17 Types of Keywords in SEO to Create Your SEO Strategy

In the world of SEO, keywords represent what users are searching for and how they discover information, products, or services. But do you know that different types of SEO keywords help achieve different business marketing goals?

A lot of entrepreneurs, especially those who just stepped into the SEO realm, have no idea what cluster of keywords they should use to optimize their web content to get found by their audience; and drive conversions and sales for their businesses. We have decided to help them out!

In this blog, Upreports – a leading digital marketing agency in India – will share a list of 17 different types of keywords and how you can apply them in your marketing strategy.

Types of Keywords in SEO

Here are different types of SEO keywords you can leverage in your marketing strategy:

#1 Market segment keywords

Let’s say you want to buy leather shoes for yourself. You’ll type and search for “leather shoes” on Google, right? Keywords that apply either to one industry or its verticals (category, items, and services) are called market segment keywords. Known to be generic and broad in nature, these are challenging to rank for but have a large potential reach.

#2 Customer-defining keywords

We bet you already guessed what type of keywords these are by the name. For those who haven’t, customer-defining keywords involve the use of phrases or descriptive words that help a business narrow down the search term to a specific target audience.

To be precise, entrepreneurs use customer-defining keywords to reach an audience that shares common characteristics like age, gender, weight, height, etc. “Jeans for men” or “boots for women” are examples of this category.

#3 Product-defining keywords

Product-defining keywords, as the name suggests, are used by customers to show products or services offered by an individual on search engines. Buyers use this type of keyword when they are in the early stage of making a purchase. Louis Vuitton handbag, for instance. It demonstrates that a user is searching for handbags made by a certain manufacturer.

#4 Product keywords

Some entrepreneurs usually get confused between product-defining and product keywords. Unlike the former, these keywords are used by internet users to directly refer to services or products offered by a business. Let’s say customers have searched for Louis Vuitton Coussin BB handbags. This keyword reveals that they are looking for a specific type of handbag offered by the brand.

#5 Competitor keywords

Competitor keywords are those types of keywords that comprise the brand name of your competitors. Basically, the ones your business rivals use in their online marketing strategy to get high search rankings. Now you must be thinking, “How exactly will these help me?” Competitor keywords will assist you in figuring out what keywords are doing wonders for rivals and create opportunities to curate brand-new content to boost your search rankings.

#6 Long-tail keywords

These keywords are usually the lengthiest search keywords used to target a specific audience or topic. Some good examples of long-tail keywords are, “Best affordable digital marketing agency in Chandigarh” and “Amazing restaurants in New York for vegetarians.” Most entrepreneurs ignore these types of SEO phrases because they are low-competing. Also, they have limited traffic.

What they don’t know is that long-tail keywords are easier to rank and have higher conversion rates than other types of keywords.

#7 Short-tail keywords

Now unlike long-tail keywords, short-tail keywords are brief and comprise two to three words or phrases. They are often the words that come to mind when considering any subject, product, or service. For example, the best smartphones and top restaurants. Short-tail keywords are also broad search terms that lead to tons of search traffic.

However, getting conversions while using these types of keywords is usually difficult because search intent can be ambiguous.

#8 Medium-tail keywords

We believe you have already guessed about this SEO keyword type by its name. Medium-tail keywords typically rank less competitively than broad search terms (short-tail search terms) because they are more descriptive. They are usually three to four words. Meaning, they are neither long nor short. Also, medium-tail keywords have higher conversion rates.

Dogs that can swim and digital marketing strategies are some perfect medium-tail keyword examples.

#9 Intent targeting keywords

One of the most important keyword types in SEO every entrepreneur should know about! Intent-targeting keywords are used to match the search intent of users. These are crucial aspects of PPC campaigns. With the help of intent-targeting keywords, businesses can drive more website traffic, build more leads, and draw audiences they are targeting.

#10 LSI keywords

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are conceptual terms utilized by search engines for comprehending your business content. Don’t get it? Let’s say you wrote a post on “Benefits of using Google Pixel 6A.” Now you know your article is about the benefits of using Google Pixel 6A. However, search engines don’t know what exactly that thing is.

LSI keywords will tell search engines that your post is about a mobile phone. It will help your content get discovered as a smartphone-related article. These keywords can also separate your business content from the world

#11 Phrase match keywords

The next type of keywords in our list is mostly used to show PPC ads within a search engine’s search parameter. We are talking about none other than phrase-match keywords! These are terms or phrases used in online advertisements that include the exact keywords along with other words in the search query.

Phrase-match keywords allow businesses to show their website content for search queries. For instance, a PPC ad that targets the keyword “best digital marketing agency” may also appear for search queries like “top digital marketing services providers” and “digital marketing agency reviews.”

#12 Partial match keywords

As the name suggests, partial match keywords are phrases that match a small portion of the keywords you are optimizing for PPC ads. For example, an advertisement that pops up for “SEO keyword research tool” may also appear for “keyword research tool” and “SEO research tools.”

#13 Exact match keywords

Exact match keywords, also known as short-tail keywords, are often used by marketers to target specific audiences through advertising on search engines. When a user searches for a specific phrase, the ads associated with it are displayed. Utilizing exact-match keywords can improve your chances of conversion for your brand, as they allow for targeting individuals who are actively searching for specific terms.

#14 Negative keywords

Negative keywords are the opposite of exact match keywords, in that they prevent ads from appearing in search results when a user searches for a specific term. They are useful for businesses looking to avoid irrelevant or unrelated traffic to their website or landing page.

Search engines consider certain words, such as “free,” to be negative keywords. If a user performs a search using this negative word, he will not see your business content in the search results.

A comprehensive guide to do SEO of a website

#15 Locational keywords

Locational keywords, also known as location-based keywords, are an important type of keyword used in marketing campaigns by businesses that operate in a specific location. These keywords include words or phrases that relate to a particular location, such as “digital marketing services Delhi,” or that aim to show ads for businesses that are located near the person who is searching, such as “digital marketing firm near me.”

Utilizing locational keywords can be an effective way for businesses to target local customers and increase their visibility in search results for individuals searching for products or services in their area.

#16 Navigational keywords

Since we told you about locational keywords, it would be unfair for us not to talk about navigational keywords. Sometimes called GO keywords, these are used by entrepreneurs who want to navigate directly to their brand’s website. Navigational keywords are also typically used by users who already know what they want to purchase and where they want to make the purchase.

For example, a user might enter the navigational keywords “Brand X running shoes” to find the website of a specific brand of shoes that they want to buy. Basically, he used a navigational keyword to navigate to a brand that would help him find and purchase what exactly he needed.

#17 Informational keywords

Our list of different types of keywords for SEO will be considered incomplete without discussing informational keywords. These keywords are often used by buyers during the awareness stage of the buying process, when they are aware that they want a specific product or to solve a particular problem, but need more information before making a purchasing decision.

For instance, a person might search for the informational keyword “What are the best graphic cards?” in order to gather information about the various options available before making a decision on which one to buy. For businesses, these keywords can be an important component of an SEO strategy. They can help them attract targeted traffic and establish their expertise in a particular field.

Why does keyword driven SEO work?

Keywords driven SEO generates faster results in comparison to brand name focused SEO. Here are the benefits that you will get by making your SEO strategy more focused on keywords:

Keywords indicate to search engines what your content is about, helping them rank your site for the right queries.
Using relevant keywords helps attract the right set of audience searching online for your services or products.
Working on relevant keywords ensures a higher conversion rate on the traffic generated.
Regular use of effective keywords boosts organic traffic and reduces the spending on paid advertising.
Keywords driven SEO helps you capture a wide range of search queries resulting in a strong presence on top Google pages.

A lot of SEOs follow a very traditional approach to keywords. By following our guide of keywords type, you can plan better and generate more results from your SEO investment.

Types of Keywords in SEO: Wrapup

There you go!

We provided an overview of 17 different types of keywords commonly used by businesses to improve their ranking in search results. As you have seen, these keywords can be powerful tools for attracting targeted traffic, connecting with your audience, and increasing conversions. However, it is essential to note that effectively using these keywords in your content requires careful research and consideration.

If you have any questions or are in need of assistance with your SEO strategy, we recommend reaching out to the leading SEO agency in India. Contact us at hello@upreports.com to start a discussion and learn more about how we can help your business to succeed.