The 4 Parts of a Keyword
In information retrieval, an index word, subject word, topic phrase, or label, in an information source, is a single term that capture the meaning of the entire topic of an article. Index words create a controlled vocabulary for future use in bibliographical records. The terms are often descriptive, although not always. For example, the computer search engine term “index term” can mean many different things.
Search Engine Results Keywords are used by Google and other major search engines in order to rank websites according to the relevance they bring. To that end, search engines use algorithms to assign keywords to web pages based on their relative placement in the index, frequency of use, and frequency with which they appear in search results. Certain keywords, especially important, get higher rankings. A site’s popularity is determined largely by the amount of relevant keywords it has collected over time.
Page Rank – A measure of how much search engine traffic the page has generated since being indexed. This is based on data gathered from past keyword phrases. The most relevant keywords are likely to have generated the most search engine traffic, which improves its ranking. This is one way Google helps their users to find sites.
Keyword Positioning – The keywords that appear in the first three to five lines of an article or page are called “boundaries”. They define the level of importance the page has for a search engine optimization project. The closer they are to the beginning of the article or page, the more relevant they are. Theboundaries are also a measure of competition.
Intended Use – How closely the keywords fit the intended purpose. This is what will give a site high ranking. This is also the primary factor in determining a page’s ranking. For instance, if the goal is to provide an advertisement to a website visitor, then the keywords used are not relevant if the website visitor is looking for information about that topic. Google does not consider these types of pages to be relevant, but Google still places them high because they fit the intent of the page.
Meta Description – A short description of the keyword or phrase that Google deems to be most important. It appears in the title tag and within the body of the text. It is important that the description properly explains the keyword or phrase that is important to the user. The title tag and meta description are also used in the search engine ranking process. Meta descriptions can have a great deal of effect on a sites ranking.