Necessary to optimize for singular and plural versions of KW

29 Mar 10 5:44 am

joeleighton wrote:Let's assume the KWs are cure disease and disease cure. I want to rank for both.

Google shows the same traffic and Traffic Travis rates both KWs as 4 stars - relatively ez.

1. Should I use both variants when I write the page or would only one (the easiest to write for) be sufficient?

If both have good search volumes and not difficult to rank for, then you should choose the keyword that would naturally flow within your article.

joeleighton wrote:2. Same question for cure disease and cure diseases.

Choose the one with the higher search volume. Though some prefer to optimize for both keywords and create a two-page article.

30 Mar 10 6:21 am

joeleighton wrote:

michellerana wrote:If both have good search volumes and not difficult to rank for, then you should choose the keyword that would naturally flow within your article.

If I choose one, will I rank for both?

Yes, search engines will display similar (but not totally the same) results if you type in cure disease and disease cure.

joeleighton wrote:

michellerana wrote:Choose the one with the higher search volume. Though some prefer to optimize for both keywords and create a two-page article.

Well, I want to rank for both singular and plural. What does Mark recommend?

Thanks, Joe

You could create a two-page article to rank for both keywords.

30 Mar 10 2:38 pm

Hey Joel,

Nobody can really predict what the search engines are going to do. You just have to do the best you can and make it easiest for search engines to find you.

#1 you want to choose the most relevant keyword. So if you are trying to promote a disease cure then you would want to use "disease cure" over "disease cures" because the latter might be someone looking for different options while the first one might be for someone looking for "the" cure. Hopefully that makes sense.

#2 you want to write so that it sounds naturally. If using variation sounds natural then do it. If not, then don't. Google is always trying to filter out the junk and get the real and natural info out there. So there isn't any point in trying to outsmart the search engines.

#3 if you really want to rank for both words because they are both really highly searched and relevant then write 1 really long article (1100 words or more) and split it into a 2 part article with 1 titled using the "singular keyword - part 1" and the other with "the plural keyword - part 2". Then link the two together.

Cheers,

-Tom