Other forms: keywords
A keyword is a word people search for that you want to be found by. Keyword research, target a keyword, keyword density.
Choosing them is the foundation of search optimisation, and the useful ones are usually specific rather than broad — competing for a single common word is hopeless. Keyword stuffing is the discredited practice of repeating them until a page reads badly. In programming, a keyword is a word reserved by the language. Note key as an adjective meaning essential.
1nounkeywordA word people search for that you want to be found by.
“To help customers find her bakery online, she added keywords like 'fresh bread' to her website.”
2nounreservedA word reserved by a programming language.
“The language has roughly thirty-five keywords.”
keyword is a significant word.
Key plus word, from the nineteenth century for an index term. The search and programming senses both borrowed it.
From key + word.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Marketing & Advertising