When it comes to search engine optimization, the first thing that comes to mind is keyword research. This is the process of identifying the best terms and phrases to target for your strategy. Moreover, there are different factors taken into consideration during this process, such as the volume of monthly searches and the keywords’ competitiveness in terms of search and paid difficulties. 

That said, what many businesses commonly miss is that keyword research does not stop there. They must also determine the appropriate type of keywords to target to maximize results. 

To help you do SEO the right way, here are the four different types of keywords that you must understand and learn to use in your content suitably. 

1. Primary Keywords 

These refer to the main topic or idea for which you want to rank. Primary keywords are usually made up of one or two words that describe your business or offering generally, such as, “bike,” or “digital marketing”. 

Before, many websites can get away by using primary keywords as often as possible to rank higher for it. Times have significantly changed, however. Search engines today will consider this as keyword stuffing and even penalize your web page for it. 

The smartest way to go around this is to limit their use. Add them only to sentences where it makes the most sense and always look for suitable synonyms. 

2. Long-tail Keywords 

As the name suggests, these keywords refer to a string of four or more words. Because of this, they are often the most descriptive and specific keywords to target in your online content. 

You should take note that because they are so specific, they also often have low traffic volume and lesser competition. This is an opportunity that you must not miss. Targeting relevant long-tail keywords gives you the chance to rank higher and convert easily for these terms. 

3. LSI Keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing) 

Also referred to as related keywords, these are terms that search engines consider to be semantically-related to your primary keyword. For example, if you want to rank for “cars”, these are some LSI keywords you’ll want to use for your content: 

  • Automobile 
  • Engine 
  • Tires
  • Vehicle 

To help you perform in search rankings better, a good practice would be to target a single primary keyword and then add at least three LSI keywords in a single content. This also helps you avoid keyword stuffing while allowing you to cover a wide range of topics. 

You can find the related keywords for your primary keyword using online tools such as Ubersuggest and LSI Graph. 

4. Geo-targeted Keywords 

Local SEO has been on the rise recently. This insight is something that you must act on, especially if your business has a physical location. 

You will be able to appear in local search results by targeting what we call geo-targeted keywords. In the simplest words, these are keywords that focus on location, such as a specific country, state, city, or neighborhood. They lead users to local-based results—or results pages that prioritize business and companies in the mentioned area. 

If you want to reach more customers nearby, geo-targeted keywords are worth exploring. 

Conclusion 

Today, you must constantly find ways to rise above the competition and be one step ahead. One way to do this is by familiarizing yourself with the different types of keywords in SEO. Knowing what they are and which one to use to achieve your goals will help you create a content strategy that drives the results you want. 

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