Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase a user enters into a search engine when looking for information, a product, or a service. From an SEO perspective, keywords are the basic building block — they determine which queries you want your website to show up for. Keyword research is the process of identifying the most relevant and most valuable keywords for your business.
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Types of keywords
Keywords are classified by length: short-tail (1–2 words, e.g. „webdesign“ — high volume, big competition), mid-tail (2–3 words, e.g. „webdesign for businesses“), and long-tail (4+ words, e.g. „professional web design for small businesses London“ — lower volume but higher conversion rate). By intent we distinguish informational (the user is looking for information), navigational (looking for a specific website), commercial (comparing), and transactional (wants to buy).
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How to do keyword research
Start with brainstorming — list topics relevant to your business. Then use tools: Google Keyword Planner (free), Ahrefs, SEMrush, or local tools. Look for keywords with reasonable search volume and acceptable competition. Don't forget LSI (latent semantic) keywords — related terms Google expects in quality content on a given topic.
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How to use keywords correctly
Place the main keyword in the title tag, H1 heading, meta description, first paragraph of the text, and the URL. Naturally weave in secondary keywords across H2/H3 headings and the body text. Avoid keyword stuffing — artificially over-saturating with keywords. Google is now smart enough to understand synonyms and context, so write naturally for people and use keywords organically.
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Tracking keyword positions
After optimising the content, it's important to track how your pages rank for target keywords. Google Search Console shows average positions for free. Paid tools (Ahrefs, SEMrush) offer more accurate daily tracking. Positions shift — a new page typically goes through a „Google dance“ (position fluctuation) for the first 2–4 months before stabilising. Patience and continuous optimisation are key.
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Practical example
A client with a law firm wanted to be in first position for „solicitor London“ (2,900 searches/month, extreme competition). We proposed a long-tail keyword strategy: „employment law solicitor London“ (320 searches), „divorce lawyer London“ (480 searches), „company formation solicitor“ (210 searches). For each keyword we created an optimised page. Within 5 months the client took positions 1–5 for 12 long-tail keywords with a combined monthly volume of 3,800 searches — more than „solicitor London“ itself.
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