Definition: In the context of the Web, the term adjacency refers to the unique affiliation between words or phrases in a search engine query. Search engine result pages (SERPs) are usually ranked higher with the indicated search query words appearing closer to one another on the page; Web pages that contain the search query words at different areas on the page will be ranked lower. This creates a more relevant search experience for Web searchers.
Web searchers can control how search engines apply adjacency with qutoation marks and Boolean search operators.
