A keyword, in natural referencing, refers to the exact query that an internet user types into Google to find information, a product, or a service. Choosing the main keyword for a page means deciding which specific question this page will answer. Making a mistake at this stage renders the rest of the SEO work useless because the content targets a query where it has no chance of ranking, or a query that does not attract the right audience.
Filter keywords absorbed by Google’s AI previews
Since the deployment of AI-generated summaries directly in search results, some queries generate almost no clicks to websites. Google displays a complete answer at the top of the page, and the user no longer needs to visit an organic link.
Before finalizing a main keyword, you should type the query into Google and observe the SERP. If an AI preview or a featured snippet fully answers the question, the click-through rate on standard results drops significantly, even in first position.
Choosing the keyword 1 to prioritize therefore involves eliminating queries where Google already provides the answer without the user needing to click. Queries that require extensive development, a comparison, or a contextualized opinion remain those where organic clicks retain their value.
Search intent: the criterion that takes precedence over volume
The monthly search volume is the first figure that tools display, and the first trap. A keyword typed thousands of times a month is worthless if the internet users entering it do not match your target audience.
Four types of intent to distinguish
Search intent is classified into four categories: informational (learning something), navigational (finding a specific site), commercial (comparing before buying), and transactional (buying or contacting). An informational keyword attracts cold traffic. A transactional keyword attracts a user ready to take action.
The page you create must correspond to the dominant type of intent for the targeted keyword. If the SERP only displays product listings and you publish a guide, Google will not rank you, regardless of your level of optimization.
Analyze the SERP before validating the keyword
A detailed analysis of the first page for a candidate keyword reveals:
- The dominant type of content (long guide, product sheet, video, interactive tool) indicating what Google considers the best answer
- The preferred editorial format (bullet list, step-by-step tutorial, comparison in table form) that guides the structure of your own page
- The freshness of the displayed results, as a SERP composed of recent pages signals that Google values updates, while a SERP stable for years indicates positions that are very difficult to dislodge
A keyword whose SERP contains no content similar to yours is a keyword to be avoided, even if its volume seems attractive.
Positioning difficulty: assess your real chances on the first page
SEO tools assign a difficulty score to each keyword. This score generally aggregates the authority of domains already positioned and the number of inbound links pointing to these pages. But this number alone is not enough.
A recent or low-authority site does not have the same chances as a site established for years. Difficulty is always measured relative to your own profile: domain authority, number of indexed pages, quality of internal linking, publication history.
For a modest site, targeting a long-tail keyword (three words or more) offers a double advantage. The competition is lower, and the search intent is often more precise, thus more qualified. A page that ranks for “choosing main keyword web page” captures more targeted traffic than a page trying to rank for “SEO keyword.”
Confront the difficulty score with the reality of results
Open the top three results for your candidate keyword. Observe the depth of content, the number of visible inbound links in an analysis tool, and the structure of the page. If these pages are significantly above what you can produce in terms of depth and authority, the keyword is premature for your site.
It is better to rank on the first page for a moderately voluminous keyword than to stagnate on the third page for a popular keyword. The traffic from a low-volume but well-ranked keyword far exceeds that of a high-volume keyword where you are invisible.
Business relevance: the filter that tools do not calculate
Correct volume, accessible difficulty, intent aligned with your content: there remains one criterion that tools do not measure. The keyword must correspond to what you actually sell or offer.
A site that sells accounting training has no interest in ranking for “free accounting software,” even if the volume is tempting and the difficulty average. The visitor is looking for a tool, not training. Traffic arrives, but does not convert.
- The chosen keyword must describe a need that your offer directly addresses
- The content created for this keyword must be able to naturally integrate a link to your conversion page (service, product, contact)
- The visitor arriving via this keyword must immediately recognize that your page addresses their problem
The best main keyword is the one that lies at the intersection of three conditions: a search intent compatible with your content, a realistic positioning difficulty for your site, and a direct link to your activity.
A keyword that meets two of these three conditions seems promising but ultimately produces either unqualified traffic or an unreachable ranking. Validating all three before writing a single line remains the only method that avoids wasting months of content production on a poorly chosen query.