Stop Word can harm your website ranking on search engine. By avoiding the use of Stop words, you can rank your website on Google. Find the list of Stop Words you should not use.
Many bloggers plunge into the blogosphere without having a fair idea of SEO. While it may not be harmful in the beginning but in the long run, it proves immensely helpful to have knowledge of SEO Basics.
Well, in this post, I am not going to discuss SEO Basics. However, I would be discussing Stop Words which are closely related to SEO efforts. In my opinion, every blogger should be aware of, what is a Stop Word?
Here, I will tell you all about Stop Words which will help you rank better on the search result.
As a matter of fact, the Stop Word is quite a popular term with SEO freaks. However, if you are new to the blogosphere chances are quite high that you might have no idea about Stop Words.
Moreover, lots of bloggers are of the opinion that Stop Words are harmful, especially when you are optimizing your blog post for Google.
So, what’s the truth about Stop Words?
What are Stop Words?
What’s the role of Stop Words in SEO?
Are they harmful?
These are the exact questions that I am going to take up in this blog post.
Table of Contents
What are Stop Word?
Stop Words are those words which are partially or completely ignored by search engines including Google. They are those words which frequently appear in documents and on web pages and are ignored by search engines when they index words on pages. They are usually filtered out by Google in a search query.
Examples of Stop Words include a, an, the, of, with, on, or, of, is, was, many, etc.
On an average, Stop Words constitute about 25% of the blog posts around the web.
In fact, they have nothing to do with the content.
They only help in making the sentences meaningful and readable.
Search engines do go on to maintain a list of Stop Words which are to be ignored or filtered out.
How Google Treats Stop Words?
Stop Words are usually ignored or filtered out by search engines in search queries and results. Stop Words hinder your SEO efforts if they are frequently used in your site’s title.
They are a source of the problem to search engines like ambiguity, server load problems, etc. They hinder search engines in delivering instant results. They have nothing to do with the retrieval of the results, and so search engines including Google ignore and filter out Stop Words from search queries and results.
For example,
Let’s take that a blog post @ example.com/stop-words is ranking for the keyword, “what is the meaning of stop word.” Then, according to the treatment of Google for Stop Words, it would also rank for “what is stop word.” Here, the search engines have ignored the stopword “the meaning of.” By ignoring the beautifying stop words, search engines like Google go on to save a lot of time.
When are Stop Words considered by search engines?
Are stop words filtered and ignored by search engines in every query or search result.
The answer is “No.”
That’s the reason; stop words are not harmful in every case.
In fact, when there is a difference in meaning in search queries, Stop Words are not filtered out but are considered.
The search engines go on to interpret the meaning of the search query by having a look at the words along the main keyword.
For example, let’s consider the search query,
The Matrix: Movie.
Matrix: Math Concept.
In this example, “the” is the Stop Word.
And Google does consider the Stop Word here.
If Google had not considered the stop word (“the”), the meaning would have been completely changed.
Now, you may ask a question as to how search engines can differentiate the meaning of the above two search terms.
Actually, search engines maintain the list of phrases where stop words are not to be filtered out. Search engines like Google do include those queries in their exception list whose search results (with and without stop words) are different.
Sometimes Google returns irrelevant results for some search queries. In such cases, the Stop Words have been ignored.
Does Stop Words Harm SEO?
Many SEO Experts and even Yoast plugin are of the opinion that you should not use Stop Words in a blog post URL, blog post Title, and focus keyword. They emphasize that inclusion of stop words lowers your blog posts rankings in search results.
However, it is not completely true that Stop Words harm SEO.
They are many blogs which are using stop words and still manage to secure a high rank in Google.
In fact, search engines are becoming smarter day by day.
They have realized that filtering out stop words can spoil the user experience. Stop words provide meaning to the sentences and go on to beautify the sentences.
As Google works for enhancing the user experience, the usage of Stop Words is not ruled out. However, it is advised that you should avoid excessive usage of Stop Words.
Here’s a little tip for you.
Search the title of your blog post with and without stop words.
If the results are different in both the cases, then you should retain stop words in your title as it is clear that Google is considering the Stop Words.
Finally
As we have seen in the above discussion, Stop Words do not harm SEO; however, you should avoid excessive use of stop words. Google is becoming smarter day by day. It considers most of the stop words as useful words.
However, it is good to filter out unnecessary stop words from the URL and blog post title. You should keep your blog post URL, short and self-explanatory. This also applies to the post titles.
I hope that the post has helped you in understanding Stop Words.
List of Google Stop Words
A
allow
allows
almost
alone
along
alongside
already
also
although
always
am
amid
amidst
among
amongst
an
and
another
any
anybody
anyhow
anyone
anything
anyway
anyways
anywhere
apart
appear
appreciate
appropriate
are
aren’t
around
as
aside
ask
asking
associated
at
available
away
awfully
able
about
above
abroad
according
accordingly
across
actually
after
afterwards
again
against
ago
ahead
ain’t
all
B
back
backward
backwards
be
became
because
become
becomes
becoming
been
before
beforehand
begin
behind
being
believe
below
beside
besides
best
better
between
beyond
both
brief
but
by
C
came
can
cannot
cant
can’t
caption
cause
causes
certain
certainly
Changes
clearly
c’mon
come
comes
concerning
consequently
consider
considering
contain
containing
contains
corresponding
could
couldn’t
course
currently
D
dare
daren’t
definitely
described
despite
did
didn’t
different
directly
do
does
doesn’t
doing
done
don’t
down
downwards
during
E
each
eight
eighty
either
else
elsewhere
end
ending
enough
entirely
especially
etc
even
ever
evermore
every
everybody
everyone
everything
everywhere
ex
exactly
example
except
F
fairly
far
farther
few
fewer
fifth
first
five
followed
following
follows
for
forever
former
formerly
forth
forward
found
four
from
further
furthermore
G
get
gets
getting
given
gives
go
goes
going
gone
got
gotten
greetings
H
had
hadn’t
half
happens
hardly
has
hasn’t
have
haven’t
having
he
he’d
he’ll
hello
help
hence
her
here
hereafter
hereby herein
here’s
hereupon
hers
herself
he’s
hi
him
himself
his
hither hopefully
how
however
hundred
I
i’d
if
ignored
i’ll
i’m
immediate
in
inc
inc.
indeed indicate
indicated
indicates
inner
inside
instead
into
inward
is
isn’t
it
it’d
it’ll
its
it’s
itself
i’ve
J
Just
K
keep
keeps
kept
know
known
knows
L
last
lately
later
latter
latterly
least
less
lest
let
let’s like
liked
likely
likewise
little
look
looking
looks
low
lower
M
made
mainly
make
makes
many
may
maybe
mayn’t
me
mean
meantime
meanwhile
merely
might
mine
minus
miss
more
moreover
most
mostly
mr
mrs
much
must
mustn’t
my
myself
N
name
namely
near
nearly
necessary
need
needn’t
needs
neither
never
neverf
neverless
nevertheless
new
next
nine
ninety
no
nobody
non
none
nonetheless
nor
normally
not
nothing
notwithstanding
novel
now
nowhere
O
obviously
of
off
often
oh
ok
okay
old
on
once
one
ones
one’s
only
onto
opposite
or
other
others
otherwise
ought
oughtn’t
our
ours
ourselves
out
outside
over
overall
own
P
particular
particularly
past
per
perhaps
placed
please
plus
possible
presumably
probably
provided
provides
Q
que
quite
R
rather
really
reasonably
recent
recently
regarding
regardless
regards
relatively
respectively
right
round
S
seeing
seem
seemed
seeming
seems
seen
self
selves
sensible
sent
serious
seriously
seven
several
shall
shan’t
she
she’d
she’ll
she’s
should
shouldn’t
since
six
so
some
somebody
someday
somehow
someone
something
sometime
sometimes
somewhat
somewhere
soon
sorry
specified
specify
specifying
still sub
such
sure
said
same
saw
say
saying
says
second
secondly
see
T
take
taken
taking
tell
tends
than
thank
thanks
thanx
that that’ll
thats
that’s
that’ve
the
their
theirs
them
themselves
then thence
there
thereafter
thereby
there’d
therefore
therein
there’ll
there’re
theres
there’s
thereupon
there’ve
these
they
they’d
they’ll
they’re
they’ve
thing
things
think
third
thirty
this
thorough
thoroughly
those
though
three
through
throughout
thru
thus
till
to
together
too
took
toward
towards
tried
tries
truly
try
trying
twice
two
U
under
underneath
undoing
unfortunately
unless
unlike
unlikely
until
unto
up
upon
upwards
us
use
used
useful
uses
using
usually
V
value
various
versus
very
via
vs
vs.
W
want
wants
was
wasn’t
way
we
we’d
welcome
well
we’ll went
were
we’re
weren’t
we’ve
what
whatever
what’ll
what’s
what’ve
when
whence
whenever
where
whereafter
whereas
whereby
wherein
where’s
whereupon
wherever
whether
which
whichever
while
whilst
whither
who
who’d
whoever
whole
who’ll
whom
whomever
who’s
whose
why
will
willing
wish
with
within
without
wonder
won’t
would
wouldn’t
X
None
Y
yes
yet
you
you’d
you’ll
your
you’re
yours
yourself
yourselves
you’ve
Z
zero
