Glossary
Keywords
The words people type into search. In search advertising you bid on them; in SEO you build pages around them. In affiliate work, keywords tell you what a buyer wants before they see an ad.
Also called: keys, search terms.
In Google Ads a keyword is what triggers your ad; match types decide how loosely. In SEO it is the query a page is meant to rank for. In both cases the keyword carries intent: "best crm for small business" and "crm" are different customers.
Media buyers also use keywords as research: search volume shows demand by GEO, and competitors' ads on a keyword show what converts.
Related terms: Contextual advertising, Organic traffic, Spy tool.