& vs and

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by akinak, Jul 30, 2008.

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  1. #1
    Do search engines take "&" different from "and" ? And does it matters if I make "and" to "&" in meta description tag to make the length of description tag small?
     
    akinak, Jul 30, 2008 IP
  2. freelistfool

    freelistfool Peon

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    #2
    I have a site that has "and" as a part of a major keyword. I don't have "&" anywhere on my site or in any external links. But I still get google traffic with "&" in it. So I don't think it matters for very popular terms.
     
    freelistfool, Jul 30, 2008 IP
  3. akinak

    akinak Peon

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    #3
    Thanks for your reply :)
     
    akinak, Jul 31, 2008 IP
  4. astup1didiot

    astup1didiot Notable Member

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    #4
    Well, lets run a quick test with the phrase "milk & crackers" vs "milk and crackers"....

    http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GFRC_enUS203__212&q=milk+&+crackers
    http://www.google.com/search?source...&rlz=1T4GFRC_enUS203__212&q=milk+and+crackers

    There is a slight difference in search results, but just in positioning and not actual sites, however this could differ with more competitive keywords and phrases. I would use "and" personally over the special "&" character any day.
     
    astup1didiot, Aug 1, 2008 IP