All query terms in the first 100 words, by vertical (top-5 ranking pages)
| Vertical | Pages | All terms in first 100 words | #1 pages | #1 pages with all terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel | 943 | 43.7% | 215 | 40.9% |
| Auto parts | 876 | 33.7% | 193 | 32.6% |
| Baby | 1,090 | 38.4% | 241 | 37.3% |
| Beauty | 940 | 31.0% | 204 | 25.5% |
| Dental and medical | 1,073 | 34.4% | 229 | 33.6% |
| DIY | 949 | 36.1% | 204 | 32.4% |
| Education | 1,038 | 51.2% | 228 | 49.1% |
| Electronics | 851 | 32.5% | 154 | 32.5% |
| Finance | 956 | 45.4% | 182 | 47.8% |
| Fitness | 965 | 47.3% | 175 | 45.1% |
| Gaming | 1,148 | 48.2% | 233 | 45.5% |
| Gardening | 957 | 48.2% | 228 | 51.8% |
| Health | 1,198 | 24.5% | 226 | 22.1% |
| Home | 951 | 44.0% | 218 | 48.2% |
| Home services | 906 | 45.6% | 191 | 44.0% |
| Insurance | 977 | 47.9% | 218 | 48.2% |
| Jewelry | 1,141 | 51.1% | 243 | 53.1% |
| Kitchen | 877 | 51.7% | 212 | 49.5% |
| Legal | 1,202 | 33.3% | 241 | 30.3% |
| Marketing | 1,158 | 31.3% | 240 | 27.1% |
| Outdoor | 985 | 38.4% | 233 | 32.6% |
| Parenting | 596 | 42.8% | 130 | 42.3% |
| Pets | 1,030 | 52.0% | 223 | 61.0% |
| Real estate | 913 | 30.6% | 197 | 30.5% |
| Recipes | 861 | 61.0% | 164 | 56.7% |
| Restaurants | 779 | 47.9% | 166 | 45.2% |
| SaaS comparisons | 1,183 | 20.6% | 286 | 20.6% |
| Software | 1,239 | 45.8% | 268 | 44.0% |
| Supplements | 1,093 | 33.1% | 215 | 27.9% |
| Travel | 959 | 56.3% | 194 | 58.2% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Whole-word matches only; plurals and synonyms are not credited.
Summary
"Put your keyword in the first 100 words" is one of the oldest pieces of on-page SEO advice. We checked how often the pages that rank actually do it, using a strict test: every term of the search query has to appear in the first 100 words of the page text.
Most top results do not pass that test. 40.1% of 6,351 #1-ranking pages include every query term in their first 100 words, and positions 2 to 5 do it slightly more often. The length of the query and the type of page matter far more than position.
What we measured
We looked at the top 5 Google US results for 10,019 keywords in October 2026: 49,855 pages, of which 29,776 had readable text. For each page we took the first 100 words of the parsed main text and checked whether every query term longer than 2 characters appears in it as a whole word.
The test is strict on purpose. Plurals and synonyms are not credited, so a page about "running shoes" that opens with "shoes for runners" does not count. That means these figures undercount pages that cover the topic up front in other words.
The headline uses all readable pages. Limiting the base to pages with 150 or more parsed words raises every position by about 5 points, to 44.9% at #1. The word-count breakdown below uses that 150+ word base, so it should not be compared directly with the headline figure.
Four in ten #1 results front-load every term
40.1% of 6,351 readable #1-ranking pages include every query term in their first 100 words. Positions 2 to 5 range from 40.4% to 41.9%, so the #1 result is the least likely of the top 5 to front-load every term.
The gap is small, and it runs the opposite way to the usual advice. Exact terms in the opening do not separate the #1 result from the rest. Many top pages likely open with context, navigation text or a summary in their own words, and still rank first.
40.1%
Share of 6,351 readable #1-ranking pages that include every query term in their first 100 words.
Query length matters most
The longer the query, the less likely a page is to include all of it up front. 66.4% of pages ranking for one-term queries include the term in the first 100 words (574 pages). That falls to 49.2% for two-term queries, 38.6% for three-term queries and 27.6% for queries of four or more terms.
That is mostly a property of the test. A single term is easy to fit into an opening paragraph. Four or more exact terms, each as a whole word, rarely all appear in 100 words unless the page repeats the query word for word. Pages that rank for long queries likely match the meaning rather than the exact wording.
Recipes and travel front-load, SaaS comparisons rarely do
The vertical changes the rate a lot. Recipe pages most often put every query term up front, at 61.0%, followed by travel (56.3%), pets (52.0%) and kitchen (51.7%). These pages often repeat the dish, place or product name in the first lines.
At the other end, SaaS comparison pages do it least, at 20.6%, followed by health (24.5%), real estate (30.6%) and beauty (31.0%). Comparison queries often name two products and a qualifier, which is hard to fit into the opening in exact form. Health pages likely open with definitions and medical terms that differ from the words people search with. The full list, including the share for #1 pages in each vertical, is in the table above.
Longer pages front-load more often
On the base of pages with 150 or more parsed words, pages with 1,000 or more words include every term in the first 100 words 49.3% of the time (11,200 pages). Pages with 150 to 999 words do it 44.7% of the time (12,523 pages).
Longer pages are more often articles and guides with an introduction that restates the topic. Shorter pages are more often product, category and listing pages, where the first 100 words can be menu labels, filters or product names. Because this split uses the 150+ word base, compare these two figures with each other, not with the 40.1% headline.
What this means for your site
Treat "keyword in the first 100 words" as a writing habit, not a ranking rule. Most #1 results do not pass a strict version of the test, and #1 pages pass it slightly less often than #2 to #5.
What the opening should do is confirm to the reader, quickly, that they are on the right page.
- State the main topic plainly in the first paragraph, in the words your searchers use.
- For long queries, cover the meaning rather than forcing every word in.
- On product and category pages, make sure real descriptive text appears early, not only menus and filters.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters analysis of Google US top 5 results for 10,019 keywords, October 2026
- Google Search Central, SEO starter guide: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide
Embed this research
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/keyword-in-first-100-words">Keyword in First 100 Words: 40.1% of #1 Results - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
Should the keyword be in the first 100 words?
It is a sensible writing habit, but top results do not depend on it. Only 40.1% of 6,351 #1-ranking pages include every query term in their first 100 words, and positions 2 to 5 do it slightly more often, at 40.4% to 41.9%.
How often do long queries appear in full at the top of ranking pages?
Rarely. 66.4% of pages ranking for one-term queries include the term in the first 100 words, against 49.2% for two-term, 38.6% for three-term and 27.6% for four-or-more-term queries.
Which types of pages put the keyword first?
Recipe pages most often include every query term in the first 100 words, at 61.0%, followed by travel at 56.3%. SaaS comparison pages do it least, at 20.6%, followed by health at 24.5%.
A clear opening that confirms the topic in your searchers' words is a small edit that helps every page. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.