I have often seen WA members ask if they can use keywords that are either not grammatically correct or a group of single relevant keywords. The simple answer to both is NO. You should always use a keyword that is grammatically correct and makes sense when it is read.

WHAT IF IT HAS A LOW QSR?

It is important to understand that you can still get ranked for those grammatically incorrect keywords and keywords that are just groups of relevant words WITHOUT you having to use them. How? Google will find them in different areas of your content.

When people type these groups of relevant words or grammatically incorrect keywords into Google, if your content is thorough and best answers the keyword query, Google will show your post. For a great reading experience the keyword you use must be spelled correctly.

Take a look at the image above. The keyword “Steven Bransfield FTC” which has a QSR of 3, is not a grammatically correct keyword. It is just a bunch of words. Separately “Steven Bransfeld” and “FTC” are keywords but not together as one, yet I am ranked on page 1 position 7.

When you look at the meta title and description of my post on Google page 1 position 7 in above image, the keyword “Steven Bransfield FTC” appears nowhere as a complete keyword. They do appear in my title but not together, yet Google is still ranking me for them as if they were.

This is more proof that when you write content that contains a lot of information about your chosen topic, Google will rank you for keyword queries you never actually used together as one. Look at my WA Blog in image below. It is ranked page 1 position 2 for “Steven Bransfield FTC.”

Do you see the keyword query “Steven Bransfield FTC” in the title or together as one in the meta description? NO, you do not. But Google has read my entire WA Blog and has determined that it should be ranked on page 1 position 2 because it fully represents that keyword query.

If your content is in depth in its explanation of your topic, and it fully answers any questions that people may search for, you will rank for other keywords you did not actually use. As far as the Google ranking algorithm is concerned, a keyword does not have to be grammatically correct.

The real reason why you should use only grammatically correct keywords is because you are writing your content for a human audience NOT Google. When your content reads and flows naturally it gives a great User Experience (UX) and this is a major Google ranking factor.

NEXT UP = Do I need a Target Keyword to get ranked?