How can you improve rankings for multi-word search phrases? Start by making the page meet the intent behind the full phrase

To make a page more relevant to searches for “artificial life,” focus on the topic represented by the full phrase and support the page with relevant internal links. The goal is not to repeat the broad term “life” more often. Community advice supports this approach but does not guarantee higher rankings. Just because an older tool lists “life” as a common word does not mean the website can rank only for that word. Word frequency, the target page’s topic, and the answers searchers actually want are different things.

Word-frequency statistics do not tell you how full phrases rank

This question arose from how an older version of Google Webmaster Tools displayed keywords. According to the discussion, the feature listed only individual words in 2010. As a result, “life” would appear on its own even if it occurred mainly in “artificial life” or “second life.” That was how the tool displayed data at the time, not how the current interface works.

In the same discussion, one website owner said that “manson” was the most common word on their site, yet searching for that word did not turn up the site, while searching for “marilyn manson” did. This is only an individual experience, but it offers a useful reminder: a list of common words cannot directly tell you whether a site ranks for a multi-word phrase. You do not need to shift your optimization efforts to individual words just because a tool displays them separately.

First, decide which page you want people searching for “artificial life” to find

Another community answer recommended choosing keywords for individual pages rather than focusing the entire site on just one or two terms. So the first decision is whether you want searchers to find the homepage or a dedicated page about artificial life.

• If you choose a dedicated topic page: Create content related to “artificial life” so that the page focuses on the topic rather than merely mentioning the phrase in passing.
• If you choose the homepage: The community advice calls for its content to focus more closely on artificial life. Do not assume that including the phrase somewhere is enough.
• Support the page with internal links: The community answer also recommended using the target phrase in internal link text so that it matches the destination page’s topic.

These are practical suggestions from public discussions, not official search engine rules. The discussions do not specify how many times the phrase should appear or how long ranking improvements might take after changes are made.

The full phrase is a starting point for the topic, not the only way people search

A Semrush organic search example notes that visitors may find a page targeting “Los Angeles plumber” through other wording, such as “Plumbing services LA.” This depends on the page being properly optimized and satisfying the search intent behind those queries. Similar wording alone does not mean the same page will be suitable.

When refining an “artificial life” page, check not only whether its topic is clear but also whether its content meets the needs of people searching for that phrase. Do not group “second life” and “artificial life” as target phrases simply because they share the word “life.” Phrase optimization should center on the full meaning and the page’s content, rather than lumping together every search that contains the same word.

At Procrustes, we turn the questions that matter to our clients into articles, with ongoing content planning, writing, and updates.