Keywords should really be KeyPhrases ?

[Digmen1]

Hi Guys

I am new to this keywords thing.

As a manufacturer with a new unique product we want to drive traffic to our website (obviously)

On working on Google Adwords - everyone says target your keywords, but they really mean KeyPhrases, Don't They.

Our product is to do with coffee, (but its not coffee) its a coffee widget that no one has heard of.

So we cannot use Coffee as a keyword as that would never get found.

So we need top use keyword phrases, ie "Coffee widget great"
of "Coffee Widget does this"

I just think that Google and SEO people should use the term KeyPhrase, rather than keyword.

I mean nobody is going to search for "Cars"

[Leosghost]

"percolator" is a word ..as is "cafetiere" they are not phrases .

some people can get by with one word others need two ..or more

[tangor]

In general use these two terms appear to have the same meaning within the search/adwords/adsense theaters. Regardless what you call it, you have to play the game the way it is structured or fail.

[Robert Charlton]

I don't like "keywords" at all to describe targeted words or phrases. It's very easy to get "keywords" mixed up with "meta keywords," and I think a lot of newbies in particular get extremely confused by this. For that reason, some years back I suggested that the name of this forum be changed, but no one got enthusiastic about the idea. ;)

I generally say "search terms" or "search targets" when I discuss initial word/phrase suggestions with clients, and I offer a little explanation that we're just talking about the words that people are likely to type into the search box, and there's nothing technical about what we call them.

[tangor]

I agree 100%, both with the confusion some have and the solution!

I might be simplistic, but as far as I can tell search is based on words, and words are all we have. Combination of words is step two, ie. "widgets" and "red widgets" or even "flaming red widgets". There's a core word and an adjective (adverb) and the mystery is how the search engines deal with that combination. And, to honor the OP's original statement, anything more than a "word" is a "phrase". Most accurately stated.

That said, I see it as a word plus a word plus another word, each independent until "magically" assembled into a phrase that leads to a result...the desired result: MY WEB PAGE! (chuckles)