Do you track both plural and singular variations of your keywords?
-
Howdy,
In trying to make the most of the keyword tracking slots we get with the SEOmoz tool our discussion turned to the importance of tracking both variations of search terms that could be plural or singular.
The example is that we run a local business search database so we target search terms like "chicago pet stores" and "chicago pet store", however the language of our site almost always uses the plural version of the business category.
On one hand we want to know exactly how we rank for variations of search terms, but on the other, with the number of categories we have we could be tracking thousands upon thousands if we included every variation ("pet store chicago", "pet stores in chicago", etc.)
So what say ye fellow optimizers? Is it worth tracking variations of search terms or do you find that Google is smart enough in coalescing the intent of similar search variants that tracking against the most commonly searched one is enough?
Thank you all!
-
The only concern I have about getting to granular is time. Things like the 80/20 rule come to mind. You don't want to chase down minor details when there are big fish getting away. With that said, there is a lot of traffic involved with plural vs singular keywords. Your time is well spent!
-
From watching the SERPs and visitor behavior in my niche... I believe that singular queries tend to be informational.... plural queries seem to be transactional.
-
I have a subscription at both SEOMOZ & Raventools.
Read up on raven and you will see why, especially when it comes to managing many many keywords and staying on top of reporting.
-
I completely agree with you, so much so in fact that some people say I go too far with how granular I get in my data collection/analytics. This question was ultimately a spot check to see if I was going too far, or not far enough.
Thank you for your insight!
-
My problem is that I already have over 100 keywords being tracked for one site and I'm getting ready to launch 2 more, this could get cumbersome!
SEO is highly competitive. High quality SEO involves a lot of work. If it was easy, then everyone would do it
It's up to you to determine if it is worthwhile to track both. My answer is yes, it is. If you are here at SEOmoz, you clearly have a desire to implement industry best practices. SEO is purely a competition. Think Rocky and his opponent slugging it out. You are either prepared to stand toe-to-toe with your competitors and fight for rankings, or you are not. If you want to be ranked at the top, you need to EARN the position and that involves a commitment to do all the work involved.
This is my approach to SEO. Not everyone agrees
-
Yeah the search volume differs greatly, the question is just whether the page I have will rank more or less the same for the plural vs singular and if not would it be so different that it's worth tracking both.
My problem is that I already have over 100 keywords being tracked for one site and I'm getting ready to launch 2 more, this could get cumbersome!
-
This is my issue. In many cases I rank equally well for both singular and plural so it feels like a waste to use one of my keyword slots tracking both when instead I could use it to track another keyword entirely.
I guess for the time being I'll keep tracking both.
-
Agreed, i always check both singular and plural. Not only for traffic reasons but for difficulty as well!
-
For me it depends on the search results in question and also the keyword volumes in the Google Keyword Tool. More often than not, in my industry I find different results (and rankings) for the singular and plural keywords so I do keep track. It is also baffling to me that I can rank #3 for the singular version but #8 for the plural variation of the keyword. Or Google Places will show up for the singular version but not the plural!!
I also use Advanced Web Ranking to automate ranking reports so keeping track of rankings is no problem at all.
-
Do you track both plural and singular variations of your keywords?
I track both the singular and plural versions. It makes a difference. Pick a keyword such as "childrens book" and then search for "childrens books". You will see the results vary. In some instances, there is a huge difference.
According to Google's Keyword tool:
Apple - 83 million global monthly searches
Apples - 6 million global monthly searches.
To use a more relevant example:
Chicago pet store - 5400 global monthly searches
Chicago pet stores - 6600 global monthly searches
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Accurate Google Keyword Ranking for a domain
Hi Folks, SEO N00b here, in a new job so please go easy on me if i ask stupid questions. I'm looking for some clarification on Google Keyword rankings. I am looking for accurate Google Keywords rankings as when I log into Google Webmaster Tools I am given values like (6-10) for a ranking? When I used SEOMoz (Research Tools -> Keyword & Ranking -> Rank Tracker) it gives me an even less accurate range by simply saying >#50?Why is SEOMoz giving a completely useless metric? Why is its actual rank not shown? I know rankings are becoming less useful as a metric with Google moving toward personalized search but I still have reports to deliver to clients so the conversation of what metrics are going in the report is to be had another day. Right now I just want to get accurate rankings, from what I've found online Google Webmaster tools is recommended as the de-facto ranking tool but it doesn't provide accurate results so how can that be (yes I know it averages out the ranking but 6-10 is a range of values not a single value that represents an average) Dave
Moz Pro | | icanseeu0 -
Can you create in the Keyword Difficulty Tool several separate reports?
If I go now to the Keyword Difficulty Tool and submit keywords, I get one list with all keywords (let's say 300), but I have actually say 30 keywords per segment/niche I wan't to view. Is is possible to have 10 separate reports?
Moz Pro | | TrendDevelopment1 -
Keywords rankings compared competitors not working
Hello, My keywords rankings compared competitors is not working : http://screencast.com/t/x88Z6tXB2r For months I've never have any stats in the competitors columns, why ? Thank you
Moz Pro | | JeanlouisSEO0 -
How to track all domain keywords?
Hello, lets say I have domain www.example.com I want to track rankings of www.example.com/product and www.example.com/anotherproduct with different keywords, so do I have to set up 2 different campaigns? Or is it possilble to track whole root domain with paths? Thanks!
Moz Pro | | Rokas0 -
Is there a way to select multiple pre-existing keywords and assign a category to all of them?
I added a number of keywords and want to go back and categorize them. What is the easiest way to do this? I couldn't find a way to put a check mark on each of them and "apply category" so how can I do this?
Moz Pro | | BlueLinkERP0 -
Root Domain Campaign track subdomains¿?
I have set the campaign for the Root domain, hw, I'm receiving issues for both subdomains, demo and www. Our site is set to redirect all non www traffic to www, except demo, who has its own rules. Is that normal? Should I contact the support team? Thanks
Moz Pro | | MilosMilcom0 -
Does the keyword tracker take into account google base?
i just wanted to know if the ranking number allows for google products aswell?
Moz Pro | | DaveDawson0 -
Linkscape update tracking
I've got two questions really. First, is there anyway to compare your current Linkscape updates with previous updates? Second, I've made a concerted effort to gain accumulate links in strong performing domains over the past 3 months. However, Linkscape does not seem to be finding those links. Some of them are pretty straight forward, like Yahoo Directory (this went live last month). Is there a lag time between when I link to a page and when Linkscape picks up. Thanks,
Moz Pro | | vinnyb2000
Vincent0