What is Keyword Stemming?
Keyword stemming is referred to as Google’s ability to recognise and understand the different forms of the same word in a particular search query.
The term “stemming” comes from the fact that a “word stem”, which is the base or root of a word is used to analyse the meaning of the search query and display relevant results. Basically, Google is smart enough to pick up the several variations of a word – along with the “stem word”.
Why is Keyword Stemming Important?
Keyword stemming allows Google to read beyond the “exact match” keyword and match the original keyword to its variations where relevant. As Google is continuing to update its algorithm to ensure a better experience for users, keyword stemming is vital.
Not only does it help Google provide a better user experience, it also benefits copywriters. As it allows copywriters to write in a more “natural” manner, rather than keyword stuffing.
Can You Use Keyword Stemming In SEO?
Keyword stemming can be helpful in SEO, as Google can recognise a “keyword stem” and return search results that contain certain variations of the particular keyword. Although keyword stemming isn’t necessarily a ranking factor – or that you should start deliberately implementing it, as deliberately keyword stemming can have the opposite affect…
Manual keyword stemming, where you add different prefixes and suffixes to the main keyword or use plurals and commons misspellings intentionally to rank for multiple keywords can be see as keyword stuffing and can lead to your website being demoted in the SERPs.
So…while it can benefit your visibility in the SERPs and boost your organic website traffic when implemented correctly and naturally, it can also come off as intentional and manipulative – hindering your SEO performance in the process.
For any content in SEO it is always key to write freely, naturally, ultimately with your end users in mind.
