What Is a Keyword, Really?

A keyword is simply the word or phrase that a real person types into the Google search bar when looking for your service or product. That’s it. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated—just what actual humans type when they need something you offer.

The Disconnect Between Your Business and Your Customers

Here’s something that happens more often than you’d think: a business owner hands over a list of their services to an SEO expert, who then researches those exact terms and builds an optimization strategy around them. Sounds logical, right?

The problem is that nobody asked whether customers actually use those words.

Think about it this way—every keyword is just a phrase that a real person types into Google when they need something. But if you’re optimizing for terms that nobody searches for, you’re essentially putting up a billboard in an empty field. No matter how much effort you put into online presence optimization, it won’t matter if you’re targeting the wrong words.

Why do SEO experts use the wrong terms?

Most keyword research happens in complete isolation from the actual business. The expert pulls up tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, analyzes data, and delivers a report—without ever stepping into your customers’ shoes.

Here’s what typically goes wrong:

One common issue is using your internal terminology without realizing customers speak a different language. Your business might call something a “school year program” internally, but parents searching online type “after school program.” If you optimize for your internal terminology, you’ll rank for searches that never happen.

Another problem is relying entirely on SEO tools without ever googling the keywords. Many experts see numbers in tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush and assume they understand the intent, but numbers don’t tell you what people actually want to find.

What does “search intent” actually mean, and why does it matter?

Search intent is simply what someone hopes to find when they type a keyword. Getting this wrong can waste your entire optimization effort.

Real example: imagine optimizing your website for “the grill New York” because it has decent search volume. You assume people want to buy grills. But actually? They’re looking for The Grill restaurant. Same keyword, completely different intent.

Another example: “scenic cruise Sarasota” might seem perfect for your sightseeing boat tour. But google it yourself, and you’ll see results for dinner cruises, party boats, and all kinds of other experiences. The keyword is too broad to capture your specific audience.

How can you avoid these mistakes?

The fix is simpler than you think, but it requires stepping away from the spreadsheet:

Test every keyword yourself. Once you identify potential keywords, actually google them. Look at what comes up. Does it match what you offer? Or are the results all over the place?

Think like your customer. Forget what you call your services internally. Imagine you’re someone who needs what you offer. What would you type into Google? Try those searches and see what happens.

Understand your business deeply. If someone else is doing keyword research for you, make sure they truly understand what you offer and who your customers are. The disconnect between researcher and business is where most mistakes happen.

Remember the Human Behind the Search

This might sound obvious, but it’s worth repeating: there’s a real person behind every search, with a specific need and intent.

When you forget that, keywords become just words on a list. When you remember it, they become conversations with potential customers—and you can finally join those conversations in the right place, at the right time.