In the last test, we were looking at above the fold and below the fold placement of keyword. Now, we are looking to see if Google looks at keyword prominence at a more granular level.
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This was a follow up to the previous test where keywords above the fold actually outrank keywords below the fold. So keyword prominence, the idea of putting the keyword first or close to the front was a ranking factor. That was a surprise for me because I really thought that was just an old school myth. I didn’t really think that mattered so much and this was just body copy that we were talking about but then it came back and that was just what was going on.
This was the follow up, what if then, if it was paragraph specific. So the idea is, what if the keyword in paragraph 1 would be the keyword in paragraph two that would be the keyword in paragraph three? Is it that hyper specific? Are we just talking above the fold and below the fold or are we talking about specific paragraphs and were they are located on the page?
What we got on this page is that it is not paragraph dependent. The results came back very modeled. It didn’t move in a way that would indicate that we have a factor that it must be in a paragraph above another paragraph. What we are advising in terms of this ranking signal is that, make sure that the keyword is above the fold.
To be on the safe side, put it in the first 100 words. As long as it is above the fold, you are probably in the right spot. Below the fold is something you’d want to avoid. If it is a target word that you must win, I would consider moving it up to give it the best opportunity to rank.