Discover the world of keywords and a FREE keyword search tool for you to use!

Keywords are words, phrases or sentences that people use to find what they want on a search engine. Simply put, it’s what you type in online when you want to know something or find something out. But as a business person or someone creating a website, how do you ensure your website can be found when people search for your keywords?

Suppose you are running a business and want to expand your market online and for your web page, product or video to appear in the results when customers search; you need a solid understanding of keywords, which are very important for SEO and SEM.

What is a keyword?

What did you last type in the search box when you wanted to know the answer to something? That’s what we call keywords.

Keywords are words that we use to search, whether on search engines or in the search boxes on YouTube, Shopee, Lazada or any other online search box. They can range from short words to phrases or sentences. 

An example of a keyword is if you want to find more information about SEO and search: “What is SEO?” or if you are looking for accommodation in Hua Hin, and type “Hua Hin Beach Hotel” into the search box.

How many types of Keywords are there?

It’s not practical to always search using short words because a single word often has a broader meaning, and using them to search won’t help you get the answer you’re looking for. Many times, long or more specific keywords are needed. There are several types of keywords:

Head Keywords

• A broad word or single word related to the product, service, or topic you are looking for. 
• Has a high search volume but low conversion because it doesn’t help narrow down the search results for the target audience to get their desired answer.
• Examples of this type of keyword are:
  • Shoes
  • Smartphone
  • Furniture
  • Car insurance

Niche Keywords (Medium-tail)

• A niche keyword is a word or phrase that is slightly longer than the head keyword, with the head keyword being the main element, with other more specific terms added.
• Examples of niche keywords are:
  • Buy sports shoes
  • Smartphone prices
  • Second-hand furniture 
  • Class 1 car insurance
• You can see that the words that we add to the head keyword are words that help to explain our search intent more; for example: “Class 1 car insurance” will help Google know that we want to find class 1 car insurance, not class 2 or 3.

Long-tail Keywords

• A long-tail keyword is a keyword that looks like a long-phrase or sentence. Even though it has a low search volume, it shows specific results and often best reflects what users want, resulting in high conversions.
• Examples of long-tail keywords are:
  • Buy Nike sports shoes online
  • Smartphone under 5000 THB with a great camera
  • Where can I buy second-hand furniture? 
  • Car insurance, class 1, 0% on installments

You can also use descriptive keywords and keywords detailing the location to help make the search more specific and more relevant to the target group. For example, “What is car insurance?” or “Second-hand furniture store in Nonthaburi”.

How important are keywords?

Keywords help increase the chances of customers finding your website.

Imagine that thousands of web pages are talking about the same thing; how can you get your website to stand out, rank highly, and get customers to click on it? It’s all choosing the right keywords!

In the world of offline shopping, customers have the opportunity to pass by or walk through your shop, but in the online world, getting your website discovered requires the use of keywords to act as both a signboard and a filter, as it’s unlikely people will search directly for your company’s name unless you’re a very large, established brand. 

Keywords help you plan good content.

Keywords also serve as a starting point for content creation. Whether you’re writing a blog or creating a new web page, you can choose topics related to your keywords to keep your content relevant to your target audience and include links to purchase your product or service. 

Free Keyword Tools

Google Suggest

The first and easiest way to get ideas is from Google Suggest, which makes suggestions based on the keywords you start typing into the search box. You can also view Related Searches at the bottom of the search results page. See the example below.

Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyword Planner is another tool to help you find suitable keywords. This is how you can use it: 

• Sign up and access your Google Ads account, then go to Tools > Planning > Keyword Planner.
• Select Discover New Keywords, which will give you new keyword ideas when you enter the search term you are interested in. With your location selected, Google will show you keyword ideas with the search results and other numerical information to help you choose your keywords.

The results from Google Keyword Planner can be used as SEO ideas or information when you want to set a budget for Google Ads. This programme will use keyword themes to make your content reach more customers by grouping keywords in the same theme.

So what is a keyword theme? A keyword theme is a word or phrase that represents several similar word groups. If you choose to have your ad show when customers search for a specific word in a theme, such as “restaurant”, your ad can also show up when a customer searches for another term in the “restaurant” theme, such as “restaurants near me” or “restaurant prices”.

Google Trends

Google Trends is one of the most comprehensive tools to do keyword research. You can type the keywords or phrases you wish to target in the ‘Recently trending’ search box, and it will show a list of exact match keywords, similar keywords or potential synonyms that you can explore further.

Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is another keyword search tool from Neil Patel that you can use for free three times a day, or you can purchase a package to unlock more. You can enter your keyword or domain in the search box to see Search Volume, SEO Difficulty, Cost per Click and Paid Difficulty (read more about Ubersuggest here).

Five characteristics of good keywords. 

Now that you know how to search for keywords, it’s important to know which keywords to choose. A good keyword has these qualities:

1. Relevant to the web page’s content. For example, if the page you’re working on is a sofa sales page, you should choose relevant words or those that explain the sofa’s features, type, model, name, and specification.
2. Competitive. The keywords you choose should have a high potential to compete and ideally be ones your competitors are not yet using.
3. Time and budget efficient. Your keywords should get your web page to rank on time and budget.
4. Search volume and intent are balanced. Choose words that have a good search volume and convey the purpose of the search. For example, “Samsung phone” has a high search volume, but you can increase the search intent by being more precise with “Buy a Samsung phone”.
5. Keywords to increase sales. Choose keywords that have the potential to attract customers and generate sales, such as “Cheap showerheads”, or words that are good for your product or brand’s reputation, such as “Quality tiles”.

If you want to try doing keyword research, use the tools and instructions that we have put in this article as a starting point. If you’d like a digital expert to help you identify effective keywords and devise an SEO and SEM strategy for your business, consult Primal’s online marketing team at 02-460-9520.