Do Singular Or Plural Keywords Affect Ecommerce Search Intent?

In e-commerce, understanding the SEO implications of plural keywords on search intent is paramount. Simply put, 99% of search intent falls under four main types of search intent: navigational, transactional, informational, and commercial.

The intent of your page determines which keyword version you should use. See the image below, which showcases the intent and their keywords.

Source: Neil Patel

As an SEO management company, you should be clear about whether singular and plural keywords impact search intent.

Look at two keywords, “laptop” and laptops,” in the below image from Google Trends.  The search variations of singular keywords are greater than those of plural keywords.

Using singular and plural keywords may impact search intent for eCommerce. Here’s what Google replies when asked, ‘Do plural keywords affect ecommerce search intent?’

What is the relationship between plural keywords and search intent?

• The relationship between plural keywords and search intent is that plural keywords can give clues about what people are looking for when they search online.
• Plural keywords are part of the buyer’s commercial research journey. This is common in SaaS, B2B, and other content marketing galore.

Example,

If someone searches for “running shoes,” they are probably interested in finding various running shoes.

Contrarily, if a person searches for a “running shoe,” it indicates that he is looking for information about a specific type or brand of running shoe.

But Google doesn’t always specify this distinction. If the search engine thinks you’re looking for multiple options, it will automatically present a few potential category pages.

Note that singular keywords suggest more ambiguous content, whereas plural keywords are more involved in a user’s commercial journey.

Singular keywords are mostly used in the detail pages and product listings for the following reasons:

• Specific product identification
• Clear product focus.
• Better SEO targeting
• Enhanced user experience.
• Branding consistency.

Identifying SERP Similarities Between Singular and Plural Keywords:

In 50% of cases, SERPs for singular and plural keyword variations will have seven to nine URLs in common.

Plus, 5% of the time, these SERP results are the same due to the overlap in intent between singular and plural keyword forms.

When using singular or plural keywords for SEO purposes, you must consider the words that change meaning when changed from singular to plural.

These words are known as heteronyms and heteroglossia, respectively.

Note that these words are spelled the same in both singular and plural forms, but they have different meanings.

Example:

• Woods: Singular “wood” often means the substance from trees used in construction or crafting. Plural “woods” refers to a densely wooded area or forested region.
• Leaves: In its singular form, “leave” refers to departing from a location. Conversely, in its plural form, “leaves” refers to more than one leaf from a tree or plant.
• Winds: In its singular form, “wind” refers to air movement. On its plural side, “winds” denotes different types of air movements.

How can singular and plural keywords shape your Ecommerce SEO strategy?

Singular keywords have more ambiguous intent, and plural keywords are part of the commercial research stage. You can use singular keywords for informational, navigational, or transactional purposes.

It is evident in the above image that singular keywords dominate search results for most search intents except for commercials. So, as SEO experts, you need to be careful when determining singular and plural keywords.

Keep in mind:

• The intent of your web page must satisfy the demand, and it determines which version of the keyword to use.
• Use plural keywords in category pages to emphasize helping users find a product they want to buy.
• Use singular keywords on product pages.

If you change the grammatical number of target keywords, their meanings differ simultaneously. You can rank for singular and plural versions of target keywords on the same page.

Bottom Line:

The impact of plural keywords on e-commerce seo search intent is significant. This study reveals that using plural forms in search queries can produce more diverse and refined results. It allows customers to find products that better match their preferences.

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Also Read: How to Do Keyword Research for An ecommerce Website?