What is the difference between search terms and keywords?

Helium Scout
2 min readMar 1, 2022

--

What is the difference between search terms and keywords?

One of the biggest challenges in digital advertising is learning the nuances of the industry, including the large set of terminology. A common issue, even among experienced advertisers, is using the terms “keyword” and “search term” interchangeably. Both are critical components of PPC advertising, and are closely related, yet have different meanings.

Keywords vs. search terms

Keyword

A keyword is an exact word or phrase a marketer is targeting in a paid or organic search campaign. For instance, to win an auction for “meal delivery,” you’d need to make that your keyword phrase.

Keywords are what marketers and advertisers identify as central to the business they work for, used to define their overall strategy.

Search terms

Search terms or queries are what a user types into a search box.

The set of words may be out of order, have other words tacked on, be only somewhat related to the actual search term, or even include misspellings, which can be corrected by google automatically.

What’s the difference & how do they relate?

The major difference between the two depends on who uses them and why:

· Marketers use keywords to create SEO and PPC campaigns

· Searchers use queries to research information online

Typically, users don’t even know what keywords are, or what specific keywords brands are targeting. They just type words into a search box, hoping to find information on a product or service that will meet their needs.

Conversely, marketers use search terms and queries to help inform their keywords. It would be impossible to target every single search query that users type into search engines. Hence, marketers try to make sense of them and strategize over them to determine keywords to find the best match for what potential customers are searching.

Use search terms to inform your keywords

The difference between keywords vs. search terms is subtle but essential. Knowing how to distinguish between the two — and how to use them with one another — will increase your chances of connecting with the most relevant target audience.

HeliumScout provides the best solution in Product hunting and Seller solutions. HeliumScout is a Multi-Purpose platform That serves as a sales booster platform for your eCommerce Business.

For more Information visit
www.heliumscout.com

--

--

Helium Scout
0 Followers

Helium Scout is a leading product hinting tool. It helps in product hunting, tracking, keyword research, profit collection, product evaluation and linking.