How important is exact keyword match in content for SEO in 2018?

[whiteonlySEO]

Is it necessary to have the exact keyword which you are trying to rank for within the first sentence of the content on your web page? For example if we are selling men's shoes, is it ok to have have the meta title and h1 on page say men's shoes and just talk about shoes within the first sentence of the content on the page. Is it obvious to search engines that this page is selling men's shoes even if you don't have the word men's shoes in that first sentence or is it necessary to have the exact keywords which you are trying to rank for written there?

[JordanLowry]

Personally, I include the main keyword within the Title Tag and the H1 tag. I've also noticed ranking increases or decreases whenever I remove my target keyword from the title tag too so as a rule of thumb I include my core keyword in the title and H1 tag. I also work it into the main body content of the page I'm working on. If the page is relevant and on topic then it shouldn't be difficult to work your target keyword into your body content in a natural way.

But the important thing to remember is to write in a way that is natural for the end user.

I hope that helps some!