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Web Encyclopedia

Understanding the web,
in plain English.

Keyword, KPI, Keyword Density — the K-words at the heart of every digital strategy.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
01

Keyword

A keyword is any word or phrase that a user types into a search engine to find information, products, or services. Keywords are the bridge between what your potential customers are searching for and the content you publish on your website. SEO strategy is largely built around identifying the right keywords and creating pages that answer them better than competitors.

Real-world example

Keywords are like the product names in a supermarket. If you stock 'organic sourdough bread' but your signs only say 'bakery items', customers looking specifically for sourdough won't find you — even though you have exactly what they want.

Why it matters for you

Targeting the right keywords — those with sufficient search volume and realistic competition for your site — is the single most important decision in any SEO strategy. The right keyword can bring a steady stream of qualified visitors for years.

Find my target keywords
02

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

A KPI is a measurable metric used to evaluate whether your website or marketing campaign is achieving its objectives. Common website KPIs include: number of monthly visitors, conversion rate, average session duration, bounce rate, cost per lead, and organic search ranking for target keywords. KPIs transform vague goals ('more visitors') into concrete, trackable targets.

Real-world example

KPIs are like the dashboard of your car: speed, fuel level, engine temperature. They don't drive the car for you, but without them you'd be guessing whether you're going too fast, running low on fuel, or about to overheat.

Why it matters for you

Without defined KPIs, it is impossible to know whether your investment in a website or digital marketing is working. Tracking the right metrics monthly allows you to identify what to optimise, double down on, or stop entirely.

Track my performance
03

Keyword Density

Keyword density is the ratio of how many times a target keyword appears on a page relative to the total word count. In the early days of SEO, stuffing keywords as many times as possible (keyword stuffing) helped pages rank higher. Today, Google's algorithm is sophisticated enough to penalise this. Natural, conversational use of keywords and their semantic variants is what works.

Real-world example

Writing 'our best pizza restaurant serves the best pizza in London, book the best pizza in London now' is keyword stuffing — like repeating a word so many times in a sentence that it becomes unreadable. Google, and your readers, both notice.

Why it matters for you

Focusing on keyword density as a metric is largely outdated. Instead, focus on writing genuinely useful, well-structured content that covers the topic comprehensively. Natural keyword usage follows automatically.

Create quality content
04

Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword cannibalization occurs when two or more pages on the same website target the same keyword or search intent, causing them to compete against each other. Google struggles to decide which page to rank and often ends up demoting both, leaving you worse off than if you had one strong, consolidated page.

Real-world example

A plumber who creates separate pages for "emergency plumber London," "24h plumber London," and "urgent plumber London" may find all three rank poorly — Google sees overlapping thin content instead of one authoritative, comprehensive page.

Why it matters for you

Cannibalization dilutes your link equity across multiple weak pages. Auditing your keyword coverage and merging or redirecting overlapping pages can significantly lift your rankings with minimal new content effort.

Audit my content
05

Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is a structured library of articles, FAQs, and how-to guides published on a website to help users find answers without contacting support. It reduces support workload while generating valuable, crawlable content that builds topical authority and improves SEO.

Real-world example

A SaaS company that publishes "how to set up X" guides generates ongoing organic traffic from users searching for those exact answers — while simultaneously reducing support tickets. Both benefits compound over time.

Why it matters for you

A well-structured knowledge base builds topical authority, earns natural backlinks, and captures long-tail keyword traffic. It also signals expertise to Google — a core E-E-A-T factor that directly impacts rankings.

Build my content strategy
06

Knowledge Panel

A Knowledge Panel is the information box that appears on the right side of Google search results (on desktop) when you search for a person, business, or well-known entity. It is powered by Google's Knowledge Graph and displays key facts: business name, address, phone, opening hours, website, reviews, and images. For businesses, it is generated from your Google Business Profile and verified data sources.

Real-world example

Search "Richard Lourmet web agency" and a Knowledge Panel appears on the right with the agency's address, phone number, website, opening hours, Google rating, and recent photos. This rich display occupies premium screen space, builds instant trust, and allows users to call or get directions without clicking through to the website.

Why it matters for you

Claiming and optimising your Knowledge Panel through Google Business Profile verification is one of the most impactful local SEO actions available — and it's free. A complete, verified Knowledge Panel increases your visibility, trust signals, and click-through rate for branded searches.

Optimise my Google presence
07

Knowledge Graph

Google's Knowledge Graph is a vast database of entities — people, places, organisations, products, concepts — and the relationships between them. Google uses it to understand the meaning behind search queries rather than just matching keywords. When you search "capital of Spain", Google's Knowledge Graph returns "Madrid" directly — without needing to match the exact phrase in any document. It also powers Knowledge Panels, Featured Snippets, and AI Overviews.

Real-world example

Google's Knowledge Graph understands that "Ronaldo" can refer to Cristiano Ronaldo (footballer) or Ronaldo Nazário (also a footballer) — and disambiguates based on context. Similarly, it knows that "Apple" the technology company and "Apple" the fruit are different entities — allowing precise, context-aware search results.

Why it matters for you

Modern SEO increasingly relies on being recognised as a named entity in Google's Knowledge Graph. Businesses and individuals who establish clear entity recognition — through consistent online profiles, Wikipedia mentions, and authoritative backlinks — gain broader, more stable search visibility.

Build my digital authority

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