In the crazy world of search engine optimisation, small details-make a enormous difference. One of the overlooked aspects of SEO is spelling and grammar. Many website owners focus on keywords, backlinks, and technical optimisations but forget that basic language errors can impact their rankings and user experience. As an SEO expert Australia, I’ve seen firsthand how proper language use affects search rankings and audience trust.
In the wild world of Search Engine Optimisation, the tiny nuanced details can make an enormous difference. One neglected consideration of SEO is spelling and grammar. Many website owners focus on keywords, backlinks, and technical optimisations but forget that basic errors can impact their rankings and user experience. As an SEO expert Australia, I’ve seen firsthand how proper language use affects search rankings and audience trust.
Great marketing is primarily about clarity. Is your message and value proposition clear?
Secondly. Is the language that you’re using legible?
According to Search Engine Journal, Google does not explicitly list spelling and grammar as distinct ranking factors, but they do affect user experience, which indirectly influences rankings. Poorly written content can lead to higher bounce rates, lower dwell time, and reduced credibility—factors that Google does consider when determining rankings.
The Controversial Tactic of Targeting Misspelled Keywords
An SEO trick over the years has been to intentionally target misspelled keywords (e.g., “best coffe shops” instead of “best coffee shops”). This was done to capture search traffic from users who made typing mistakes. However, modern search engines have become far more sophisticated, using machine learning to understand intent and correct spelling errors automatically.
Not only is this tactic outdated, but it’s also considered black hat SEO. As highlighted by SEO.com, Google’s algorithm is now advanced enough to recognise and adjust for misspelled queries, meaning this strategy no longer provides an advantage. Worse, using it could lead to a negative perception of your brand and even potential penalties from search engines.
But… It Can Still Work.
Consider this situation with our client Peak Traffic Services. We noticed a lot of people are searching for “trafffic control”. Spelt with 3x f’s. Also, they are searching for “Traffic Managment Plan“. The word management is spelt 180x per month with only 1 “e”.
In this case, hundreds of people are authentically searching for the services that Peak Traffic Services has to offer. They’re just using the language that they know and it happens to be frequently the same incorrect spelling. We have to use some way to communicate to Google that the incorrectly spelled word is a legitimately sought after service which our client does provide.
In Conclusion
If you want to be clean cut and avoid any controversy-you should only use clean cut white hat SEO tactics.
