Starting in 2014 and kicking things up a notch two years later,
Google’s Keyword Planner tool began grouping volumes for similar
terms.Instead of showing keyword A gets searched 100 times per month,
and keyword A1 gets searched 50 times per month, both would
show 150.Google said the reason for this to make sure “you don’t miss out on
potential customers” and to “maximize the potential for your ads to
show on relevant searches.”That explanation certainly implies searcher intent doesn’t vary
much between closely related terms.The move seemed to reinforce the notion that topics, not keywords,
are all SEO professionals need to worry about.However, this doesn’t explain why Google search will often
significantly shake up its results for keywords that Google
Keyword Planner deems synonymous enough to lump together.Ultimately, Keyword Planner is a PPC tool.- “Keyword Planner proved keywords aren’t all
that different.”
WHY KEYWORDS ARE STILL SO VERY IMPORTANT FOR SEO