Key takeaways
- A keyword is the word or phrase you choose to target with a page, based on what people type into Google.
- A query is what one person actually typed. Many queries map to one keyword.
- Keywords differ by length (short or long tail) and by intent (learn, compare, buy, find a brand or a place).
- Use the keyword naturally in the title, main heading and opening. Repeating it does not help; Google calls that keyword stuffing.
A keyword, in SEO, is the word or phrase that sums up what a searcher wants and that you choose to target with a page. "Dentist in Miami", "how much does a roof replacement cost" and "accountant for small business" are all keywords. Knowing what a keyword is, and which kind you are looking at, is the first step before any keyword research project. The full research process is explained in what keyword research is; this guide stays on the term itself.
What is a keyword?
A keyword is a word or phrase that represents a search people make on Google or another search engine. In SEO, it is the term you pick to target with a specific page, so that the page appears when someone searches for it. A good keyword reflects the customer's words, not the industry's internal jargon.
Google's SEO Starter Guide puts it in practical terms: think about the words a user might search for to find your content. It adds that people who know a topic well may use different words from beginners, and that you do not need to anticipate every variation. That is why a keyword is a choice, not a single string of text: you pick the phrase that best represents a group of related searches.
Is a keyword the same as a search query?
Not exactly. A query is what one person actually typed, spelling mistakes included. A keyword is the term you choose to represent a group of similar queries. In Search Console you see queries; in a keyword plan you see keywords. One keyword like roof repair can cover dozens of real queries.
This difference explains a common surprise. Open the Queries tab in the Search Console Performance report and you will find phrasings you never targeted: misspellings, questions, your service plus a neighborhood. Those are queries. Google also says autocomplete predictions reflect real searches and change with language and location, which is a quick way to see how people phrase the same need.
What are the main types of keywords?
Keywords are usually classified two ways. By length: short head terms like plumber, mid-length phrases like emergency plumber, and long tail phrases like emergency plumber for a burst pipe at night. By intent: informational, commercial, transactional, navigational and local. Intent tells you which type of page to build.
| Type | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Short (head term) | accountant | Broad and vague. Many searches, mixed intent, hard to win. |
| Mid-length | small business accountant | Clearer need, still competitive. |
| Long tail | accountant for a small restaurant in Houston | Very specific, fewer searches, often closer to a purchase. |
| Branded | your business name + reviews | The person already knows you. |
| Local | dentist near me, dentist in Medellín | Wants a place to go or call nearby. |
Long tail keywords have their own guide with examples by industry: long tail keywords explained. They matter more than their volume suggests, because Google said in 2017 that 15 percent of searches it saw every day were new.
What is the search intent of a keyword?
Search intent is the goal behind a keyword: to learn something, compare options, buy, find a specific brand or find a place nearby. Two keywords with similar words can have different intents. What is laser hair removal wants an explanation; laser hair removal price near me wants a provider. The page has to match.
| Intent | Example keyword | Page that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Informational | what is a root canal | Plain guide or FAQ |
| Commercial | best payroll software for small business | Comparison with honest pros and cons |
| Transactional | book teeth cleaning online | Service page with booking |
| Navigational | brand name login | Home or login page |
| Local | 24 hour locksmith near me | Location page and Google Business Profile |
The quickest test: search the keyword yourself and look at what ranks. If the first results are guides, Google reads the intent as informational, and a sales page will struggle there.
Where should a keyword go on a page?
Put the main keyword, or a natural variation, in the title tag, the main heading, the first paragraph and the URL, then write normally. Use related terms where they fit. Do not repeat it to hit a density target; Google treats excessive repetition as keyword stuffing, and readers find it tiring.
- Title tag and H1: the clearest version of the keyword.
- First paragraph: say what the page is about in the searcher's words.
- Subheadings: related questions and variations, where they help the reader.
- Not the meta keywords tag: the Starter Guide says Google Search does not use it.
- Not the domain name as a shortcut: Google says keywords in the domain or URL alone have hardly any effect.
- Never lists of cities or repeated phrases. Google's spam policies name both as keyword stuffing.
How do I know if a keyword is worth targeting?
A keyword is worth targeting when people really search for it, its intent matches what you sell, and you can realistically compete for it. Volume alone is misleading: a small, specific keyword from ready buyers can bring more customers than a big vague one. Check demand, intent and the pages that already rank.
- Demand: does anyone search for it? Free tools are compared in keyword research sites, free and paid.
- Intent: does the searcher want what your page offers?
- Competition: are the current results from businesses like yours, or from national giants?
- Value: if this keyword brought ten visitors, how many could become customers?
When you need these four checks done across a whole website, that is my keyword research service. For other SEO terms, the SEO glossary has short definitions, and the home page explains how keywords fit into the full method.
Frequently asked questions
Is a keyword one word or a phrase?
Either. Most useful keywords are phrases of two or more words, because they describe the need more clearly.
How many keywords should one page target?
One main keyword and its close variations. A second unrelated topic usually deserves its own page.
What is keyword density?
The share of words on a page that are the keyword. It is not a target to hit. Write for the reader and use the keyword where it fits.
Are keywords still useful with AI search?
Yes, but think in questions and topics. AI tools answer full questions, so pages that answer them clearly work in both.
Is a hashtag a keyword?
Not in the SEO sense. Hashtags organize posts on social networks; keywords describe what people type into search engines.
About the author
Juan José Giraldo is an SEO consultant in Medellín, Colombia, with 5+ years of experience. He works on technical and local SEO for 600+ US car dealerships at Reunion Marketing, an Inc. 5000 agency, and supervises the SEO of 18 US online stores with more than 3 million products at Prontomowers. Read more · LinkedIn.