being defined, classification and identifying characteristic(s). In order to learn, understand, and use the definition of a term, it is necessary to identify the three parts of a definition.
What are the two types of definition of terms in research?
Before a concept or construct can be measured, it must be defined. Researchers develop two kinds of definitions: Theoretical Definitions. Operational Definitions.
Definition of a Keyword Phrase
A keyword phrase is two or more words used in search engine optimization (SEO). An example of a
search someone might do using a keyword phrase is: “teal running shoes.” A keyword search, in comparison, is usually only one word (sometimes two) and may read as “shoes.” Advertisers can use keyword phrases to attract a broader audience. By using keyword phrases, and variations of them, advertisers are aiming to get more hits. Users who search those keyword phrases will be taken to exactly what they are looking for.
If you own a business, keyword phrases are important because you will want to come up as one of the top results in search engines. By appearing as a top result, your website has the potential to get more hits and increase the conversion rate.
How do you decide which keyword phrases to use? A good tip when deciding what keyword phrases to use is to pretend you are the searcher. If your website, product, or service, is about how to start a small business, just a few of the keyword phrase possibilities of searches can include:
• “how to start a small business”
• “guide to starting a small business”
• “tips for starting a small business”
If you need more ideas, you can type a keyword phrase into Google or another search engine to see what other search results pop up. There are some keyword phrases that are competitive and therefore harder to rank for, so you might want to use keyword phrases that are very relevant, but low in competition. To find out how keyword phrases rank, you can use an analyzer online. Google Ads Keyword Planner is one of these tools. When using one, you will see the metrics displayed for each keyword phrase.
Once you’ve come up with a list of keyword phrases you want to use, you will want to place them into your website content. Don’t stuff your content with keyword phrases, but place them in spots where they would naturally go. If you use the same words over and over, this becomes obvious to your visitors. Google also penalizes content that is caught keyword stuffing. You can use your keyword phrases as blog post titles and even the title of your web page when appropriate.
Remember to use everyday language that the majority of people are likely to type into the search engine rather than complicated ones that are less often used. Don’t forget to use descriptive words. If you are selling a product with specific colors, include them. If you only sell certain sizes, include those as well. This will help people who are looking for a specific item to find them. Someone looking for a golf shirt in yellow in extra-large will type in something like “extra large golf shirt in yellow.” If you sell this item, chances are your site will be close to the top of the results.
Keyword phrases are a part of your website’s SEO strategy, but as you’ve learned, an important one.
Keyword Phrase Definition Sources:
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When talking about keywords try to understand that there are keywords and key phrases. The technical terms are short and long tail keywords. A long tail keyword is long, includes modifiers and more information, while a short tail keyword is short and often consists of only one word without modifiers.
What Does a Search Engine Do?
When people search for information online they rarely actually put just one word. Most people ask a question or put more than one word called a keyword phrase, or a long tail keyword. Keyword phrases are super important to your SEO plan because they help your audience find you. If you use the phrases that people are searching for your website will show up if you use those same words when someone searches. The search engine’s job is to serve the search engine’s clients with relevant content per their search.
Use Keywords and Keyword Phrases Throughout the Content
Keywords and key phrases should appear throughout your content. They should appear normal though, and not contrived. For example, don’t purposely misspell words just because other people do, and don’t drop keywords in that affect the flow of the content you’ve created. The keywords that you use should fit seamlessly into the content and expand on the meaning of the content too. This can take some thought and planning.
Write Normally
The best thing to do is to write normally. Write how you talk. Don’t try to sound like someone else. You have your own unique voice that your audience wants to hear. Keep the keyword phrases you’ve chosen in mind, but just write normally. Then when you edit the content go back and add the keyword phrases that work best and make most sense without altering the meaning of the content. It’s best not to include any keywords if it makes the content look weird or lose its meaning. Your first job is to write for your audience, not the search engines.
Do Your Research
Before using keywords, you want to use the tools available to you to find out how in demand they are and how many people are searching for this information using these words? If you don’t know that a phrase is in high demand you could be wasting your time adding them to the content. Some good tools to use are Google AdWords Keyword Planner Tool, Moz.com, Spyfu.com, Semrush.com, and others.
Use keywords for titles, alt text for images, headings, subheadings, bullet points and so forth but use keyword phrases sprinkled throughout the content to enhance understanding as well as help search engines find your information. Don’t forget to use synonyms too, but always check with tools to ensure that the keyword or keyword phrase produces results or not. If you don’t check you don’t know.