Exact Matches in Questions counts how many times your exact target search phrase appears inside the questions RankGear parses from a page’s body. It returns a plain occurrence count, not a score, and a higher count relates to ranking position within a measured result set rather than causing it — a matched question still needs a genuine answer to be worth anything.
| Factor ID | RG-RDB-001 |
|---|---|
| Family | Readability & questions |
| Measurement | Exact-phrase occurrence count |
| Measured zone | Parsed body questions |
What it measures
This factor counts exact search-phrase occurrences inside questions parsed from the page body. Rather than scanning all body text, it looks only at the recognized questions on the page and tallies how many of them contain your target phrase word-for-word — a narrow view of whether a page frames its target query as an explicit question a reader might ask.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear first parses questions from the script-free body of the page, then independently sums word-aware compatibility matches for the search phrase within each of those questions. Matching is case-insensitive and word-aware, so it recognizes the phrase as whole words rather than as a fragment buried inside a longer word, and the matches found across every parsed question are added together into a single total.
| If the page is… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Missing the phrase from every parsed question | Decide whether a real user would actually ask that question. If so, phrase it once as a genuine question and answer it directly beneath. |
| Matched across several parsed questions | Check the questions are not near-duplicate FAQ entries. Consolidate repetitive phrasing so each question earns its place with a distinct answer. |
| High in matched questions but thin on answers | Fix the answers first. A question that repeats the phrase adds little value when the page does not resolve it. |
How to optimize it
Ask the exact question only when it reflects a real user need, then answer it clearly and directly. Treat the number as an observation about how a page is framed, not a target to inflate — write the question a reader would genuinely ask and let the phrase appear because it belongs there, not to lift the count.
Important considerations
- Only text recognized by the question parser contributes, so a phrase used outside a parsed question — in a heading, a statement, or a caption — is not counted here.
- Multiple matches can occur across questions, and each parsed question that contains the phrase adds to the total.
- A question alone adds little value without a useful answer; the count says nothing about whether the question is resolved.
- Avoid repetitive FAQ phrasing — restating the same question to raise the count makes the page stilted and works against the reader.
- Correlation is not causation: this count tracks position within a measured result set and acts as a prioritization signal, never a guarantee that a page will rank.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.