Jan. 13, 2023
11 min reading time
11 min reading time
Online content today is dominated by male language. Studies have shown that primary school children do not understand typical male language, which leads them to imagine male representations.
As regrettable as it is, our language use reinforces the idea that Women are overlooked or completely forgotten .
As a copywriter, SEO specialist, or editor, one faces—as in many other cases of current language use—the difficult decision of either remaining true to current trends (rightfully so) or giving preference to terms that have a higher search volume but unconsciously promote masculinity. This discrepancy is evident not only in the differences in the number of search queries but also in the number of indexed pages for each search query.
Here's an example:
A thorough analysis of Google Trends reveals a significant discrepancy between masculine terms in the singular or plural compared to gender-specific variants. In most cases, interest in female or non-binary search queries was drastically lower than for their male counterparts—sometimes even too low to be recognized by Google itself. This can drastically impact your visibility.
It seems that SEO and gender are contradictory – German-language websites by women rank worse than those by men.
What is the cause of this inequality? Many women list specific job titles on their websites, and companies often try to use gender-inclusive language in their publications such as blogs or guides. However, these efforts have not yet apparently made a significant difference in website rankings.
Users of search engines generally search for the masculine term, which is reflected in the fact that fewer pages are displayed when searching for feminine job titles.
Consider this example from Swiss search results: A Google search for "female painter" yields approximately 320 results, while a simple search for "male painter" returns almost 6,6! This illustrates how strongly genders are segregated on digital platforms.
Google is not inherently sexist, but rather reflects the collective search queries entered by its users. Therefore, if we were to change our paradigm and prioritize feminine terms in Google searches, the search engine would adjust its logic accordingly and display more results for women than for more general masculine terms.
This proves that search engines are an extension of societal perceptions. By recognizing and utilizing the power of feminine terms in our search queries, we can actively influence Google's algorithm and create a space where gender equality is paramount online.
The problem is therefore caused by users who do not use search engines in a gender-equitable way.
Although Google claims to be non-discriminatory, it does nothing to promote gender-inclusive language. Evidence of this is its approach to gender-inclusive language options. The search engine remains biased and fails to address a crucial need for social progress.
When we think about how to make texts on a website gender-specific, two basic questions need to be answered:
Fortunately, there are ways for men and women to create gender-inclusive content that accurately reflects their perspective while simultaneously improving search engine rankings.
Male form: painter
Female form: painter
Binnen-I: Painter (female)
Slash: Painter/Painter
Pair form: male and female painter
Colon: Painter:
Underscore: Painter
Gender asterisk: painter*
Several studies have found that the use of a mating form most advantageous This is to achieve optimal search engine results. The algorithm reads the specified "I" as exclusively feminine, while it interprets a slash as masculine.
When choosing language for your texts that includes both genders, we recommend using the colon. For example, Google interprets "Maler:in" as encompassing both male and female contexts. "Maler_in," on the other hand, can be interpreted as referring exclusively to women.
In Google Suggest, Google replaces the gender asterisk with a space and interprets the terms as two, i.e., "painter" and "in".
When it comes to the underscore, Google gets a little confused. It usually treats it as one word instead of two, but rarely does it recognize an alternative definition.
Since search engines don't distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters, Google can only recognize the feminine form. Consequently, it delivers results that explicitly include the feminine form.
Unfortunately, Google isn't programmed to recognize the dual nature of some terms. It only offers explanations for certain words, and even then, it tends to automatically use the masculine form in other cases. This lack of consistency sometimes makes searching for paired forms difficult or nearly impossible.
Whenever we examined Google's interpretation of this abbreviation (d/f/m), it always returned results related to job postings; this is probably because this acronym is usually only found in job advertisements. Interestingly, if you reverse the order and search accordingly, no such results appear.
Work with your employees to create a consistent writing style for all your company's internal and external communications. Keep your target audience in mind in everything you write—regardless of what Google does or doesn't do.
By using gender-neutral language, you also support people who do not identify as male or female. Non-binary people may see themselves as neither male nor female, as both genders, or may switch between identities depending on the situation.
This means they feel neither defined by the female nor the male term. Therefore, using gender-neutral terms is a good way to ensure that all people feel seen and valued, regardless of their identity.
To ensure the integration of all genders and to avoid any ranking issues with Google or other search engines, we suggest using a colon for gender-inclusive language. This method includes both the male and female genders in order to ensure inclusion regardless of gender variations.
Unfortunately, this gender-inclusive spelling also has its drawbacks. This is evident in words like "Expert:in," which do not contain the complete masculine form of "Expert." Unlike our example of "Maler:innen" (which included the masculine variant), this type of gender-specific spelling has no impact on the rankings for "Experte"; therefore, we recommend consulting a [relevant authority/organization]. Online marketing consulting always a balanced approach to use all relevant gender-specific spellings.
For websites and blogs to be successful in their gender-inclusive language efforts and to ensure relevance for all target groups, the use of generic masculine language is sometimes unavoidable. However, this can also serve as an opportunity to develop gender-sensitive content that resonates with readers.
Creating concise, thorough content that adheres to SEO best practices will guarantee your website impressive organic search rankings. To ensure your text is easily understood and maximizes readability, configure your landing pages to be accessible to web crawlers and include external links with additional information. Finally, always maintain a gender-neutral tone when writing.
When optimizing for search engine results, prioritize the topic or service over the person. For example, focus on graphic design rather than a specific graphic designer; the search volume might be slightly lower, but you'll reach far more searchers overall. By taking this approach, you can leverage your SEO efforts more effectively and attract a wider audience to your business.
Look for gender-neutral terms and alternatives for your content. Instead of "boss," you can refer to the management team or staff as a whole. For example, when talking about online marketing managers or sales managers, use terms like "online marketing team" or "sales management" instead.
We know how important it is to use gender-inclusive language in our articles, and we've made it our mission not only to be sensitive in how we address people, but also to ensure that all genders are visible by explicitly mentioning them. We use both the masculine and feminine forms with a colon – as seen in the first line of the first paragraph – so that everyone has an equal chance of finding what they're looking for, regardless of their preferred search terms.
To comply with Google's quality guidelines, we deliberately chose not to use any slashes (/) or asterisks (*). According to Google's quality guidelines, content should be free of spelling and grammatical errors. Excessive or incorrect punctuation can, in Google's view, indicate a lower quality page.
While we cannot say for certain which string is involved, it is more likely that incorrect grammar is used in cases involving articles and adjectives. For example, "ein/-e gute/-r Manager/-in" could potentially lead to misclassified results, as opposed to using a colon after "gute Manager:innen" or using "gutes Management" or "gut Managende".
It may take some time before gender-inclusive language achieves the same significance in search engines as traditional gender-inclusive language. On the one hand, people's understanding of gender and website operators' awareness are still limited; on the other hand, Google's algorithms still need to properly capture search queries using masculine forms. We will carefully monitor this development and adapt our approach accordingly.
Gender sensitivity and SEO can be a powerful and successful combination. Using non-discriminatory language is essential for creating an environment that is fair to everyone. Therefore, it's important that you and your employees use gender-sensitive terms in your daily interactions with customers and in search engines. And even if the transition seems daunting at first – don't worry! With regular practice, it will soon become second nature.
The fact that the transition to gender-neutral language may initially feel unfamiliar or uncomfortable to many is an important moment, as it can spark further discussion on this important topic. The more we raise our voices and talk about a new way of speaking, the closer we come to equality in our language.
When the use of asterisks, hyphens, and double entendres becomes too cumbersome over time, we are forced to find other gender-neutral linguistic alternatives that ultimately pave the way for true gender equality in language. If we take these measures now, we have the opportunity to bring about lasting change and make gender segregation in language a thing of the past.
By changing our language use, we can also teach search engines to recognize gender-specific SEO.
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