Keyword Order is Important to Google

[MathsIsFun]

For some time now I have been chasing a paricular keyphrase, and have been interested/annoyed/confused that if I turn it backwards I get listed well. Unfortunately people don't often put the keywords in the wrong order :)

Using thumbshots clever tool, here are a few examples (NOT the keywords I am chasing, just examples):

http://ranking.thumbshots.com/?q1=se...h&e2=google&p=

http://ranking.thumbshots.com/?q1=we...b&e2=google&p=

Or just check your rankings using your favorite tool with your keywords in a different order ... you may rank quite well ... for unlikely searches !

So, does this mean that we should put more emphasis (somehow) on the first word in any keyphrase? Mention it a little more often on our pages and IBLs? Or just hope people like putting words in the order wrong ...

[mj2043]

Interesting tool..

I think we put more emphasis on how people serach on phrases. Otherwise it like targetting typos.

[google junky]

If you were working to get Leather Jackets as your phrase then you would leave it the way it is. You gain the search for Leather Jackets and Jackets. Then your side pages could work from that as well for different type of Leather Jackets. If you want to mix things up then do it on side pages, Don't do anything that would mess up your goal keyphrase on the index page.

Thanks AvgJoe
That ranking tool you showed is the coolest thing I have seen in awhile. Gives a lot of info I usually have to do manually. Thank goodness for a visual reference.

[MathsIsFun]

Yeah, it is a "cool tool", but you need to be in the top 100 to show up of course - exciting when you are!

But even if you are outside the 100 it has lots of uses to see how keyword variations work, contrasting the SEs, etc.

I actually found it on this forum somewhere, just can't remember where.