Have you ever wondered why Google ranks different websites on the search results pages for two keyword phrases that look very similar? It is not uncommon to see a website ranking for one keyword phrase and then not ranking for another very similar keyword phrase that could even look like a synonym.<\/p>\n
Recently, Google\u2019s John Mueller talked about this and how Google views similar-looking keywords and how it interprets the context of the search query before modifying the search results.<\/p>\n
During a Google Search Central SEO office hours session this month, someone asked the following question:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy might there be tiny differences in synonyms or such terms that make such a big difference in ranking position?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The example they used had two keyword phrases: \u201cedit video\u201d and \u201cvideo editor.\u201d<\/p>\n John Mueller answered the question by confirming that Google does not just look at synonyms, but it also looks at the full context of the search query and then makes a decision to change the search results.<\/p>\n \u201cSo from our point of view, that can be completely normal, and that\u2019s something where on the one hand, we do try to understand things like synonyms in a query.<\/em><\/p>\n But we also try to look at the full context of the query.<\/em><\/p>\n And especially when it comes to synonyms, we might assume that something is mostly a synonym, but that doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s completely a synonym,\u201d <\/em>said John Mueller.<\/p>\n He then further elaborated and explained why these two keyword phrases (edit video<\/strong> and video editor<\/strong>) may not be as synonymous as people think, as the search intent of these two queries is likely different.<\/p>\nGoogle looks at the full context of the query<\/h2>\n