The 3 types of keywords are:
1. Short-tail keywords: These are typically one or two-word phrases that are very general in nature. They have high search volume but low relevance to your specific product or service.
2. Long-tail keywords: These are usually 3-5 word phrases that are more specific and relevant to your product or service. They have lower search volume but higher relevance.
3. Localized keywords: These are keywords that include your city, state, or region. They are relevant to customers in a specific geographic area and can help you rank higher in local search results.
Which type of keyword gets the best results?
Long-tail and localized keywords are the best options for getting more specific and quality traffic to your website, product, and landing pages.
Nowadays, short-tail keywords are dominated by massive authority sites.
The appeal of going after these terms is understandable since they usually have high traffic volume.
The problem is that the competition for these keywords is fierce, and it’s getting harder and harder for small businesses to rank for them.
Additionally, short-tail keywords are often too general to be of much use for conversion optimization.
They don’t give you enough information about what someone is looking for when they search for that term.
This is why long-tail and localized keywords are often the best options for getting quality traffic that converts.
How to use short-tail keywords
Once you’ve decided on your long-tail or localized keyword as the primary focus of your content, you want to add short-tail keywords to support it.
Using short-tail keywords in your content will help you potentially rank for many other relevant keywords you weren’t specifically targeting.
This is because Google often ranks pages for related keywords even if those keywords aren’t explicitly used on the page.
For example, if you have a page about “dog training tips,” you might rank in Google for other dog-related queries like “how to potty train a puppy” or “best dog breeds for families.”
While short-tail keywords can be a great way to get additional traffic, you want to make sure that you’re using them sparingly and in a way that is relevant to the rest of your content.
If you stuff your content with too many keywords, it will not only turn off your readers but also flag your site as being “keyword-stuffed” to Google, which can hurt your ranking.
How to use long-tailed keywords
You want to create content targeting long-tailed keywords as often as possible.
Long-tail keywords allow you to answer a specific question your target market is searching for.
By creating content around these keywords, you can attract targeted traffic that is more likely to convert into leads or customers.
Not only that, but long-tail keywords are also much easier to rank than short-tail keywords.
This is because there is less competition for these keyword phrases, and they are more specific, which makes them less competitive.
Additionally, long-tail keywords tend to be associated with a higher intent to purchase than short-tail keywords.
This means that people searching for long-tail keywords are further along in the buying cycle and more likely to convert into customers.
Finally, long-tail keywords can also help you rank for related short-tail keywords.
No one knows precisely how Google’s algorithm works, but long-tail keywords offer more opportunities to rank for related keywords for a variety of different queries.
Pages that get only a few hundred visitors a month can bring in better results than a page that gets a couple thousand, depending on your business model.
So please don’t get caught up in the numbers of it all. Instead, stay focused on what will get you the best outcome for your business.
How to use localized keywords
If you have a business that services a specific location or brick-and-mortar store, you want to ensure you include localized keywords in your content.
Localized keywords are keyword phrases that include a specific location.
For example, “pizza delivery Denver” or “Financial advisor in Los Angeles.”
Including these keywords in your content will help you rank higher in Google’s local search results.
This is important because most people who do a local search are looking for a business they can visit in person or can come to them.
If you can get your business to show up in these local search results, you’re more likely to get targeted traffic that is actually looking for what you have to offer.
Additionally, you want to ensure your business is listed in Google My Business, now known as Google Business Profile.
This free listing allows you to control how your business appears in Google’s local search results.
You can add your business hours, phone number, address, website, and other important information.
You can also add photos and videos to help your business stand out in the search results.
If you haven’t claimed your Google Business Profile yet, you can do so here.
How to use low-competition keywords
Finding low-competition keywords can be a great way to get your content to rank higher on Google without a lot of effort, regardless of which type of keywords you’re targeting.
Low competition keywords are phrases that don’t have a lot of competition.
In other words, there aren’t a lot of other websites trying to rank for that keyword.
This is important because the less competition there is, the easier it will be for you to rank in the search results.
Remember to stay focused on your overall goals.
Many get caught up in getting hundreds of thousands of visitors per month to their website when focusing on the right keywords, and only getting 25K visitors would be a massive win for their business.
