Basic Keywords Question for Organic SE Traffic

[Kudek]

Hi Everyone! This is my first post, and I have a simple question:


When building your site around certain keywords specifically to get organic search engine traffic, is it better to...

...Be plural or singular? ("registry repair software reviews" VS "registry repair software review")
-- I assume that being singular is better since it's broader


...Have more words or less words? ("windows registry repair" VS "registry repair")
-- I figure that more words is better since it lends itself to being both specific with the 3-words in a row, or broad, if you look at just the 2-words.


Thanks!
Kudek

[Kudek]

And also:

...Should I put "compound" words together or keep them apart on my webpage? (e.g. "Reg Cure" or "RegCure"




(Remember, this is for my website's copy -- not for adwords or anything. I want organic search engine traffic.)

[Kudek]

Or maybe there's a third option, where I should attempt to put both ways on either or all of these above methods of putting in the keywords, to perhaps, get maximum exposure?

I'd really like some guidance on this guys and gals.

Thanks in advance,
Kudek

[rapidscc]

You should check the stats of each search phrase and decide based on the stats..

fire up keyword tool and go enter the keyword, you'll see the plural and singular searches.

As for me I decide based on where I can rank.

What I do is:

1. Check keyword
2. Go to google and search the phrase..
3. I check the top result
4. I check it's links by link:www.this_is_the_top_result.com
5. Based on the result I decide whether to use the keyword or not.
6. If there isn't much link I use the keyword whether it's plural or singular

The point here is not whether to use plural or singular but when to use it..If you think you can rank in one then use that..

Also check the difference between the searches of plural and singular..but in many cases one is almost the same as the other...

[Josh Semke]

I would say it depends. Does the singular or plural get more searches? If you do decide to use all these keywords, I'd stick to one keyword per page.

[Mike Linley]

Make sure you use your keywords in as many places on the website as possible..keyword density..in the title of the website if you can..title tage..meta tags and descriptions..in posts or articles..categories..anywhere you can put them...that way when google spiders your site it sees what the site is about and knows what to index your site under...good luck! -Mike Linley

[rapidscc]

Originally Posted by mikelinley

Make sure you use your keywords in as many places on the website as possible..keyword density..in the title of the website if you can..title tage..meta tags and descriptions..in posts or articles..categories..anywhere you can put them...that way when google spiders your site it sees what the site is about and knows what to index your site under...good luck! -Mike Linley

t


oops.. I think you shouldn't spam your own pages with keywords..

Instead I recommend you use it just enough..maybe 5 to 10 percent.

I have several ranking pages and it contains 10 keyword repetitions at most. Sometimes lower.

IMO on page optimization is becoming less important these days..what matters is the authority of the site which is usually determined by the traffic and links

[InternetMarketingIQ]

There is no one correct answer. Sometimes plurals are used more frequently than not. Depends on the niche. Use a keyword tool to dig down and find out on a case by case basis.

And the number of keywords depends on how effectively you can rank. If you are ranking well already then go for the more broad terms that deliver a higher volume of traffic. Then couple this with your narrow terms on your subpages.

The bottom line is you want keyword phrases that convert. Too broad you lose, too narrow you don't get enough traffic to make it worth the effort.

[prtt75]

...Be plural or singular? ("registry repair software reviews" VS "registry repair software review")
As what rapidscc said, look at what google is telling you about the two - what keyword is searched more often and how easy it is to rank with that keyword compared to the other one. I do always go with keywords that i believe I can rank easier then go with other one which is more difficult to rank. Why because while you are trying to rank with the more competitive keyword, your site is already on a good position to receive traffic from google as a result of optimizing for the less competitve keyword.


...Have more words or less words? ("windows registry repair" VS "registry repair")
It always follow that long tail keywords are easier to rank and sometimes convert more. Deciding which one you will go after, you can use google trends to see which one is used more often by searchers.

[Kudek]

OK, so basically you guys are telling me 'it depends so check the keywords individually and compare'.

But here's the thing: If I put the plural version of a word, and someone searches singular, they'll still find that singular word in my term on the website -- it's there (notice how Google sometimes boldens the whole word before the S when you search for a singular and get a plural word in google's results).

BUT if I put the singular word on my website, and someone searches for plural, there's a mis-match. They have an extra letter, and thus are less likely to see my site.

Am I correct in my logic?

[miwriting]

Most search engines view the singular and plural form of the keyword as different terms. So although you may think that if you optimize for the plural you are including both terms, this usually isn't the case. You're better off choosing one or optimizing for the singular on one page and optimizing for the plural on another page.

As a general rule, plural terms are usually searched for more often, but even this will vary with some search terms.

Ultimately, you have to do the research to find the right keywords and pick the ones that you think you'll have the most success with - usually a combination of broad terms with long-tail keywords. Try the various keyword research tools, but also try conducting your own searches to see where and how the results vary.