Stop Words in SEO Explained + Stop Word List

SEO stop words are the common words we use to connect sentences and establish ties between words and concepts.

Today, I’m going to dig into the topic of SEO stop words to see why they matter, how you should use them in your content strategy, and give you a full stop words list.

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What are stop words?

Stop words are common words in a language, such as “a,” “the,” “is,” and “of,” that are frequently used but carry little meaning on their own. In Natural Language Processing (NLP) and text analysis, stop words are often removed to focus on the more meaningful words in a text. By eliminating stop words, algorithms can better analyze the important content without being distracted by these commonly used terms.

What are SEO stop words?

SEO stop words (Google stop words, stopwords) are generic common words (and, or, besides, in, a, the, do, they, etc.) that Google may omit in search query processing because they don’t usually affect the meaning of the query. These words are actually used for grammatical purposes and don’t communicate a message on their own.

For example, if you google something like “best carrot cake recipe” and “the best carrot cake recipe”, the SERP will anyway feature links to pages with carrot cake recipes. In this case, the does not add any meaning to the query.

Does Google ignore SEO stop words?

The truth is that Google does not ignore stop words contrary to popular opinion. SEO stop words affect the way how Google interprets the search query.

Sometimes, this difference is minimal. Back to our carrot cake example, let’s compare the two SERPs:

  • best carrot cake recipe:
  • the best carrot cake recipe:

As you can see, “the best carrot cake recipe” triggers more the-titled pages in the Recipes section, plus the second organic position site has also changed. So, although the search concept remains the same, the results have slightly changed.

Still, there are cases when stop words change SERPs completely. Let’s google “help”:

We have a couple of dictionary articles, a Beatles song, and a Wikipedia page that suggests several ideas of what I may be looking for.

But if I google “the help”, there’s a  95% chance I’ll see a historical drama movie in results:

The other 5% could probably mean a book of the same name:

As you can see, Google not only processes stop words but actually alters SERPs depending on what stop words are present in the query.

Why are stop words important for SEO?

SEO stop words indicate the search intent and help search engines give users more relevant results. Actually, they are now not much different from keywords.

Still, the idea of Google ignoring stop words used to be a reality even a couple of years ago when Google wasn’t clever enough to recognize the intent behind queries. But today, search algorithms are very sophisticated. They use machine learning and AI to guess every meaning behind queries, so it’s logical that they do take SEO stop words into account.

How to use SEO stop words in your content strategy?

The answer is just to use stop words correctly. Both from the point of view of grammar and common sense. You don’t skip them when writing something, so why do this in your content?

But we’re talking about SEO, so there will always be some nuances. Let’s look at them closer.

SEO stop words in URLs

All best practices for URL creation state that URLs should be short and user-friendly. However, this can lead to the wrong assumption that all the stop words should be removed from the URL. But this is not really so. The truth is that you can remove any words and actually shapeshift your URL any way you like to make it readable and user-friendly.

Here’s an example. On our blog, we have a post titled like this:

SEO Over-Optimization: 10 Signs You're Going Too Far

Of course, keeping the whole title as a URL would not be a good option, as it’s pretty long and contains a colon (:). But removing all the stop words — over, you’re, going, too, far — would have ended up in a mess:

seo-optimization-10-signs

So, we turned on common sense and made a short and meaningful URL slug, keeping the stop word over and even adding another stop word — the preposition of.

As a result, the URL slug for our post turned out to be this:

10-signs-of-over-optimization

SEO stop words in titles and descriptions

Do not remove stop words from titles and descriptions. They cater to meaning, grammar, and readability — as you know, readability is one of the factors that can benefit CTR. As the recently leaked Google documents state, CTR could be a potential ranking factor, so you should do your best to increase it.

Besides, titles and descriptions without stop words (which are auxiliary words of a language actually) most often look spammy and keyword-stuffed. And keyword stuffing is a direct way to lower rankings or even spam penalties if abused too much.

Keep your titles and descriptions clear, meaningful, and written for humans, and this is impossible to reach without SEO stop words at all.

SEO stop words in the main content

Don’t remove SEO stop words from your content, and that’s it. It’s just the same as you’d try to remove all the prepositions, conjunctions, modal verbs, and pronouns — your text would be nonsense. What’s more, removing stop words is a proven way to fall for keyword stuffing, which is hardly beneficial for rankings.

One more point here is that a stop word can be an inseparable part of your target keyword — in this case, removing it will lead to targeting the wrong search term.

Example.

This is a SERP for bear:

And this is what happens if you add an article and search for the bear:

The first SERP is about an animal, and the second one is about a TV series.

SEO stop words in alt texts

Keep SEO stop words in your alt texts. Google AI algorithms use alt texts to recognize the content of the visual aids. So, the more precise yet detailed your alt texts are, the better Google will understand what’s on the image. This will help you get additional clicks from the image search.

Even if image SEO is not the focus of your search optimization strategy, do not omit SEO stop words from alt texts. In many cases, they can change the meaning drastically.

Just a simple example. This is a cat on the table:

cat on the table
This ginger cookie is the property of our team lead :)

This is a cat under the table:

Both images feature a cat and a table, but they are actually different :)

SEO stop words and user experience

SEO stop words cater to meaning and readability, which is why they are super important for user experience.

If you omit stop words, your content will hardly be readable at all. If you skip stop words in titles and descriptions, these elements will not be readable, either. Neither by users nor by search engines. If you don’t use SEO stop words on your checkout pages or pages with legal information, you may even face law problems in addition to poor UX.

Always remember that you’re writing for people, and people will not be happy to see meaningless sets of keywords instead of well-written content. And, as Google of today prioritizes user-centric content with good UX, having meaningful texts will surely add to your rankings.

List of SEO stop words

Below, you will find a comprehensive list of words that are classified as SEO stop words for search engines. All arranged alphabetically.

A

able

about

above

abroad

according

accordingly

across

actually

adj

after

afterwards

again

against

ago

ahead

ain't

all

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

a's

aside

ask

asking

associated

at

available

away

awfully

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

co

co.

com

come

comes

concerning

consequently

consider

considering

contain

containing

contains

corresponding

could

couldn't

course

c's

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

edu

eg

eight

eighty

either

else

elsewhere

end

ending

enough

entirely

especially

et

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

howbeit

however

hundred

I

i'd

ie

if

ignored

i'll

i'm

immediate

in

inasmuch

inc

inc.

indeed

indicate

indicated

indicates

inner

inside

insofar

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

ltd

M

made

mainly

make

makes

many

may

maybe

mayn't

me

mean

meantime

meanwhile

merely

might

mightn't

mine

minus

miss

more

moreover

most

mostly

mr

mrs

much

must

mustn't

my

myself

N

name

namely

nd

near

nearly

necessary

need

needn't

needs

neither

never

never

neverless

nevertheless

new

next

nine

ninety

no

nobody

non

none

nonetheless

no one

no-one

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

qv

R

rather

rd

re

really

reasonably

recent

recently

regarding

regardless

regards

relatively

respectively

right

round

S

said

same

saw

say

saying

says

second

secondly

see

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

sup

sure

T

take

taken

taking

tell

tends

th

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

t's

twice

two

U

un

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

viz

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

Y

yes

yet

you

you'd

you'll

your

you're

yours

yourself

yourselves

you've

Z

zero

 

 

Summing it up

As you can see, SEO stop words are not stop anymore, as they help Google read search intent and are often an inseparable part of keywords. So, use stop words wisely and logically, and never omit them from your content.

By the way, how often do you face examples when stop words completely change the meaning of the search query? Share your cases in our Facebook community.

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