# What is Keyword?

> A keyword is a word or phrase people type into Google, such as ‘boiler repair Exeter’, that you want your website to appear for.

- Source: https://nerdsharks.com/glossary/keyword
- Publisher: Nerdsharks (Exeter, Devon, UK)
- Updated: 2026-09-26

Also called: search term, search query, key phrase, keyword research.

In SEO, a keyword is not a single word; it is whatever someone types or says into a search engine. ‘Plumber’, ‘plumber near me’ and ‘how much does a plumber charge per hour’ are all keywords.

Keyword research means finding out which phrases your customers actually use and how often. The words you use in your line of work are not always the words customers search for: they might search ‘boiler not working’ rather than ‘boiler fault diagnosis’.

Stuffing a phrase into a page over and over does not work and reads badly. The aim is one clear topic per page, written naturally in the words customers use.

## Why it matters for a small business

If your website talks about ‘arboricultural services’ and your customers search ‘tree surgeon’, you are invisible to them. Picking the right phrases for each page is the cheapest way to make sure the right people find you.

**Example:** A groomer's services page mentions ‘dog grooming’, ‘puppy groom’ and ‘nail clipping’ in the headings and text, because those are the phrases local dog owners type in.