What is search term proximity?
If it is a combination of keywords, the search term proximity comes into play. This is the distance between the individual search term elements. If a keyword combination consists of 3 elements, the distance from the first to the second element and the keyword distance from the second to the third keyword is meant.
What significance does keyword proximity have for SEO?
Search engine optimizers try to bring a website to the top of the search engines with their optimization measures. Keywords and combinations also play a major role here. The proximity of search terms is also relevant. The further apart the second element of a keyword combination is, the less relevant the search engine classifies it and displays the website further down.
As a small example:
The keyword combination to be used in the text is: Handwerker München Ausbau
Text variant 1: Are you looking for tradesmen in Munich for home improvements?
Here it means that there is a word between the keywords craftsman and Munich. The search term proximity is pleasant. There are two words between the words München and Ausbau, which is also still in the good range.
Text variant 2: Find a tradesman for your home in Munich - find a good team for finishing work now
In this case, the keyword proximity is not optimal. There are too many words between the keywords.
If SEOs want to achieve a good ranking, they should pay attention to a relatively small distance. The better the proximity to the search term, the more relevant the website is ranked for the specific keys.