Keyword Separator: Space vs Plus?

[groneg]

I've seen this scenario a bunch and never really questioned it before...I have two exact match keywords in a search campaign-- the only difference between them is that the "+" that separates the two words in the 1st is replaced by a " " in the 2nd (see pic).

Why is the difference in impressions so significant? Also, the two keywords can be segregated with PPC but is there a way to account for the difference when doing SEO?

I just realized that I cut out the AVG POS in my screenshot but they are both nearly identical @ pos 6...

 

[PhilPaul]

I would just go with the highest producer. impressions don't mean a thing without conversions

 

[groneg]

True but we're talking some traffic vs zero traffic. What exactly is the searcher entering for adwords to show these impressions? prosper202 stats don't show me anything of note...

 

[johu]

Run a search query report and see if Google tells you the exact search phrase entered.

 

[groneg]

ahh that's right -- i'll check it out tmrw when those reports update...