# Keyword

A keyword is the search a page is written to answer, a word or a phrase. On a small site you win by matching one clear intent per page. Use a head term in the title and cover the close variants in headings and text.

Updated 2026-09-14 · Source: https://porteur.ai/glossary/keyword

## What a keyword means for a small site

Write each page for one intent. That is your keyword. It can be a phrase like "keyword volume checker" or "how long does seo take".

Think in clusters. A page targets a group of close queries with the same intent. One head term goes in the title. The rest belong in headings and copy.

Example: yourproduct.com/keyword-tool aims at the head term "keyword tool". It also answers "free keyword tool" and "keyword ideas" on the same page if the intent is the same.

## How to read and measure keywords

Use Search Console. Open the performance report for the last 28 days. Switch to Queries to see searches, impressions, clicks and position for each page.

1. **Pick a page** Filter to a URL like /pricing or /guides/getting-started.
2. **List its queries** Sort by impressions to see where Google already tests you.
3. **Choose the head term** Pick the most representative query with search demand and the right intent. That is your title focus.
4. **Map the cluster** Add the other close queries to a note. These belong in H2s, FAQs or examples on the page.

Size a keyword by its search volume. Judge the click potential by the current impressions and click through rate for your page on those queries.

## Research and difficulty, quickly

Keyword research finds the cluster and its size. Start with your product, your features and the jobs they do. Add autocomplete and People also ask terms that match your buyer.

Keyword difficulty estimates the competition on a query. For a small site, prioritise terms where you already have impressions, or rivals of your size rank on page one.

If two queries have the same intent, use one page. If the intent differs, split them. "keyword planner" is a tool hunt. "what is a keyword" needs an explainer.

## What to put on the page

- Put the head term in the title, within about 60 characters.
- Answer the intent above the fold. One clear sentence that matches the query.
- Use related queries as H2s and in natural sentences.
- Show examples, screenshots or steps that match the search task.
- Link from related pages with consistent anchor text.
- Keep the page fast: LCP under 2.5 seconds and CLS under 0.1 as of 2026.

## Traps to avoid

- Keyword cannibalisation, two pages on the same keyword. Pick a winner and merge or redirect.
- Intent mismatch, writing sales copy for an informational query or vice versa.
- Chasing broad head terms first when you could win specific long queries now.
- Measuring by position alone. Track clicks and conversions from the query too.

> Keyword density and the meta keywords tag are relics Google ignores.

## Questions

### What is the difference between a keyword and a search query?

A keyword is the search you choose to target. A search query is what a user types. You pick one as your head term and group the close queries under it.

### How many keywords should a page target?

One intent per page. That often means one head term plus a handful of close variants in the same cluster. If a variant needs a different answer, make a new page.

### Can one page rank for many keywords?

Yes, if they share an intent. A strong page can earn impressions on dozens of close queries. You do not need a separate page for each small wording change.

### How do I check my keyword rankings?

Open Search Console and filter to your page. Look at Queries to see position, impressions and clicks for each search. Track changes over rolling 28 day windows.

### What is keyword difficulty?

It is an estimate of how hard it is to rank on a query. Use it to compare targets, and favour terms where sites like yours already rank on page one.

### What if two of my pages target the same keyword?

You have keyword cannibalisation. Pick the stronger page, move the best content into it, and redirect the weaker one. Update internal links to the winner.

## Read next

- [Search query](https://porteur.ai/glossary/search-query): A search query is what a person types or says to a search engine. See yours, read intent from the results page, and turn queries into pages that win.
- [Search intent: what the results page tells you to build](https://porteur.ai/guides/search-intent): Learn the four intents, read intent from the results page, and fix pages that will never rank by changing their kind, not just the words.
- [Keyword difficulty](https://porteur.ai/glossary/keyword-difficulty): Keyword difficulty is a tool’s estimate of how hard page-one is. Here is how to read it, when to ignore it and what to do on a small site.
- [Keyword clustering](https://porteur.ai/glossary/keyword-clustering): Keyword clustering groups queries that one page should answer. Use results-page overlap to form clusters, then build one strong page for each.
- [Keyword research from Search Console alone](https://porteur.ai/guides/search-console-for-keyword-research): Use Search Console alone to find queries you already earn, gaps with impressions and no page, long questions, and pages that compete. Build a plan.
- [How to see your keyword rankings in Search Console](https://porteur.ai/guides/how-to-check-keyword-rankings-in-search-console): Use the Performance report as a free rank tracker. Filter by query or page, add country and device, compare dates, and read what average position hides.

Paste your URL to get, in about thirty seconds, the keywords your pages could win next and three concrete fixes to capture them. Free check: https://porteur.ai/