Latent Semantic Indexing

Latent semantic indexing, also known as LSI, sounds complicated.

But, knowledge of keywords and their relationship with SEO can give you a basic understanding of this concept.

In this post you will learn:

• The definition of LSI
• How LSI can benefit your overall SEO strategy
• Different ways to find LSI-driven keywords
• How to add LSI-driven keywords in your content

So, let’s dive right in.

What is latent semantic indexing?

Latent Semantic Indexing, also referred to as latent semantic analysis, is a mathematical method that helps identify and retrieve information on the relationships between key terms.

Search engines use singular value decomposition, also known as SVD, to analyse unstructured data and relationships between terms and their context for better indexing for online users.

In the past…

It was difficult for computers to know the difference between synonyms or semantic changes before SVD was introduced.

For example, when the words “silly” and “string” are separate they have different definitions compared to when they are combined to form “silly string.”

So, if you have an e-commerce company that’s selling silly strings, you don’t want your content ranking just for the word “silly.”

Meaning you need to use LSI keywords to help search engines to display your content on their results pages for the right keywords.

Over time, as technology has changed and adapted, as relevant content increases for keywords, it also improves the quality of a user’s search.

By computers using a concept called “stemming” to understand the different ways a word could be interpreted on a page, based on the word which is before it or the word that follows it.

And now…

Search engines can list relevant results for search queries, depending on your website’s content, by using LSI keywords.

LSI keywords help to add context to your webpages and provide better search results.

Basically, the improvements of LSI, means synonyms of your keywords can help with rankings as well.

What are LSI keywords?

LSI keywords are basically similar keywords or keyword synonyms.

Using LSI keywords comes from the idea that using similar keywords in your content to strengthen your topic can help improve your content’s overall SEO performance.

Because, you have a successful strategy if you rank for one keyword and also rank for a related keyword.

But, let’s go into how much LSI really improves your content’s chances of ranking.

Google and other search engines have many external factors that influence the overall ranking of your website or its content.

Because you don’t actually know if LSI is part of Google’s ranking algorithm.

LSI started back in the 1980s and Google doesn’t rely on only keyword synonyms to gather and index information.

So, even though we don’t know the power of “LSI keywords,” you can still add keyword synonyms into your content but follow the same rules as you would with normal keywords.

Don’t overstuff keywords and place keywords in a natural looking way.

Improving your SEO without the use of LSI includes:

• Use structured data: Google like and rewards data users can understand.
• Practice co-occurrence: Relative, frequent keyword occurrences and keyword closeness across different websites.

Search engines use co-occurence to scan and index websites closely related.

Follow these tips to start practising co-occurrence:

• Find a long-tail keyword or phrase to rank for
• Look up top trending articles for this keyword
• Find common concepts or keywords in these articles
• Use these keywords to optimise your content or write your own article

LSI driven keywords are not bad for SEO.

There are a lot of ways LSI keywords can help your content.

But it shouldn’t be your only strategy.

LSI-Driven Keyword Research Benefits

LSI-Driven Keyword Research benefits publishers, marketers and search engine users with more targeted categorisation.

Because, search engines want the most relevant and thorough content for a search query.

And the internet is always getting bigger and expanding.

So, it’s difficult for search engines, like Google, to figure out what your webpage’s content is about.

LSI-driven keyword research can help:

• You, the pushlisher, produce content that is specifically directed for your audience.
• Online users find the queries they search for quicker and more accurately.

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

Finding LSI Keywords

The different ways you can use to find LSI keywords include:

Google Search

Use Google search auto-complete to find LSI keywords:

Simply, enter your search term in the search box without hitting the enter button and it automatically displays auto-complete suggestions with keywords related to your query.

Use Google related searches to find LSI keywords:

Now, type in your search term and press enter.

Then, scroll down to the bottom and you will find a, “Searches related to” sections for your search query.

This list search terms shows you keywords and related terms to your query and can be used as a starting point for your LSI keywords.

Make this your go to method because they are both 100% free.

Keyword Planner Tool or Google AdWords

This method uses either the Google AdWords tool or you can use their Keyword Planner tool.

Type your keyword term into the query box and click on “Get ideas.”

Now, a page will display related keywords and information on how competitive of these keywords are for search rankings.

These two methods are also 100% free.

SERP Stat’s Keyword Research Database Tool

Another free tool to use is SERP Stats.

SERP Stat’s Keyword Research Database Tool is similar to Google’s Keyword Planner.

Just type your query into the search bar and press enter.

Now, the results you receive will be displayed based on search volume and cost-per-click (CPC).

LSI Keyword Generator

A free tool that’s made for finding LSI keywords is LSI Graph/LSI Keyword Generator.

Similar to most keyword research tools.

Add your search term into the search bar and click “generate.”

Then, you are presented with a number of related keywords to choose from.

Ubersuggest

Finally, the last tool for discovering LSI keywords is Ubersuggest.

It’s also 100% free.

Just enter your keyword and hit enter.

The displayed results of related search terms show you search volume, keyword difficulty, and CPC.

Selecting and Using the LSI Keywords

The best way to pick LSI keywords is to choose the ones related to your content that have decent monthly search volume.

By now, you should have a long list of potential LSI keywords, having been through the previous LSI keyword research steps.

The best keywords that you should pick are the ones with both high search volume and low keyword difficulty.

Different Types of Search Intent

Your LSI keywords must answer any questions search users have related to your keyword.

So, research your target audience to find out the type of queries they search for in Google or other search engines to find your content.

Using the example of “SEO,” on a SEO agency website dedicated to educating people on “how SEO works”.

Three different types of search intent on Google for someone searching for “SEO” will be:

• Informational intent: A broader type of query. For example, “How does SEO work?”
• Navigational intent: A specific type of query. For example, to find a SEO agency and its location.
• Transactional intent: A purchase related type of query. For example, purchasing an SEO service package.

Add Context, But Don’t Overstuff

Make sure your content isn’t overstuffed with keywords by re-reading your content after you have added all your keywords to make sure everything sounds natural.

If you find a specific word that doesn’t sound natural, then simply take it out from your content.

Stuffing your content with as many LSI keywords as possible to outrank other competitors will not work.

This is called overstuffing your content, and you should avoid it because it will negatively affect your chances of ranking.

Conclusion

LSI could be one of a number of ranking factors that influence how well your content performs in search engines.

For the best results for your content to succeed, you need an effective SEO strategy.

For an effective SEO strategy a few examples of techniques to include are:

• proper website architecture
• relevant backlinks
• ongoing optimizations

Discovering and adding relevant LSI-driven keywords into your content can help your audience find relevant and helpful information to quickly meet their needs.

Now it’s over to you.

Do you use LSI keywords? If so, is there anything you want to add?

Let me know in the comments below.