What Are Informational Keywords?
Alright, let’s get straight to it. Informational keywords are the terms or phrases people type into search engines when they’re looking to learn something.
You know, when you hit up Google asking, “How to unclog a sink,” “When is Mother’s Day,” or “What is Bitcoin?” You’re using informational keywords.
Now, these aren’t just random queries. They serve a clear purpose. When you search using informational keywords, you’re in “learning mode.”
You’re not necessarily planning to buy anything or take immediate action. You’re looking for answers, tips, or just trying to satisfy your curiosity.
The Form Information Keywords Usually Take
A lot of times, these keywords sound like questions because, well, they usually are.
They often start with “what,” “why,” “how,” or “when.”
But don’t get boxed in by this; they can also be worded as phrases such as: “tips for gardening” or “history of the internet.”
Why You Should Care About Informational Keywords
Now you might be thinking, “Okay, but if people aren’t buying, why should I care?”
Good question!
The answer is: to build trust and authority.
By answering people’s questions and giving them the information they’re looking for, you’re setting yourself up as an expert in your field. So, when they are finally ready to buy, guess who they’ll think of? Yep, you!
How Informational Keywords Tie Into The Bigger Picture
You might remember our previous post on transactional keywords – those are the terms people use when they’re ready to take action, like making a purchase.
Informational keywords are kind of like the step before that, also known as being higher up in the marketing funnel.
Think of it as warming up before the big game. Once you’ve provided value through informational keywords, you can guide people to take action with transactional keywords.
To understand how they work together, check out this post from Search Engine Journal.
Why Are Informational Keywords Important?
Better Search Ranking
First off, lots of people search for informational keywords.
So, if you target them, your website is likely to show up in more search results. And since these keywords often have less competition, even smaller websites have a chance to rank well. Which is why they are especially important for new websites to use.
More Website Visitors
This kind of ties in with the last point but like I said, these keywords often get searched a lot.
This means that you have more opportunities to get organic traffic to your website. Sure, they might not buy anything right away, but they’ll remember you when they’re ready to make a purchase.
Information Keywords Build Trust
When you answer someone’s question or help them with a problem, without them feeling like they are being asked for something in return, they’re naturally going to have more trust in you.
This trust is important for building a loyal following.
Informational Keywords Will Attract Backlinks Naturally
Backlinks are something that I haven’t talked about too much on this blog as of yet because I don’t think it’s the most important thing people should be thinking about when they are just starting out. However, I still think they are essential in terms of ranking better and in turn, driving more organic traffic to your website.
By focusing on writing helpful content that uses informational keywords, other websites are more likely to link to your website naturally. Much more so than to any content focusing on transactional content.
These backlinks are very good for your site’s overall search ranking. And by just writing good informational content that hopefully can attract some backlinks over time, you are really doing two important things at once. Manually trying to build backlinks is difficult and time consuming, and in my opinion a waste of your time when starting out.
How to Use Informational Keywords In Your Content
Find The Keywords You Want To Use: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find out what people are searching for. Like I said in my previous post about finding your niche, you can also just start typing words related to your topic into Google search and see what autocomplete phrases start coming up. If questions on the topic start coming up, that usually means that people are searching those questions and want that information. So give it to them!
Pick Relevant Keywords: Choose keywords that are relevant to what you offer. Don’t just pick any high-volume keyword, especially with new websites, it’s better to target the long-tail keywords or key phrases with lower search volume as you will have a better chance to rank for those.
Write Good Content Using Those Keywords: Answer the question or solve the problem that the keyword suggests in your content. Be clear and straightforward, and as helpful as possible. Try to write as if you are teaching someone who is a beginner.
Link to Other Content: You can connect this informational content to your product pages or other types of content. For example, if you already have a post about transactional keywords, linking the two together makes sense. This not only brings people to your money making blog pages indirectly, it also strengthens your authority on the topic.
Linking It All Together
Informational keywords help you get found by more people, make you look trustworthy, and even improve your website’s search ranking.
If you’re already familiar with transactional keywords, combining both types can give you a balanced and effective SEO strategy. So if you are serious about ranking and building authority in your niche, I highly suggest you start making use of informational content.
I hope this post helped you get a clearer idea of what informational keywords are and why they matter.
If you found this post helpful, you might also be interested in some of my other recent blog posts which cover ways to use AI to generate monthly income and how to use ChatGPT to brainstorm blog content ideas.
Hi there! I’m Carmine, the chief editor and friendly face behind Earnings Engineer. With nine years of experience marketing and making money online, I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge and empowering others to achieve financial freedom. As we explore new opportunities together, let’s build our dream lives—one smart move at a time!
