How many types of keywords are there? Commercial, transactional, navigational, and informational. If you work in the world of SEO and web marketing you already know them.
But what exactly are they? Keyword categories are typed into the search engine that defines a search intent. SEOs and web copywriters use these ideal types.
They do it as containers: in keyword research, they enclose groups of keywords in one definition or another. But what are the individual definitions? What does it mean to type in a transactional or commercial keyword? Is it informational?
Table of Contents
The Topics of the Post
- Transactional keywords
- Navigational keywords
- Informational keywords
- Commercial Keywords
- Types of keywords, summary
Transactional Keywords
The definition of this type: typed queries that hide a search intent devoted to action, to do something useful for the final conversion.
So they hide the need to buy a good, book a ticket, download an information product.
What satisfies transactional keywords? The landing pages, those based on the sales or lead generation, but also the services pages or cards produced, not to mention the e-commerce categories. What are the examples to help you understand the work of transactional queries?
- Buy a new PC.
- Refurbished computer cost.
- Purchase a new Acer laptop.
People who type these words (they could also be related to downloads, discounts, coupons, order, or download) are ready to make the purchase.
They already have the right information but they need to find the alternative. So positioning yourself for transactional keywords means having a good chance of a conversion. Especially if the keyword merges with the brand name.
Navigational Keywords
These are the keywords typed in the search field that highlight the user’s need to go to a particular source. In most cases, the user wants to go to a certain brand or user site.
This is a generic keyword plus a brand name. This is because the user already knows where to go and uses Google to search for that source. Examples of navigational queries:
- Amazon laptop.
- Format Pc Aranzulla.
- Used computer eBay
In these cases, unlike the transactional and informative keywords, there is no specific page to satisfy the navigational queries: it is the website itself that is the answer. These searches may or may not conceal commercial intent
but they still represent an excellent thermometer for recording brand awareness. That is the knowledge that people have of my name online.
If many individuals search for keywords related to my business with my name immediately after (or before) it means that they know the value of my work, they are looking for me, and do not rely on the good luck of the SERP to get an answer.
A detail: always track navigational queries with the various SEO tools, make sure that the most searched pages are optimized (including the home page) and that they are positioned in the best possible way. Also sniffing out cases of Google Ads that target your brand name.
Informational Keywords
They represent the informative keywords, that is, those that people type to get answers on practical aspects and not related to a purchase. In these cases, individuals need short answers or tutorials, short or long arguments.
But anyway we are talking about a job to be done mainly with the corporate or personal blog. Unlike the navigational intent, informational queries do not look for a specific site but who can give the answer.
Or at least it seems to do so thanks to the snippets that appear in SERP even if Google tends to anticipate something thanks to the 0 results. Examples of informative keywords :
- How to format Pc
- I can clean the keyboard of the PC
- The pc does not turn off what to do
These keywords are difficult to monetize but they are the largest query pool on the web: many people search for information on Google and do it in different ways. For example, you can use the blog to define a long-tail keyword strategy. In these cases, it is important to use an SEO tool like Google Suggest and Answer The public to find new blog titles.
So as to intercept very specific needs of a niche to increase the chances of transforming a user into a lead and customer. Or you can focus on a video content marketing job or create very in-depth guides on very general topics to become an encyclopedia of your industry.
Commercial Keywords
There is a middle ground, a type of keyword that is not transactional and therefore directed towards conversion. But it doesn’t represent pure informational intent either.
I’m talking about commercial keywords. That is, those that are entered by those looking for data to decide what to buy. Examples of commercial keywords:
- Pc Acer Reviews.
- Better notebook or desktop computer?
- Which computer for travelers?
- How to use KissAnime
Commercial queries contain a purchase or booking need but the action is unclear. Those who have a business linked to these keywords have good reason to create articles or landings to intercept queries and turn the user into a lead.
Types of Keywords, Summary
What are the types of keywords to know? In addition to the long tail, the vanity keywords, and the geolocated ones but the starting point is found in this infographic.
This is the starting point for understanding the search intent of the people you want to reach. Do you work on this front too? How do you manage to exploit transactional, navigational, informational, commercial keywords with various SEO tools such as Seozoom, Semrush, Ubersuggest and Answer The Public? Leave your opinion.