Single or Plural Keywords in Titles

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   eugbugposted 3 years ago

   In general are plural or singular keywords better in titles or does it make any difference as regards traffic?

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      theraggededgeposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      It has to be whatever makes sense and is grammatically correct

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         eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         I'm thinking of one of my maths guides that I changed the title of a few months ago. Part of the title was ".....Angles of Triangles." Now it's "...Angles of a Triangle....."

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      Kenna McHughposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      You can write them so they make sense to the reader. If the topic is plural, then write them plural.

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         eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

         But if both make sense, which is better or does it really matter?

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            Kenna McHughposted 3 years agoin reply to this

            If you are talking about one triangle, then "Angles of a Triangle." But, if it's about more than one triangle, then "Angles of Triangles." For example, "Finding the Angles in a Triangle" or "Finding the Angles in Triangles."

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               eugbugposted 3 years agoin reply to this

               I know, but my point is which in general would be advisable to use in titles?
               Does it depend on a specific object or can we say from stats that people search for phrases with singular words rather than plural words or vice versa? Does it matter from an SEO point of view which we use?

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                  Kenna McHughposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  I am tracking. It doesn't matter single or plural.

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                  Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                  As everyone is telling you, it doesn’t matter. The crucial thing is to keep the grammar correct. Besides, Google handles it well. If people search using plural keywords, Google will match it to similar singular keywords as well, and visa versa.

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                     PaulGoodman67posted 3 years agoin reply to this

                     It can matter, I believe. "Card" and "cards", for instance, has different connotations and produces different results for the searcher.
                     
                     Generally speaking, I think Google has got much better at guessing what the searchers want and what an article is about, but I personally would still experiment with your own searches and analyze the titles thrown up.

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                        lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

                        Yeah, I would not really bother unless the results would be different. But testing never hurts because other than ranking there's also the human element and what they would more likely click on.

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      OldRosesposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      I create my titles and subtitles by using what someone would type into Google if they were looking for information on my topic.  For instance:  How to grow (plant)  or How to harvest (vegetable).

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   PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

   It's a very good question and similar to some of the dilemmas that I encounter.
   
   One thing I do is experiment with using the keywords in question for searches. Then I look at what's at the top of the search results and draw conclusions. For instance, if there are titles with plurals and singular appearing, it's obviously okay for either.
   
   That's the best answer I can think of. I believe that Google is often clever enough to equate keywords when overall meaning of title is the same, but not always.
   
   You can also try variations in the SEMRush etc. but I'm not sure how great they are for this problem?

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   eugbugposted 3 years ago

   When I was checking titles on Ubersuggest, there was a massive difference in estimated traffic between "weed names" and "weeds names", so I went for the more grammatically incorrect version for the URL, then changed the title.

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      Glenn Stokposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      You stumbled upon something I didn’t consider. That is, the results are dependent on the “Search Intent” of the person searching.
      
      That’s a good catch, Eugene. Evidently, Google considers that too in their algorithm.
      
      That is explained in this article:
      
      https://morningscore.io/singular-plural-seo-keywords
      
      And here is another:
      
      https://www.searchenginejournal.com/sin … le/373297/

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   lobobrandonposted 3 years ago

   Angles of a Triangle is what I would google if I were to look it up.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 3 years ago

   I see Google as like someone who organizes blind dates. They try to figure out what the searcher wants, and what all the articles are all about, and try to provide a match. Both elements are equally important.
   
   There is no substitute for empirical research in my opinion. While "weed" and "weeds", plus "card" and "cards" are extreme examples, I know that there are multiple much more subtle ones.
   
   Plus you always need to search every keyword/phrase you use anyway, so that you can analyze the competition in the top ranks. So it isn't really any extra work, if you're taking keyword analysis seriously (which you should).

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      lobobrandonposted 3 years agoin reply to this

      Yup lol

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