Which is better to use, plural or singular? I had read somewhere that the SEs don't care, but YES THEY DO! I am rated #1 or quite high for the plural terms (which I use in my title tag) but are way down the line for the singular. Both versions are used within the content of my site. BL anchor text uses both as well. So why the difference? Should I revert back to using the singular term or leave it as is? The terms I use are searched both ways, but by my logs, it seems the singular is used more often by visitors. Any thoughts??
I use whatever looks best, if when you read the word out u add an s on the end then thats what i would use.
It can go either way. For instance your recent blog has 'youth club' in it. It just depends on whether someone is searching for 'youth club' or 'youth clubs'. But what I am trying to figure out is which is best for search engines. If I keep it plural, would a SE know that it contains the singular as well? Or if I switch back to singular version, does a SE know to use different versions (club, clubs, clubbing, clubbed, etc). Am I restricting it by using the plural?
would i wanna visit my local youth clubs sound right? if your site targets we sell apples then go for apples if it targets an apple a day keeps the doc away then go for apple.
It targets both...it is the site that is in my sig. But what if I am only searching for 'youth club' or 'youth clubs'. If I am looking for youth clubs, why would I type in 'visit my local youth club'. What if I am just looking for a list of youth clubs. I would type in either one. I don't think most people enter search phrases like that. If I am looking for a auto parts store, would I type in 'visit auto parts store' or 'find auto parts store'? I don't, I just type in 'auto parts store' or just 'auto parts' It's like searching for 'discount widget' or 'discount widgets'. It all depends on the how the person is searching. I don't think you quite understand my question. I am trying to figure out which is best for SEO to have the terms come up relatively high in the SERPS for both the plural and singular.
Can't you use both? i.e. title like "Youth Clubs - Resources to Find a Youth Club Near You", or something like that.
"Youth Club" and "Youth clubs" are treated as two different key phrases. Somehow you have used "Youth Clubs" more than "Youth Club" in your content, META description, link anchor text, directory submissions etc. I don't think there is any immediate solution to it. You may use the phrase "youth club" in your future directory submission, meta desiption, title, within the main content of the page, etc. In that way you will start rank high for that particular key phrase. But, it again depends on how competitive the phrase is
Thanks maldives, I think that is the answer I was looking for. I use both terms throughout, but I believe most of my BLs use the plural. And, yes, it is fairly competitive - but I think the plural KWs are less competitive.
By and large plural versions of the same keyword have twice the searches of singular. However, with specific searches its what makes best sense. Take a look at the Digital Point keyword suggestion tool.