Exact Matches in Search Result URL counts how many times a normalized, run-together form of the full query appears in the complete result URL. The match is strict: RankGear strips every separator from the query first, so water heater becomes waterheater and a URL containing water-heater does not count — a value of 0 does not mean the URL lacks the relevant words.
| Factor ID | RG-SRP-007 |
|---|---|
| Family | Search result (SERP) |
| Measurement | Occurrence count |
| Measured zone | Full URL returned by the search provider |
What it measures
This factor counts occurrences of a normalized form of the complete query inside the full result URL. Rather than looking for the query words individually, it collapses the whole phrase into one uninterrupted string and tallies how many times that exact string appears anywhere in the URL. It is a strict, query-specific observation about the URL, not a general test of whether the page is about the topic.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear removes every non-word and non-digit character from the query — spaces, hyphens, and other separators — producing a single uninterrupted string. It then counts case-insensitive occurrences of that string within the full URL returned by the search provider. Because the query is run together but the URL is not, any separator inside the URL between the query words prevents a match. An empty normalized query returns 0.
| Query | Normalized form | Example URL | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| water heater | waterheater | /waterheater-repair/ | 1 |
| water heater | waterheater | /water-heater-repair/ | 0 |
| water heater | waterheater | (empty / no query) | 0 |
How to optimize it
Use readable URL words that accurately identify the page. Do not concatenate words or build an unnatural URL simply to raise this factor — search-friendly paths prioritize clarity, stability, and sensible separators over mechanical matching. Treat this count as an observation about how a URL happens to be worded, not a target to maximize; a well-structured hyphenated path that reads clearly for people is generally the better choice even though it scores 0 here.
Important considerations
- The implementation is stricter and less intuitive than ordinary phrase matching — it matches a run-together string, not the separate words.
- Hyphens and other separators in the URL can prevent a match, so common, readable paths often return 0.
- A value of 0 does not mean the URL lacks relevant words.
- Changing established URLs solely for this metric is usually unjustified and can break links and existing signals.
- Review the separate URL-variation factor for word-aware terminology matching.
- Correlation is not causation: this factor relates to how a URL appears within a measured result set. A non-zero count does not by itself make a page rank or guarantee a position.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.