Capital Idea: Google Looking At Letters

Initial capital letter may be a keyword difference

By WebProNews Staff · May 8, 2008 · 13 Comments

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Google could be making distinctions in keywords based on whether or not the first letter is capitalized.

When is an engagement ring an Engagement ring? To Google, it could be two different things, if more of its datacenters exhibit some observed behavior on the issue.

Big Oak SEO said on its blog a look at those two terms, different only in the capitalization of the first letter E, yielded different search results for a query about engagement rings.

Engagements will be in mind as June’s typically large number of weddings takes place as they do traditionally. Someone may have the idea to look into a ring, and that first letter could be the difference in the sites he does or doesn’t visit.

Extend that scenario to any other keyword, and suddenly marketers have to worry about revamping their keyword buys across their campaigns.

“Assuming this isn

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There are 13 Comments. Add Yours.

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Neeraj Srivastava
May 9, 2008 at 3:32 am

I have checked both keywords and in both cases results are same and there’s not any change in rankings……

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Jan Chilton
May 11, 2008 at 7:00 am

I just checked by looking at the term Myrtle Beach Condos for sale as versus myrtle beach condos for sale. The first 4-5 results are the same, and after that there is a big difference in the order.

One more thing to worry about…:-(

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seo ibiza
May 11, 2008 at 11:49 am

am hoping this is a glitch. or its a lot more work as you say.

not seeing differences at the moment but they could be testing ready for rollout or something

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Simply Clicks
May 12, 2008 at 4:03 am

I have noticed some apparent shifts. Take the term "beds". On Google.co.uk I spot different results for "Beds" and "beds" and "BEDS". However there are so many other variables from IP address, browser, operating system etc.

Beds could mean somewhere to sleep. Somewhere to grow flowers. Or even an abbreviation for the county of "Bedfordshire".

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NetAudioAds
May 12, 2008 at 1:57 pm

The name I have chosen for this post is capitalized as it sounds and it returns just under 200k results, now try the first letter just capitalized, that returns just under 500k results and no capitalization returns just under 80k returns.

As my title I’m not that bothered as I’m within the top 10, but will that change, kind messy if we have to start using all kinds of keyword variations.

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Will
May 13, 2008 at 10:08 am

I’ve talked to some people now who have said they’ve noticed this off and on for 2 months. That’s a pretty long time for a glitch to still be in existence if it is a glitch. I think an official word from Google is in order because they say that the search engine is not case sensitive, but many people now have evidence to the contrary. Could they be testing to eventually make it case sensitive?

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search engine optimization company chicago
May 14, 2008 at 11:56 am

I think this could open up a whole new world of customization for websites and really give a better search experience.

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search engine advertising
May 14, 2008 at 6:03 pm

For the first page it is the same with a little difference but for other pages you can see some differences in rankings, i think google is up to some new changes …

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SEO Agency Albany
May 16, 2008 at 9:47 am

I this is just the next evolution of Google to make searches more focused and relevant to the searchers intent.

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g
October 28, 2008 at 11:50 am

I have never worked so hard as since I went freelance. ..as you say I do get up later but only because I finished my 18 hour day at 5.30am.

personally I don’t think I could ever go back to the corporate, unless they’d let me carry on working remotely in exactly the same way as I do now, but a LOT more money. toplist

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fornecedores equipamentos
December 28, 2008 at 5:47 pm

I

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Dubai flights
January 1, 2009 at 1:42 pm

…I really don’t understand why they would do this. I don’t see how it affects the ‘searcher’. Capitalization is personal preference I believe.

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  downloadable games
  February 25, 2009 at 9:30 am
  
  You right! Plenty of search industry professionals will be delving into that in short order, should this change prove universal across Google’s infrastructure.
  
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