What is Latent Semantic Indexing and why is it important for your SEO strategy?

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI, for short) can be an overwhelming and confusing term for anyone hearing it for the first time.

Fortunately, while this sounds like something that requires a computer science degree, it's actually a concept you are probably already familiar with - especially if you have some basic knowledge of keywords and their close relationship to search engine optimization (SEO).

In thisarticle, we'll define LSI and how the process can potentially benefit your overall SEO strategy, take a closer look at ways to find LSI-dr iven keywords, and explain how to add these keywords into your content.

Let's go, okay?

Go now: Technical SEO glossary

What is Latent semantic indexing?

Latent semantic indexing, also known as latent semantic analysis, is a mathematical practice that allows you to classify and retrieve information about particular key terms and concepts using singular value decomposition (SVD).

With SVD, search engines can sift through unstructured data and identify relationships between those terms and their context to better index those records for online users.

Before SVD, it was quite difficult for computers to try to catch the differences between synonyms or semantic changes.

To help paint a picture, take the words "idiot" and "chain". When separated, these words represent two very independent definitions, but when they come together, their formation creates a whole new concept: "silly string ".

If you work for an ecommerce company that sells silly channels, you don't want your content to appear for the word 'silly' alone - in this case you will need to use LSI keywords to let search engines know which searches they should serve your content for.

As technology adapted, the quality of user research has been greatly improved through stronger relevance models. Thanks to the "root ", computers began to take into account the different forms that'a word could represent on a page.

Search engines use LSI keywords to help add context to pages in order to provide better search results.

As LSI became more sophisticated, the ability to group by topic emerged, which for many rank-focused content writers meant that synonyms became your best friend.

So ... your overall position better, right? Well it depends.

What are LSI keywords?

LSI Keywords are based on the idea that using similar keywords throughout your content to strengthen your topic or theme can help you improve your overall SEO performance.

After all, if you end up ranking for a keyword, the possibility of ranking for a related keyword seems reasonable.

As Google and other search enginesche have become more sophisticated and advanced, we have learned that there are many external factors that influence the overall ranking.

In fact, there is no certainty behind the idea that LSI is part of Google's ranking algorithm. LSI is a practice dating back to the 1980s and today we know Google is too smart to rely solely on synonyms to retrieve and index information.

The power of "LSI keywords" is therefore called into question. However, some argue that even though Google doesn 't use LSI, there is no harm in adding synonyms to your content, as long as they are not overloaded and used naturally.

So what are they two How to improve SEO that doesn't rely on LSI?

1. Use structured data! There is nothing that Google likes better and will reward more than data that users can understand. For moreFor information on what structured data is and how to add it to your website, see the Beginner's Guide to Structured Data. for the organization and optimization of your website .
2. Practice co-occurrence, which is based on the relativity of concepts, frequency of occurrence of keywords and proximity of keywords on different websites. Search engines will tend to use this method to crawl and index the most closely related websites. Therefore, if you are looking for a place to start, you should:
   • Identify a keyword or long tail that you want to rank for
   • Find the most popular articles
   • Find the concepts or keywords they have in common
   • Integrate and optimize your results!

Now that doesn't mean LSI based keywords are bad for SEO, it just means it shouldn't be your catch-all. In fact, there are a multitude of ways your content can benefit from LSI keywords. So let's take a closer look at how to use LSI content to your advantage.

Benefits of LSI Driven Keyword Research

Search Engines are constantly looking for the most relevant and complete content for a given query. The internet looks a lot like the universe, always so vast and good, big. That said, it’s no easy task, even for the best search engines, like Google, to determine what the content of a page really is.

Best Target Eted categorization helps publishers, marketers, and users. For example, publishers can drive engagement because LSI-based content is directed and curated for a specific audience. Online users benefitcient each other, because the queries they are looking for are processed faster and more accurately.

And, ultimately, users who find content that answers their questions are satisfied users and happy users are more likely to engage or convert.

5 Ways to Find LSI Keywords

You are about to become an LSI expert. Congratulations! Now that you've learned a bit more about the importance of LSI keywords, let's go over the different ways you can identify new keywords for future blog posts and content.

1. A Simple Google Search

One of the easiest ways to find LSI keywords is Google itself. When you enter a term in the search query field, it automatically displays the keywords related to the particular query.

Let's use the exe againprevious mple of "silly string ". A first search for the word gives the following results:

Again, there are a lot of pages in particular The keyword could indicate why we need to use LSI to add more context. If you keep scrolling to the At the bottom you will find a section titled, "Searches related to " and your given query:

Use the keyword list as a starting point for potential LSI keywords, as it reveals what Google already associates with your main keywords.

The best part? This method is 100% free!

2. Use the keyword planning tool via Google AdWords

If you have access to Google AdWords, you can also useread their keyword planning tool.

Again, we'll use the "silly string " example. Start by adding the term in the initial query box. Click on "Get Ideas " and you will be taken to a page with related keywords and an idea of ​​how competitive the search rankings are for that term.

3. Take advantage of SERP Stat 's keyword research database tool

Another free tool you can use is from SERP Stats. SERP Stat's Keyword Research Tool is very similar to Google's Keyword Planner. Just add your query in the search bar and you will receive results based on search volume and CPC.

4. Use the LSI Keyword Generator

The LSI Graph / LSI Keyword Generator is another free tool perfectly designed for identifying LSI keywords. Similar to the previous tools mentioned, it follows the same flushing and repeating process. Add a term in the search bar, click on "generate " and choose from a variety of related keywords below.

5. Try Ubersuggest

Finally, Ubersuggest is another free giveaway to discover LSI keywords. I'm sure at this point, you can guess how simple each of these tools is. All you need to do is type in your main keyword, and Ubersuggest does the rest! From search volume, keyword difficulty, and CP C, you can vous expect a generated list of related search terms.

How to Select (and Use) the Best LSI Keywords

At this point it is likely (and normal) to have a long list of potential LSI keywords. The best way to choose the best keywords is to narrow your options to keywords that are most related to your content and have sufficient search volume. Extra points if you can determine these keywords nugget with both high search volume and low keyword difficulty.

Understanding the three different types of intent

It is essential that your LSI keywords help answer any questions people might have about your main keyword, so be sure to do some research on your target audience to determiner the types of queries they might send to Google to find your content.

We'll come back to "silly chain " again, this time in the context that it's on a site dedicated to exploring "how the dumb chain works ". Here are three types of intent someone on Google may have when searching for a "stupid string ":

• Informational intent : This type of query is usually on a much larger scale. An example would be, "How does the silly string work? "
• Navigation intent : This is a more specific type of query. For example, someone might want to know who invented a silly chain or what it's made of.
• Transactional intent : This type of request is about the purchase of something. Regarding our example, it could be related to buying a stupid chain.

Pick words that add context, but don't overload them

A misconception some people have is that you should use as many LSI keywords as possible to give your content has a better chance of outperforming others.

This is called overloading your content, and it is a practice that you will want to avoid as it might actually deter you from ranking. The best way to make sure your content isn't overloaded is to proofread your content after you've added all the keywords. If a specific word doesn't sound natural, leave it out.

Remember that LSI is only part of an effective SEO strategy

LSI is just potentially there One of the many factors that determines how well your content ranks in search engines. To get the best results and prepare your content for success, an SEO strategynt effective should also consist of an appropriate website. architecture, relevant backs, ongoing optimizations, etc.

That said, it is definitely worth taking the time to discover and add relevant LSI related keywords into your content, especially since they can help your readers. find the most relevant and useful information to meet their needs, more quickly.