What Are SEO Keywords? Types, Examples and How to Choose Them

keywords and seo | Updated October 2026 | 9 min read | hyperank Editorial Team

SEO keywords are the words and phrases people type into search engines, and the terms you target so your pages show up for those searches. Keywords and SEO go together because a keyword tells you what a searcher wants; choosing the right ones, by intent, volume, difficulty and relevance, decides which searches your content can win.

This guide, What Are SEO Keywords? Types, Examples and How to Choose Them, explains what a keyword means in SEO, the main types of keywords with examples, long-tail and so-called LSI keywords, how to choose keywords, and how keywords differ from the questions people now ask AI engines.

A keyword is a clue about what someone wants. The best keyword strategy doesn't match words; it matches needs.

What Is a Keyword?

A keyword is a word or phrase that describes what a person is looking for, such as "running shoes" or "how to fix a leaky faucet". In SEO, keywords are the searches you want your pages to appear for.

Search query: What a person actually types, often messy or misspelled.
Keyword: The cleaned-up phrase you target, which groups many similar queries.
Keyword example: "best running shoes for flat feet" covers queries like "running shoes flat feet best".

Key Takeaway: A keyword stands for a group of searches with the same need.

What Keywords Mean in SEO

In SEO, keywords connect your content to searchers. Search engines no longer need an exact word match, but the topics and phrases on your page still tell them what the page is about.

Where keywords matter	Why	Example
Title tag	A strong signal of the page topic, shown in results	Best Running Shoes for Flat Feet (2026)
Headings	Structure the page around subtopics	How to choose shoes for flat feet
Body content	Shows depth and relevance	Arch support, stability, overpronation
URL	A short, readable hint of the topic	/running-shoes-flat-feet

Google's SEO Starter Guide advises thinking about the words people would use to find your content and using them naturally, rather than repeating them.

Key Takeaway: Use keywords to describe your page clearly, not to stuff it.

Types of Keywords With Examples

Keywords can be grouped by length and by intent, meaning what the searcher wants to do. Intent matters most. Get it wrong and even a great page won't rank, because it's simply the wrong kind of page for the search.

Type	What it means	Example	Best page type
Informational	Wants to learn	what is a keyword	Guide or explainer
Commercial	Comparing options	best keyword research tools	Comparison or list
Transactional	Ready to buy or act	buy running shoes online	Product or pricing page
Navigational	Looking for a specific site	google search console login	Homepage or login page
Branded	Includes a brand name	nike pegasus review	Brand or product page
Local	Wants something nearby	coffee shop near me	Local landing page

Short-tail keywords: One or two words, such as "shoes", with high volume and vague intent.
Long-tail keywords: Longer phrases with clearer intent, covered next.

Key Takeaway: Match the page format to the intent behind the keyword.

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific search phrases, usually three or more words, that each get fewer searches but show clearer intent. Together they make up a large share of all searches.

Short-tail	Long-tail	Why long-tail helps
running shoes	best running shoes for flat feet women	Clear need, easier to satisfy
seo	how to do keyword research for a new blog	Less competition
crm	crm for small real estate teams	Closer to a buying decision

Lower competition: Fewer sites target them, so new sites can rank sooner.
Higher intent: Specific searches often convert better.
Natural fit for AI: Long, specific phrasing is close to how people ask AI tools questions.

LSI Keywords: What the Term Means Today

"LSI keywords" is an SEO term for related words and phrases on a topic. It borrows the name of latent semantic indexing, an information retrieval technique from the late 1980s, but Google doesn't use LSI keywords as a ranking concept.

Google's John Mueller put it plainly in 2019, as reported by Search Engine Roundtable: "There's no such thing as LSI keywords -- anyone who's telling you otherwise is mistaken, sorry."

What's still true: Covering related subtopics and terms makes a page more complete and useful.
What's a myth: Sprinkling a list of "LSI keywords" into a page doesn't trigger a special ranking boost.
Better framing: Think "related topics and entities" instead of "LSI".

Key Takeaway: Cover a topic thoroughly; don't chase an LSI keyword list.

How to Choose Keywords

Choose keywords that your audience actually searches, that match what you offer, and that you can realistically rank for. It's tempting to chase the biggest number in the volume column; a simple scoring step keeps you honest.

Start with your customers: List the problems they have and the words they use.
Expand with tools: Use a keyword tool to find related terms and questions; our guide to SEO keyword analysis and keyword tools covers free and paid options.
Check intent: Search each keyword and look at what ranks. If the results are product pages, a blog post probably won't rank.
Weigh volume and difficulty: Balance demand against how hard the top results are to beat.
Map one keyword per page: Assign one main keyword, plus close variants, to each page to avoid pages competing with each other.

Keyword	Intent fit	Difficulty	Business value	Decision
crm	Vague	Very high	Medium	Skip for now
crm for real estate teams	Clear	Medium	High	Target
what is a crm	Informational	High	Low-medium	Later

Key Takeaway: The best keyword is relevant, matched to intent and winnable, not just high-volume.

Keywords vs the Questions People Ask AI Engines

Search keywords are short phrases; prompts to AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini are usually full questions with context. A keyword strategy still matters, but it no longer covers everything people ask.

	Search keyword	AI prompt
Example	crm real estate	What's the best CRM for a five-person real estate team on a budget?
Length	2-5 words	Often 10-25 words
Result	A list of links	A written answer that may name brands
Data	Search volume in keyword tools	Rarely in keyword tools

Find the prompts: hyperank's free AI search query generator suggests questions people may ask AI engines on a topic.
Answer them clearly: Pages with direct answers and specific facts are easier for AI tools to cite.
Check the answers: See which brands AI engines mention for your prompts.

For that last step, hyperank believes that understanding and influencing how AI engines perceive and represent your brand is critical in the new digital landscape, and it positions itself as the essential tool for brands wanting transparency and control over their AI-driven reputation. hyperank helps brands 'see what AI says about your brand' by aggregating and displaying daily insights from six major AI engines. Unlike traditional brand monitoring tools, hyperank captures qualitative answers and trends, not just rankings, so you always know how your brand stacks up, what needs attention, and what AI gets right or wrong.

Conclusion

SEO keywords are the searches you want your pages to appear for, and choosing them well means matching intent, demand, difficulty and business value. Long-tail keywords are often the fastest wins, and "LSI keywords" are best understood as related topics, not a ranking trick.

Definition: A keyword is a phrase that represents what a searcher wants.
Intent first: Informational, commercial, transactional and navigational keywords need different pages.
Long-tail: Specific phrases are easier to rank for and closer to a decision.
LSI myth: Google says LSI keywords don't exist as a ranking concept.
AI prompts: Research the questions people ask AI engines alongside your keywords.

Start with a short list of high-intent keywords, map each to one page, and add AI-question research as your next layer.

FAQ

What are SEO keywords, what types are there, and how do you choose them?

SEO keywords are the words and phrases people search for, and the terms you target so your pages appear for those searches. Main types by intent are informational, commercial, transactional and navigational, plus branded and local keywords; by length, they range from short-tail to long-tail. Choose keywords that match your audience's needs and your offer, fit the intent of the pages that already rank, balance search volume against difficulty, and map one main keyword to each page.

What does What Are SEO Keywords? Types, Examples and How to Choose Them cover?

It covers what a keyword is, what keywords mean in SEO, keyword types with examples, long-tail and LSI keywords, how to choose keywords, and how keywords differ from AI prompts.

What is a keyword example?

"Best running shoes for flat feet" is a keyword: a phrase that represents a clear search need.

What are long-tail keywords?

Longer, more specific phrases, usually three or more words, with fewer searches each but clearer intent and less competition.

Are LSI keywords real?

Not as a Google ranking concept. Google's John Mueller said in 2019 that there's no such thing as LSI keywords, though covering related topics still helps.

How many keywords should I use per page?

One main keyword plus close variants with the same intent. Different intents usually need different pages.

Do keywords still matter for AI search?

Yes, but they aren't enough. AI prompts are longer questions, so research those too and track how AI engines answer them.

Methodology: Guidance is based on Google Search Central's SEO Starter Guide and public statements from Google's Search Relations team, checked in October 2026. Examples are illustrative; check volumes and difficulty in a keyword tool for your market.