LSI Keywords and Your Site’s SEO
Until recently, Google would rate your website’s SEO based on several factors, but the goal was to stick to one relevant term when it came to keywords. Unfortunately, keyword stuffing crashed that party, and Google began to penalize sites for using the keyword too often and inappropriately. So instead, algorithms developed to take into account semantically related words that would help the reader better understand the topic. These are called LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords.
What LSI Keywords Do
LSI Keywords help the reader and Google understand what your web page or blog post is about. They aren’t synonyms, but terms that help give the reader and Google context.
Take the keyword “succulent,” for example.
Are you talking about something juicy and moist, like a perfect steak? Or are you talking about the drought-resistant plants that retain moisture in their stems and leaves? This is where LSI keywords come in.
We are talking about the plant, so there will be words on the page like:
- Ecosystem
- Soil
- desert
- roots
- photosynthesis
These words make it clear that we aren’t talking about steak.
How to Find Semantically Related Keywords
You can do a Google search and see some of the related things on the search engine results page.
- Growing Succulents
- Succulent Care
- Succulent Types
- Jade Plant
- Propagating succulents
You can also check the People Also Ask section of the SERP
- How do you water a succulent?
- How do you care for succulents indoors?
- Do succulents need full sun?
- Do succulents grow better inside or outside
Remember Context Is Key
If you do an internet search, you will find plenty of articles that try to debunk LSI Keywords. This is because LSI technology is old-It has been around since 1988! Some of these articles will say that Google doesn’t look specifically for LSI keywords when your SEO is calculated.
However, related terms have long played an important role in whether your page is considered a good example of what someone is searching for. LSI keywords add context and variety to your content in a way that keeps the text interesting and readable. It helps you create relevant content without stuffing it full of the exact keywords repeatedly.
Ensuring Your Website is Optimized
The best thing you can do to ensure your website is optimized is to have the SEO specialists at Iceberg Web Design do their magic. Whether you need your site built from scratch or you need to ensure people find your existing site, we have the knowledge and tools to get it done. Contact us today!
