All language subtitles for 02 - Keyword concepts Plurals

- [Instructor] Did you know

that one single letter in your search phrase

can predict with surprising success

your propensity to be a buyer or a browser?

If you're shopping and just beginning your research,

you're most likely to use the plural form of a word,

like vacations, printers, or presents.

If you're ready to make a decision,

you're most likely to use a singular version of a word,

such as California hiking vacation or HP laser printer.

One of the questions I'm asked most is,

when and how should I use plurals in my keyword strategy?

And that's a great question

because it is a fundamental part of understanding searchers,

but it also shows how Google's domination and technology

has changed how we use search and the results we see.

This is because of the evolution

of machine learning, context, and semantics.

In the past if you searched for

"places to eat in San Francisco,"

Google and other search engines

would attempt to answer the search

by looking for pages that matched

or contained the exact words of that entire phrase,

including places to and in.

But in 2013, Google rolled out an update,

referred to as the Hummingbird Update,

which started moving towards a semantic

and contextual approach to search queries.

So now if I search for "places to eat in San Francisco,"

Google would look for the meaning

and the intent of the phrase and answer that,

rather than finding pages

that simply match the words in my search phrase.

So regardless if I searched for

"places to eat," or "restaurants,"

or "best restaurants," or "diner," or even "fast food,"

my intent is to find food near my location

and that determines the results,

not a simple matching of words.

This technology improves search every year

as machine learning develops a greater matching

of intent and context to very specific applications.

Naturally, search phrases encompass forms of words,

as well as roots, stems, synonyms, and misspellings.

As a website owner, you don't have to be overly concerned

about matching the exact key words that searchers use.

It provides you the freedom to develop high quality content

that naturally uses related words and synonyms

and more importantly context.

The words associated and used

alongside the primary keyword phrase

are just as important as the keyword.

So from a content optimization standpoint,

I don't have to worry

if I'm using the correct order of words

or singular or plural

in a phrase like Yosemite hiking tours on my page.

Rather, I need to ensure that the surrounding content,

words, and context properly relates these concepts

to the searcher.

The entire sum of the content of the page

should support the relevance for those words.

So back to the original question,

should I use plural or singular?

Here's the answer.

First, listen to your customers

and how they use their words.

Read their emails and reviews,

see how they utilize singular and plural words

and other words that provide synonyms or content.

You'll typically find that people use plurals

for more general words,

and they'll use singular when they're being more specific.

Use that as a guide in developing your content.