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You’ve probably noticed how search engines are nowadays becoming more intuitive in how they respond to search queries.
Whenever you key in a search phrase, not only do you receive more relevant results, but the search engine also takes into consideration what terms people are likely to use when searching for similar topics.
This is all thanks to something called “semantic SEO.”
This article will delve into what it entails, its importance, and how to implement it in your website to boost your online visibility.
What is Semantic SEO?
In simple terms, this is a type of SEO that emphasizes more on the meaning behind the words on a webpage, rather than just the keywords used.
The evolution of the web to incorporate more sophisticated technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, means that search engines are now able to more accurately determine the meaning of webpages and recognize synonyms, related words, and phrases.
In contrast to traditional SEO, which primarily revolves around employing certain keywords to boost a website’s search engine standing, semantic SEO seeks to deliver an overall more natural and user-friendly interface.
Keywords are still a critical component in both approaches.
However, semantic SEO goes a step further by taking into account the overall context of a page to reinforce its relevancy to a search query.
As such, you may come across terms like ‘natural language processing (NLP)‘, ‘entity recognition‘, and ‘knowledge graph‘, all of which are related to the way semantic SEO operates.
You can already see the impact of this concept in search engine algorithms such as Google’s Hummingbird, which emphasizes user intent over keyword matching to deliver more relevant outcomes.
This update introduced the utilization of Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) algorithms that recognize and match associated terms with the main keywords on a website in order to provide additional context and meaning.
Other algorithm updates, such as Google RankBrain, further elevate the importance of semantic SEO through its use of machine learning to recognize phrases, synonyms, and other related terms.
Optimizing Content for Semantic SEO
As I mentioned earlier, traditional SEO focuses solely on using specific keywords to optimize content for search engines.
This often involves targeting a specific set of keywords and including them in the title, subheadings, and throughout the content.
Whereas this approach still yields some level of success, it can sometimes result in keyword stuffing and content that is not necessarily relevant or valuable to the user.
As opposed to keyword-based optimization strategies, semantic SEO goes a step further. It focuses more on providing meaningful insight into the topic by properly connecting terms with their respective contexts throughout an entire website.
Ask yourself whether the keywords you intend to use actually make sense in the context of the content you are writing.
This includes identifying which topics are relevant to your brand and how you can provide better information than existing resources available on the web.
Therefore, instead of bluntly covering one article and trying to sprinkle as many keywords as possible, strive towards providing detailed explanations on various topics that are relevant to your core keywords
In addition, you should try to establish relationships between words and concepts to better inform the user. This means introducing synonyms, related terms, and hierarchical relationships for various topics on your website.
To be successful in this approach, you must see the big picture: Attaining topical authority.
You can utilize an SEO Topical Map to further refine your approach.
This is a visual representation of the topics associated with your website and how they relate to one another. It usually starts with one core topic, which branches out into related subtopics and then further into more specific keywords and phrases.
Writing Content that is of Topic Relevance
As we’ve seen, crafting content to leverage semantic SEO requires becoming a topical specialist.
To reach this goal, it is essential to comprehend the purpose behind user queries and produce in-depth material that answers their question or meets their requirements.
Additionally, it is important to ensure that the content is engaging, writing it in a way that is easy for the reader to understand.
It also requires going a step further and connecting the related content pages through intuitive interlinking – to ensure that the reader can go with the flow seamlessly and explore your topic in greater detail.
This will help search engines better understand the context of each copy and how it relates to other pieces of content on the website, which, in turn, can result in better SERP visibility.
[You can reference our previous post on building topical authority for more details]
How To Use LSI Keywords In Your Content
We mentioned earlier that semantic SEO involves incorporating phrases and related words to create context, rather than focusing solely on keywords.
This is where LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords come in handy.
In essence, these are related words and phrases that are associated with the main keyword being targeted on a webpage – and can help to improve the semantic relevance of the content, as they indicate to search engines that the material is providing a comprehensive and detailed overview of the topic.
It’s important to note that whereas LSI keywords and keyword clusters are related, they are not entirely the same thing.
LSI keywords are used to provide context and indicate the semantic relevance of the content (usually on a single page), while keyword clusters are used to group and organize related keywords and phrases for specific targeting on multiple pages.
Supposing you already have a hierarchical structure of topics, subtopics, and individual keywords in place, you can then begin to use LSI keywords to further refine the content.
This involves using LSI variation of the main keyword within titles, subtitles, body copy, and other page elements.
You can use an LSI keyword tool to identify related words and phrases associated with each one, to enable you to craft content that is comprehensive, detailed, and provides valuable information to the user.
Creating Well-Structured Content
At this point, you should have an understanding of the topics, subtopics, and keyword clusters associated with your website, as well as a collection of related LSI keywords for each target page. Now it’s time to start writing – but don’t forget about the structure!
This means using clear and concise language, breaking up the content into logical sections and headings, and including images and other multimedia elements to break up long blocks of text.
Yes, the regular…
But if you want to be really successful as a topical expert, you must also ensure that each copy reflects the intended meaning of your website and its associated topics.
As we mentioned earlier, this requires having a thorough understanding of the topics at hand, focusing on writing quality, and relevant content that provides concise value to the reader.
We prepared a checklist of the questions that you should ask yourself when checking the semantic relevance of your content:
1. Does this copy accurately and concisely reflect my message or meaning?
2. Has the content been written by someone who is an expert in their field, such that it is detailed, comprehensive, and interesting to read?
3. Are the main keywords being used in the title and throughout the content, without being stuffed in unnaturally?
4. Are related phrases (LSI Keywords) being used to create natural-sounding and diverse content?
5. Is the content free from grammar and factual errors?
6. Have you used images, videos, and other media to supplement the text and make it more engaging?
7. Have headings and subheadings been used to break up the content and make it easy to scan?
8. Are internal and external links to other relevant pieces of content included?
9. Are meta tags and meta descriptions being used to provide a summary of the content to search engines?
10. Is the content’s performance being monitored over time and are adjustments being made as needed?
Technical Optimization for Semantic SEO
In addition to the content itself, technical optimization is also necessary for semantic SEO.
Structuring your website correctly will help search engines understand the relationships between different pages and how they fit into the overall topic of your website.
Keeping your site mobile-friendly will also help you rank higher in search results as more people are using their phones to access websites.
Lastly, improving site speed will make sure that visitors don’t leave your page before they have a chance to read your content.
View each of these as a part of your overall SEO strategy, and optimize accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Semantic SEO is all about understanding the context and intention behind your website content and optimizing it to match.
It’s a combination of creating well-structured, in-depth content that accurately reflects your message or meaning, as well as technical optimization such as improving website layout and ensuring mobile-friendliness.
Ultimately, your success lies in creating content that is not only informative, but also ensuring that you approach SEO from a holistic perspective.
