Keyword research concepts and terminology

- [Instructor] Have you ever searched for something and found the results to be too generalized, too vague? What did you do, give up, or did you add more words, describe specifics of your need? People learn this behavior very quickly. Searching with one or two words rarely provides a clear, specific answer to a question. For example, a search for cell phone brings up all the major carriers, retailers, and brands. This is because it is a general keyword, but it is one that is searched for thousands of times more than the next keyword. This is called the short tail of terms and results. When we graph the most popular terms, you would see that they are usually very general with one, two, maybe three words that are popular, but it drops off quickly. The problem is that while these short tail keywords show a lot of search volume, which distracts decision makers because it's a big number, we don't know the intent of the search. Now, why did a user search for a cell phone? What was their reason, their need? Once they refine their search, such as cell phone repair, they have now added context and intent. We now know the real need. This is called the long tail. Once people add intent, the main search phrase branches out into thousands of variations. They are not searched on as much as the primary term, but they provide a specific need, and those needs add up to being searched on millions of times more than the primary short tail phrase. Here's the gold you'll find. When people add their intent through descriptive phrases, they'll see more relevant results and explore those websites where they will have a higher propensity to convert, buy, or register. This is why I love keywords. Ever since the launch of search engines, the ability to see what people search for, the words they use, the descriptions they add, and the needs that people pursue has driven a completely new way to understand people and to target them based on those needs. Before we move on, let's define keyword terms and concepts. The words that people use in the search box are called the keyword or the query. The search volume is the amount of average searches that keyword received every month. Search intent is categorized five ways. The first, informational, this is used when people are seeking to learn, such as finding an answer to a question. The second is navigational. We use this method when we're searching for a specific brand, website, or page. Third, transactional, when you know exactly what you want, such as features, color, size, or other factors, and you have the intent to purchase or any other specific action. Fourth is commercial, and this should be very familiar to us as it is the research we do before we make a purchase or a decision. And last, local. Many times, we only want results from businesses or locations that are close by, and so we specify the location or proximity or our need. Here's an activity that will help you understand the many ways that you search and use keywords. If you use Google, you can go to MyActivity.Google.com/MyActivity, and you will see all of your past searches, both on Google and YouTube. Look at how you structure your searches to find what you want and how you use that information throughout the day. Make a note of your searches and see how they line up with the intent categories. It might be a bit more revealing than you suspect.