Using Quotes in the Search Bar
My husband and I did an experiment. We decided to look up some of our articles. We put them into the Google search bar using quotes and not using quotes. The results were very different! I am interested to know how many people search using quotes and how many do not. Also, what is your reasoning for doing what you do??
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I never search using quotes. That would mean I know "exactly" what I am looking for. The quotes can come in handy for checking your personal ranking, but not commonly useful for generic searching.
Interesting! Would you use quotes if you knew exactly what you were looking for? I guess we have to be more concerned about generic searches, right? Thanks for your input, Smokey!
Right. Most times when visitors come to Google, they may have a generic search in mind. For example, in the past few weeks, I've searched for the best airless paint sprayer. I did not have a specific brand in mind, I was just looking for the best one based on previous reviews.
Depending on what your focus keyword is, Google may display your post depending on its perceived relevance to the query. If it's a long tail keyword, your post could be displayed for partial matches to your keyword, or for other keywords, Google ranks your post for that you may not have even thought of.
In writing, you are still focusing on one main keyword, but I wouldn't be concerned about searching google for it, as there are a lot of working parts to the algorithm.
You'll also get different results using an incognito window or a different browser. And your geolocation often comes into it as well.
So how is one to determine when and where one shows up in Google results? What is the "RIGHT" answer for determining where we are in Google? Thanks for your input, Marion!
Check with Search Console (Webmaster Tools). You'll discover which search terms are getting clicks. If you're getting organic traffic then you're appearing near the top of some search results.
I don't use quotes. I guess I would if I was trying to see if anyone copied my stuff. In that context, using quotes is probably the quickest way to weed out copied content.
My husband contends that most people don't use quotes. I am just curious to see how many do. Thanks for your response. I will have to try them for copied content??? Take Care Wendy!
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It would depend on what my search was for. If I only wanted answers that involved specific words then I would put them in quotes. Otherwise, no quotes and get similar answers.
Derek
In our experiment, we got completely different answers! That is why I am trying to decide which is the best way to search for things in Google??? Thanks for your input Derek!