Google has always rated your website’s SEO with several factors, but the most common goal of many SEO strategies has been to stick to one relevant term when it came to keywords. Unfortunately, an onslaught of keyword stuffing crashed that party resulting in Google penalizing sites for using a keyword too often and in inappropriate context. Instead, algorithm updates now take into account semantically related words or variations that would help a reader better understand a topic. These are called Latent Semantic Indexing or LSI keywords.

What are LSI Keywords

Latent Semantic Indexing 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 more relevant context.

Consider the the keyword “contractor” for example

Are you talking about a construction service provider? For a house or commercial property? Or maybe an independent contractor for a specific professional business need. This is where LSI keywords come in.

We are talking about residential construction, so there will be words on the page like:

• building
• home
• licensed
• interior/exterior
• remodeling

These words make it clear that we aren’t talking about hiring someone for an outsourced job.

How to Find Semantically Related Keywords

You can do a Google search or use a keyword planning tool to see some of the related things on the search engine results page.

• construction company
• home remodeling
• Andersen Windows
• choosing a remodeler
• building contractor

You can also check the People Also Ask snippets in Google

• What is the different between a residential contractor and general contractor?
• What does Licensed Contractor mean?
• Is a builder a contractor?
• What is a full service contractor?

Remember Keyword Context Is Key For SEO

If you do an internet search, you will find plenty of articles that try to debunk LSI keyword strategy. This is both because the technology has been around for along time and some say that Google doesn’t look specifically for LSI keywords when calculating your website’s SEO.

That said, related terms have long played an important role in whether your page is considered a good example of what people are actually 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.

Ensure Your Website is Optimized

The best thing you can do to ensure your website is optimized is to have the Website SEO team at Lion Tree Group provide you with a strategy to keep your website performing. Whether you need a new custom website built or you need to ensure people find your existing site, we have the knowledge and tools to get it done.