On average, there are about 63,000 Google searches every second of the day. When your business relies on search traffic, it can feel impossible to compete with that volume. This is why your marketing efforts need to include research on the best keywords to use when developing your SEO content. 

This starts by understanding the different types of keywords that searchers use. Keep reading to learn more about four basic keyword types so you can start developing an SEO strategy that works.

Commercial Keywords

Commercial keywords are one of the most important types to target because they’re all about specific products and services. For example, if you want to buy a tablet, you might search for the “best iPad model.” That’s a commercial keyword. Searchers also use commercial keywords when looking for specific reviews or comparing products. 

Let’s say, for example, that you own a sneaker company. Your content should include commercial keywords about your specific sneaker names so that users can easily find them when searching.

Informational Keywords

Informational keywords, on the other hand, are much less specific. These are keywords where people are just looking for general information. Most of the time, they contain question words like “why” and “how.”

Here are a few examples of informational keywords:

• Different ways to tie your sneakers
• When to replace your sneakers
• Guide to picking new sneakers

Going back to the example above, these keywords are still relevant to your sneaker company. You can research high search volume keyword examples like this, use them on your blog, and generate traffic to your site.

Navigational Keywords

Another essential type of keyword to incorporate in your SEO planning is navigational keywords. In the simplest terms, these are searches that include a company or brand name. The users who search for navigational keywords already know where they want to go and are generally looking for the following:

• Contact information
• Store hours
• Location and/or directions
• A specific page on a specific brand’s site

Transactional Keywords

Finally, transactional keywords are perhaps the most important of all. That’s because they indicate that a user is ready to take immediate action. For example, your potential sneaker customers might search for the following transactional keywords:

• Where to buy sneakers online
• Sneakers for sale
• Sneaker shops near me

All of these phrases indicate that a user is ready to take action now, leading to the highest likelihood of conversion. You can target transactional keywords with paid ads or use them to optimize product pages so they appear in search results. 

Understanding the Different Types of Keywords

Keyword targeting and SEO planning are complex, but we hope this brief guide to the different types of keywords helps you better understand how people use search engines. By picking keywords to target that fall into each of the four types we’ve discussed above, you’ll be presenting relevant content to the right people at the right time. 

Want to read more marketing tips like this? Explore our other articles before you go!

About Author

Nick Jones

See author's posts