Google wants to place all the emphasis on quality content and has backed up that desire with the semantic search changes in their Hummingbird algorithm. Gone are the days of stuffing keywords into content as much as possible, without going crazy, to satisfy the search engines.   Gone are the days where the exact phrase needed to be in the content a few times. Now Google claims to be smart enough to understand the intent of a search query and then match it to content based on that content rather than simply matching actual word in a keyword phrase.

So does that mean we can forget about keywords?

Unless Google has figured out how to read your mind (scary thought) searchers still have to enter something into a search engine. Google cannot return any information without a request for that information. The keywords if you will.

Perhaps “keywords” no longer fits. Maybe search query phrase is a better fit for today’s search model. Whatever you call it, a search still begins when we type in a request for information. And then Google needs to recognize and understand that your website contains the most relevant information for that particular search query.  Search engine optimization remains the most effective way to achieve this.

We are still competing with many many other businesses out there for the coveted top search results spots. So then, a case can be made for continuing keyword or search query phrase research. You still want to provide information that many people are seeking and yet still don’t have too many other businesses fighting for. You want to fish where the fish are, but without a bunch of other fisherman.