digitalghost - 8:10 am on Jan 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

>>Simplistically, a title of "big red widgets" might let you also optimize on the page for "big widgets," "big red gizmos," and "repairing red widgets."

Maybe, but why not create specific pages targeting those additional phrases?

After you start pulling traffic, check your logs and start optimizing for the unexpected phrases that your initial optimization pulled in.

I just can't see any detrimental effects for optimizing one page for one phrase, ever.

Make it complicated and it is wrong. :)