You must follow SEO best practices to win the SEO war against search engines and rank higher in the search engine results pages.
What Are Stop Words?
The search engines ignore many common words used to glue sentences together grammatically when they scan URLs and sometimes in page titles.
This makes it quicker to search web content without compromising on understanding the meaning of the content.
These search engine excluded words are called “stop words”.
Words Ignored By Search Engines
Search engines filter out the following 650+ words, and you can safely remove them from your post URLs.
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
x
y
yes
yet
you
you’d
you’ll
your
you’re
yours
yourself
yourselves
you’ve
z
zero
Types of Stop Words
Stop words are generally considered a single word, not a collection of words and mostly fall into these categories.
- Determiners – Determiners tend to mark nouns where a determiner usually will be followed by a noun
Examples: the, a, an, another - Coordinating conjunctions – Coordinating conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses
Examples: for, an, nor, but, or, yet, so - Prepositions – Prepositions express temporal or spatial relations
Examples: in, under, towards, before
Using Stop Words In Your Web Content
Let’s figure out when and where you should use and not use stop words in your website content.
Should I Remove Stop Words From My Page URLs?
To be honest, don’t worry too much about it.
Search engines do a pretty good job of ignoring stop words.
If you need to shorten a URL to make it easier to read, remember or use in marketing, you should consider removing as many stop words as possible.
Just remember to leave the URL relevant, meaningful and readable.
Should I Remove Stop Words From Page Titles and Headings?
Your page titles and headings are essential for SEO, context, and human readability.
I suggest leaving stop words in your page titles and headings unless it doesn’t affect readability.
Should I Remove Stop Words From Page Content?
That is a big, definite NO! 🛑
Please don’t remove any stop words from the content of your pages, especially articles and blog posts.
Stop words are essential in making web pages readable for humans, and you really should be writing for humans first, not search engines.
