If you have been doing SEO long enough then you have probably come across the term “Stop words” as regards to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
I usually get many people asking me for the list of stop words and that is the inspiration behind this blog post.
What are Stop Words?
Stop words are words that are commonly used such as ‘the”, “a”, “in” that search engines have been programmed to ignore, both when indexing entries for searching and when retrieving them as the result of a search query.
Though some SEO experts may advice against using stop words in website content, the truth is it’s almost close to impossible to write a meaningful blog post without them.
In this very line of text alone that you are reading I have already used more than 3 stop words.
The truth is search engines won’t penalize you for using stop words in your blog content.
For better search engine rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs) and a massive increase in website traffic, it is advised that you avoid using stop words in your permalink URL structure and not the body of your blog posts.
But ensure that you don’t change the URL structure of your already published posts.
You can see how to properly change your URL structure for your already published posts here.
Ensure you look at this list of SEO words and devise a plan for your SEO efforts which includes avoiding these words in your content.
Why remove stop words
Usually stop words are removed from the text before training deep learning and machine learning models.
This is done because stop words occur in abundance and therefore provided little to no unique information that can be used for classification.
It is for this reason that search engines skip stop words in a bid to save space in the database and also speed up the crawling /indexing of websites.
I have compiled a list of stop words that you should avoid when optimizing your blog posts for SEO.
List of Stop Words for Search Engines
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
- neverf
- neverless
- nevertheless
- new
- next
- nine
- ninety
- no
- nobody
- non
- none
- nonetheless
- noone
- 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
Read Also: Super Affiliate System Review 2021 (SCAM or LEGIT)
Conclusion
Avoiding stop words in your blog posts may result in an increase in blog traffic so I recommend that you actually do try as much as possible to avoid them especially in your permalink structure.
I hope you found this list of stop words helpful.
Is there any stop word I left out?
Would you like any assistance with your blog post on page SEO?
Let me know in the comments below.
Also share this blog post with your friends and family.