What are keywords, and why are they so tricky?
In the previous part, we've learned what SEO is, questioned our very own existence, and learned that life is not so simple.
We're all about positive vibes here! Let's continue with our example of running shoes.
"Running shoes" is a keyword. Anything that people put into Google's search bar is called a keyword.
There are short keywords like "shoes" or "running shoes". We call them short-tail keywords.
There are long keywords like "Best run running shoes 2024" or "running shoes for trail running". We call them long-trail keywords. These keywords tend to be more specific variations of short-tail keywords.
No matter how long a search phrase is - we simply call it a keyword.
So, back to our example. We want to rank higher (i.e., appear higher on search results) for people who google "running shoes". But here's when it gets tricky - we are not the only ones selling running shoes in the world.
Every other running shoe seller in the world wants to appear on Google for the keyword "running shoes", and whoever manages to convince Google's algorithm that his website is the best possible result for "running shoes" will appear on Google's first page.
There's fierce competition on keywords, and companies put a LOT of resources into their SEO efforts.
Sure, we can try to rank higher for the keyword "running shoes", and if we can actually pull that off, we'll be set for life... but can we pull that off?
Unless you're, by any chance, Nike's CEO - No. We cannot. (If you are, I have a fantastic business proposition for you - hit me up!)
Now that we understand there is no way we could rank high enough on Google for the keyword "running shoes" for people to actually find us, we need to find other keywords that are still highly relevant to our business but not as competitive.
And that's exactly what keyword research is all about - finding these "good" keywords!
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