What Are Keywords and How to Choose the Right Ones

Keywords are the terms people type into Google when they look for something. If you know which words your customers type, you know which pages you need and what to write on them.

What keywords are

A keyword can be one word, like “dentist”, but more often it is a phrase of several words, like “dentist Rijeka implant price”. For SEO and ads it is important to understand what a person wants when they type a particular phrase.

Types of keywords

• Short and general, like “website”. High demand, strong competition and unclear intent.
• Long and specific, like “website design for holiday apartments”. Fewer searches, but clearer intent and easier to rank.
• Local, like “marketing agency Rijeka”. Key for local SEO.
• Questions, like “how much does a website cost”. Great for blog articles and AI answers.

Search intent

The same words can mean different things. Someone who types “what is SEO” wants to learn, while someone who types “SEO agency Zagreb” wants to hire someone. The first person needs an article, the second a service page. When a page does not match the intent, Google rarely ranks it high.

How to choose the right keywords

1. List your services and the cities you work in.
2. Write down customer questions you hear on the phone and by email.
3. Check demand in Google’s Keyword Planner or another tool.
4. Look at Search Console. It shows the terms your site already appears for, often ones you had not thought of.
5. Assess competition. Who is on the first page today and can you give a better answer.
6. Assign keywords to pages. One main keyword per page, so pages do not compete with each other.

Where to use the keyword

Naturally in the title tag, H1, first paragraph, subheadings, meta description and page address. Repeating the same words does not help and makes the text unpleasant to read.

Keyword research is the first step in the website SEO and content marketing services.