With Google Ranking Based on Topics Now, Which Search Terms Do You Track?

[Samwise89]

We all know that Google is still ranking based on search term optimization but also topic optimization. And since rank trackers give you a limit on the number of terms you can track, how do you deal with it?

Like, today I was working on a post. Let's say the main term was "best football cleats." If you search that term and take note of the results, then search "best football cleat," you get the same results, although it's plural and singular. It wasn't always like that. And a lot of times on terms like these with little competition, you can search "football cleats" and get the same results.

You can almost mix and match terms like:

• best football cleats
• best football cleat
• football cleats
• cleats for football
• best cleats for football

All of them give the same results but Google reports different volumes for them, and that makes sense. But instead of eating up 5 of my credits in my rank tracker, can I just track the one main topic? In this case, "best football cleats" and then assume that if I rank for that I rank for the singular and the variations (but maybe not the short tail) ?

What do?

 

[Tove]

I track at least 10-20 keywords per post (usually everything above 100 searches per month).
It's nice to see when what ranked over the long period.
I am using serplab, it's like $5 per month for 600 keywords, $10 for 1200 etc.

 

[Samwise89]

@Tove, there's no way I could track 10-20 per post, because my sites are getting big. My main site has over 100 posts now, and I have others nearing 40 and 50. It'll get too pricey for me and I can't imagine all of it would be actionable data for me anyways.

 

[Calamari]

I'm doing two or three per page. One is usually a head term and the others medium tail terms.

I'm tracking just enough to make sure things are moving in the right direction while keeping a closer eye on data in Google's search console and ahref's organic keyword data than ever before. I don't see a point in traffic loads of individual keywords anymore unless I want to drive myself crazy.

 

[bernard]

A bit off topic, but I just searched for physiotherapy stuff, using a phrase with "pectoralis" in it and the name of some nerves and Google bolded "chest" in the result. That's a good example of topical ranking right? Pretty cool if you ask me. That's some rather intelligent stuff going on to connect the name of a muscle to the broader "chest" in search results.