If a Phrase Ranks on Google, But No One Searches for It...

Mar 18, 2005 - 8:25 am 6 — by
Filed Under Search Theory

Phil Craven was in one of those moods today, and posted a thread named If a tree falls in the forest.... He got all philosophical and it kind of made me teary eyed (just kidding). The reason I point this thread out, is not to talk about irrelevant philosophical debates but to talk about Robert Charlton's clever reply. He replied to Phil saying;

Phil - I thought you were going to ask whether, if a phrase ranks on Google, but no one searches for it, does it really rank?

I never heard it phrased like that. Of course, the point Robert is making was the same point I was making in my Big Blue Pineapple Chair entry. I can rank #1 for Big Blue Pineapple Chair, which I don't rank number 1 for in Google, but I do in Yahoo! now.

So if a phrase ranks on Google, but no one searches for it, does it really rank?

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Google Search Volatility

More Details

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google

Google AI Overviews For Brands Moved To Right Column

Nov 2, 2026 - 12:15 pm
Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: November 2, 2026

Nov 2, 2026 - 10:00 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

November 2026 Google Webmaster Report

Nov 2, 2026 - 7:51 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Gary Illyes Implies Click Data Not Coming To Google Search Console AI Reporting

Nov 2, 2026 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Strategists Using AI-Generated Fake Names & Profile Photos

Nov 2, 2026 - 7:31 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Reddit Stock Drops 33% After CEO Confirms Declining Google Search Traffic

Nov 2, 2026 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Google X Cloned