Generally the most common words in a language, SEO Stop Words are words ignored by Search Engines due to their frequency of use in a language.
Examples of SEO Stop Words are: the, an, a, of, or, many, etc. (see full list below)
Google, Bing, and other popular search engines process an amazing amount of data. Search engines often ignore SEO Stop words in an effort to save disk space and processing power.
Where should you avoid using SEO Stop Words?
Avoid using SEO Stop words in your URL. SEO Stop words in your URL slug can prevent search engines from indexing words used after the stop word in the URL.
Example of SEO Stop words used in critical areas of a blog post
This example blog post is shown with SEO Stop words in critical sections, hindering the post from being properly optimized for search engines:
Stop words used in the above example are 'how', 'to', 'get', 'for', 'your' and should be removed from the URL. Removing the stop words from this URL will increase the chances of ranking in search engines.
Example of SEO Stop words removed from critical areas of a blog post
The same example as above illustrates the Stop Words being removed from critical sections and properly optimized for search engines:
When the SEO stop words are removed, you end up with a clean, focused URL slug and have better chances of ranking in search engines.
Comprehensive list of SEO Stop Words in 2019 [ English Language ]
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'A'
- 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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
- currently
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'D'
- dare
- daren't
- definitely
- described
- despite
- did
- didn't
- different
- directly
- do
- does
- doesn't
- doing
- done
- don't
- down
- downwards
- during
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'F'
- fairly
- far
- farther
- few
- fewer
- fifth
- first
- five
- followed
- following
- follows
- for
- forever
- former
- formerly
- forth
- forward
- found
- four
- from
- further
- furthermore
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'G'
- get
- gets
- getting
- given
- gives
- go
- goes
- going
- gone
- got
- gotten
- greetings
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'J'
- just
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'K'
- keep
- keeps
- kept
- know
- known
- knows
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'L'
- last
- lately
- later
- latter
- latterly
- least
- less
- lest
- let
- let's
- like
- liked
- likely
- likewise
- little
- look
- looking
- looks
- low
- lower
- ltd
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'P'
- particular
- particularly
- past
- per
- perhaps
- placed
- please
- plus
- possible
- presumably
- probably
- provided
- provides
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'Q'
- que
- quite
- qv
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'R'
- rather
- rd
- re
- really
- reasonably
- recent
- recently
- regarding
- regardless
- regards
- relatively
- respectively
- right
- round
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'U'
- un
- under
- underneath
- undoing
- unfortunately
- unless
- unlike
- unlikely
- until
- unto
- up
- upon
- upwards
- us
- use
- used
- useful
- uses
- using
- usually
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'V'
- value
- various
- versus
- very
- via
- viz
- vs
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter '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
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'Y'
- yes
- yet
- you
- you'd
- you'll
- your
- you're
- yours
- yourself
- yourselves
- you've
SEO Stop Words Starting with the letter 'Z'
- zero
Wondering if SEO Stop words are hurting you site performance?
If you're wondering how Stop Words and other common optimization issues are affecting your website traffic, check out our free web content audit tool. The tool enables you to take a holistic view of the content on your website and diagnose what's working and not working for your business goals.