Do keywords still matter for SEO in 2023? Less than you may think, and here’s why…
Do Keywords Still Matter for SEO?
When it comes to building a successful online presence, SEO is still critical. And for years, keywords were the centerpiece of SEO.
But as search engines have evolved (and gotten a lot smarter), it’s fair to ask:
Do keywords still matter for SEO in 2023?
Yes — but less than you may think, and the way you use them has changed.
In this article, we’ll break down how keywords fit into modern SEO, what matters more than keyword repetition, and how to use keywords properly without falling into outdated tactics.
If you want a deeper overview of SEO in general, see:
Keywords: why they may not matter as much as you think
Keywords used to be the cornerstone of optimization. If you repeated the phrase enough (and sprinkled it into headings), you could often rank.
That era is gone.
Today, Google looks at much more than exact-match keywords. Modern search systems weigh:
- Relevance to the topic
- Search intent (what the user really wants)
- Synonyms and closely-related phrases
- Term frequency (natural usage)
- Content depth and usefulness
- Authority (links, trust, brand signals)
- Page experience and technical factors
So yes, keywords still matter — but they’re only one piece of a much bigger puzzle.
What are keywords?
Keywords are the words or phrases people type into Google (or another search engine) when they’re looking for something.
In SEO, we break keywords into categories based on length and intent.
Keywords (single-word terms)
Keywords can be single words that are usually broad and very difficult to rank for.
Examples:
- Shoes
- Chocolate
- T-shirt
These terms are vague, extremely competitive, and rarely high-intent. Most searchers don’t use one-word searches when they’re ready to buy, because they already have something specific in mind.
That’s where longer keyword phrases come in.
Short tail keywords
Short tail keywords are terms with two or more words. They’re generally easier than single-word keywords, but still often vague.
Examples:
- German chocolate
- Dark chocolate chips
These can bring traffic, but many short tail searches still lean informational.
To target people who are closer to taking action, we go even further.
Long tail keywords
Long tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that typically have clear intent.
Examples:
- german chocolate cake recipe
- best german chocolate cake recipe
- german chocolate cake recipe from scratch
In general: the longer the phrase, the more specific the intent, and the more likely the searcher is looking for a solution right now.
Long tails often convert better because the person searching is trying to solve a specific problem.
Study reference:
Head vs long tail keywords
Should you use a focus keyword?
If you’ve used WordPress and Yoast SEO, you’ve probably seen the idea of a “focus keyword.”
Using a focus keyword can be helpful because it forces clarity: What is this page actually about?
But the mistake is thinking you need to cram that phrase everywhere.
A focus keyword is best used as a guiding theme. Your content should also include:
- Natural language
- Synonyms and variations
- Related subtopics
- Supporting questions people ask
More on the concept:
Yoast focus keyword
Why your web page doesn’t rank
Here’s the trap:
People write a keyword-rich article, publish it, and expect traffic to show up.
But simply writing “SEO keyword content” isn’t enough anymore.
Search engines don’t rank pages based on keywords alone. They weigh many ranking factors and attempt to surface the best answer for the user — even if the top-ranking page doesn’t use the exact phrase the user typed.
Reference:
Moz SEO ranking factors checklist
Don’t write for search engines — write for people
A lot of beginner SEOs try to write for an algorithm.
That usually backfires.
Keyword stuffing, unnatural repetition, and awkward phrasing often hurt performance because the content reads poorly and provides less value.
Instead, write for humans.
When you do, you naturally include:
- The topic keyword
- Similar phrases
- Supporting vocabulary
- Related questions and intent-driven sections
Example:
If your article is about lawn care, you can still rank for yard care because Google understands those terms as closely related — if the content is relevant and helpful.
The importance of relevance
Google is much better at understanding meaning, synonyms, and topic relationships.
But it still needs to trust that your page is truly about what the user searched.
That’s why relevance matters.
If you’re writing about baking cookies, you can support relevance by covering:
- Ingredients
- Timing and temperatures
- Tools and variations
- Common mistakes
- FAQs
But if you go off topic (like talking about computers) you dilute topical focus and reduce relevance.
Backlinks help too — but only when they come from relevant, credible sources. Old tactics like grabbing random low-quality links from unrelated sites don’t work like they used to.
How to get traffic — or lose it
Keywords can help drive targeted traffic when used naturally.
But there’s a point where keywords can hurt you:
Keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing is the practice of forcing keywords into content as many times as possible.
It’s outdated, it reads poorly, and Google generally dislikes it.
Instead, you want:
- Natural keyword usage
- Helpful synonyms
- Clear structure (headings + subtopics)
- Metadata + internal links
- Strong content depth
If you’re also pairing this with analytics and tracking (which you should), you can use that data to improve pages over time.
Get started with your SEO
So do keywords still matter for SEO in 2023?
Yes — but the way you use them has changed.
Keywords are still important for:
- Topic targeting
- Page clarity
- Matching search intent
- Building content around what people actually search
But they are not a cheat code. A page full of keywords without a strong overall SEO strategy will struggle to gain momentum.
Focus on long tail keywords, write for people, stay relevant, and build a complete strategy that supports rankings over time.
If you want help building that strategy, start here:
