EXTAFR100/EXTAFR103/A Savvy Search System/Choosing keywords carefully

“	Matching keywords to searcher intent is critical	”
—Rand Fishkin

Choose keywords carefully

Most searches begin with a straightforward keyword search. It pays to take a few moments to consider the best keywords to use. For example, suppose you are searching for information on a game you can use to teach a concept in a chemistry class. If you type in 'chemistry game', you would expect the search engine to return anything with 'chemistry' or 'game' in the searchable information. But what if 'game' is not the best word to use? Perhaps what you are really after is a simulation? Would your search generate the results you are seeking?

Think of different words that other people may use to describe something. You may reveal hidden gems, especially when searching across a resource that lacks a defined organisational structure (i.e. the Web)!

For example, even for something as common as a writing utensil, consider all the ways that different people may choose to describe the object and how that might impact either finding what they describe or understanding what the object is.

Let's look at an example of using different search words to find or describe an object. Enter your descriptions of the image you see in this Mentimeter quiz activity for the object shown.

Once you have entered your words, you can see the voting results and compare your answers to your colleagues in this ever-changing word cloud. What does this say about keywords?