What is Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)?
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is a technique to identify patterns in relationships between words and concepts. LSI assumes that words that are close in meaning will naturally appear in similar pieces of content. It is a mathematical approach that categorizes documents based on the words and concepts contained within the document.
In basic terms, LSI assumes that, when writing about a particular subject, words of similar meaning (synonyms) to the main subject keyword will more than likely appear throughout the document and those terms can therefore create a better, more complete overview of what the document or article is about.
How Can Latent Semantic Indexing Help with SEO?
The major search engines are constantly evolving and improving. They want to deliver the best and most relevant content on the web when their users search. As such, they are always trying to improve upon how their search engines index web pages and content. Long gone are the days when search engines will simply review your page’s meta keywords to determine what a page is about! Today, content is king and is mainly what the search engines use to determine what a web page or web site is about and how it should be indexed.
Utilizing LSI Keywords into your SEO strategy can help with your SEO and can enhance your content to rank better than using simple keyword density techniques. After all, the search engines prefer content that is written “naturally” (i.e. written with the intention of a person to read it, not just a search engine) and, in natural writing, synonyms and other relevant terms are often used. Semantic keywords also give “clues” to the search engines about subjects that can have different meanings (for example: “Windows” as in computer software vs “windows” as in the glass panels built into houses and buildings).
How to Find Latent Semantic Indexing Keywords?
When writing your web content, be sure to put together a list of synonyms for your most relevant keyword or phrase — what your article or web page is about. There are services that will do this for you, or you can do it yourself using something as simple as Google’s suggested searches. Then, incorporate those synonyms throughout your content in a natural way and you’ll be on your way to better search results.
