Keyword Research Glossary

Question 1

• Ad keyword -

Answer 1

The query that triggers paid results.

Question 2

Click Potential

Answer 2

A metric used to gauge the predicted chance of getting a click through to your website if your search result occupied the top position of the SERP. Click Potential depends on the presence of SERP Features that would hinder searchers from clicking on an organic website results.

Question 3

Common Keywords

Answer 3

Keywords for which multiple domains rank among the top Google search results.

Question 4

Common Keywords

Answer 4

Keywords for which multiple domains rank among the top Google search results.

Question 5

CTR (Click-Through-Rate)

Answer 5

The percentage of people who clicked on an ad or a link in search results out of all those who saw it.

Question 6

Cross-Group Negatives

Answer 6

A method of optimizing a Google Ads campaign via implementing one ad group’s keywords as another ad group’s negative keywords. This prevents your ads in separate ad groups from competing against each other and harming click-through rate / quality score.

Question 7

Featured Snippet

Answer 7

The most prominent SERP feature that appears on top of search results and provides the most relevant answer to a query.

Question 8

Keyword (search term, query)

Answer 8

A word or phrase used in an online search.

Question 9

Keyword difficulty (level of competition)

Answer 9

An estimation of how hard it would be to rank high for a keyword in organic search or how pricey it would be to appear in ads. You need to analyze the difficulty level to choose your battles wisely.

Question 10

Local Pack

Answer 10

SERP feature that appears for queries with local intent or includes a geographical name (e.g. ‘pizza near me,’ ‘best pizza in Philly’).

Question 11

Long-tail keyword

Answer 11

A long-tail keyword is a search query that falls within the “long tail” of the search demand curve. These are keywords with low monthly search volume, but usually have a more specific searcher intent and a higher probability of conversion through SEO or PPC. You can find long-tail keywords in Semrush by using the Keyword Magic Tool and adding filters for number of words, keyword difficulty, volume, and more.

Question 12

Negative Keywords

Answer 12

Keywords that allow you to choose what not to target with a Google Ads campaign. Just like regular keywords in an ad campaign, negative keywords can be set with match types such as exact match, phrase match, and broad match. When you add a negative keyword to your campaign, your ads will not appear in the search results for that search. This practice helps advertisers save budget and maximize ROI.

Question 13

PPC (Pay per Click)

Answer 13

PPC (Pay per Click) — An internet advertising model used to bring traffic to the website through the means of paid ads (Google Ads). Choosing the right keywords is essential for the success of a PPC campaign. There are three forms of payment:

CPC (Cost per click) — Advertisers only pay when the ad is clicked.
CPM(Cost per impressions) — Advertisers pay for the number of times an ad is shown.
CPA (Cost per acquisition) — Advertisers pay when users have fulfilled the determined objective.

Question 14

Search intent

Answer 14

There is a specific intention behind every search query, and competent keyword research should not only answer what people are looking for but also why they do it. Of course, the intent behind a keyword is not always crystal clear, but usually, it falls into one of four distinct categories:

Informational — Searches for the specific information, whether it is a simple answer to a question or detailed coverage of a topic.
(e.g., ’how to cook eggs for cats’)
Navigational — These searches aim to locate a specific webpage or site; usually includes the name of a brand, product, or service.
(e.g., ’facebook’)
Commercial — This type of query is conducted by people who consider a purchase and want to investigate their options.
(e.g., ‘best cat toys’)
Transactional — Searcher is looking to purchase something.
(e.g., ‘buy cat toys’)​​​​​​​

Question 15

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Answer 15

The process of growing a website’s traffic income via the organic search engine results

Question 16

SERP (Search Engine Results Page)

Answer 16

The list of web pages provided by a search engine for a query.

Question 17

SERP feature

Answer 17

An added layer of information or context on top of a regular search engine result. There is a great variety of SERP features, triggered by all kinds of keywords.

Question 18

Volume

Answer 18

A fundamental keyword metric shows the number of searches for a particular keyword in a given timeframe (usually per month). Bear in mind that keyword popularity can be affected by seasonality (e.g., ‘Black Friday deals).

Question 19

Web traffic

Answer 19

Simply put, this is the flow of visitors coming to your website. The quality and quantity of traffic define the success of a website or a page. There are different ways people can get to the pages of your website, but we will focus on the two main traffic sources that require keyword research:

Organic search traffic — Visitors who came from an unpaid search engine result; this kind of traffic is crucial for the long-term success of a website.
Paid traffic — Visitors who came from paid sources (advertising).