Keyword Research Step 2: Analyzing Keywords—Attributes

So far, we have a master list of keywords for our website. We may not use all of them. At this stage, we will sift the raw list to filter out the keywords that we can and want to rank for. There are different aspects to consider when analyzing keywords for selection. All the metrics that appear in the keyword analysis report pitch in to some extent in evaluating the worth of the keyword. The most important attributes of keywords include

1. Relevance

2. Search volume

3. Difficulty

Three determining keyword attributes

The three most important attributes that gauge the worth of a keyword include:

Relevance/search intent

Let’s take our old example where we play as an online retail store owner that sells dog supplies. A quick look at the SERP results for the keyword fruits for dog to eat will tell us that the users typing this query are looking for informational blogs on the topic. This type of keyword is categorized under informational keywords. The searchers are not, typically, looking for this query to make a purchase. Since our website is a place to buy dog supplies, this type of keyword is not relevant to us.

Instead, people searching for something like where to get dog supplies are ready to make a purchase. They are looking for a place to buy dog supplies and are more likely to find interest in our website. This type of keyword, where the user wants to make an online purchase, is called a transactional keyword. If we sell products, transactional keywords are more relevant to us. Focusing on the "relevant* keywords increases our chances to rank high for them.

Based on search intent, keywords can be grouped into four categories. The table below shows the search intent for each keyword, keyword examples, and content type relevant to each category.