"AZ" beats "Arizona"

In my never-ending quest to find the right keywords to get maximum search engine exposure, I noticed an interesting trend: "az" has overtaken "arizona." Back in 2004, the term "arizona" was typed into Google about 150% more often than the keyword "az," meaning that if you had optimized your website and your search ad campaign with the term "arizona," you'd get way more hits. However, earlier in 2008, "AZ" surpassed "Arizona" as the dominant term, and its share continues to increase. Apparently people have realized that the two terms are equal, and they've gone to the more efficient abbreviation "AZ" as they've become more and more proficient with Google searches.

What does this mean for the future of search? I would say that you should definitely focus on "AZ" as a keyword over "Arizona," but continue optimizing for "Arizona" as well. For example, if you are a realtor who is hoping to sell homes in Queen Creek, Arizona, use the term "Queen Creek, AZ." The difference is subtle, but it may get you a few more hits. In all reality, though, Google knows that "AZ" and "Arizona" are pretty much equal, so I wouldn't expect a huge difference. If, however, you are setting up a Google AdWords campaign, make sure you use broad search, or if you use exact search, use both "az" and "arizona."

Information from Google Trends