In the past, marketers relied on a single keyword to rank well. Today, context is the key to creating high-quality content. And with good reason. More than 15% of all Google searches on a daily basis are new terms users have never used before. With billions of searches conducted annually, that’s an awful lot of new questions. What are LSI Keywords? How they Help to Boost Traffic?
Source Capitalist
With Googlers looking for different and unique ways to search for common problems, this is exactly why LSI keywords are such a big part of Google's ranking factors.
From an SEO point of view, LSI keywords have very good results. By including them in your content you will increase its contextuality and increase your search visibility. In this article, I will provide you with all the information you need about LSI keywords to improve your SEO, increase relevant traffic to your website, and increase your customer base.
✅ What are LSI keywords?
✅ What are the Key Benefits of LSI Keywords?
✅ What does LSI Keyword Mean for SEO?
✅ Which tools can help you find related keywords?
✅ How to use LSI Keywords in your content?
By the time you’ve finished reading this, you’ll have a better understanding of the importance of LSI keywords for content marketing and SEO, as well as the strategies and tools you can use to implement them into your own content marketing and SEO strategy.
Ready? Let’s begin!
What are LSI keywords?
Since 2015, Google has been emphasizing the importance of latent semantic index (LSI) keywords. However, the company has not spent much time educating Internet marketers on what LSI keywords actually are.
What is latent semantic indexing?
A latent semantic indexing (LSI) is a computer program designed to learn a large number of syntactical terms based on their semantic context. It is a mathematical approach that finds connections between words and concepts in a piece of content.
For a more in-depth look at LSI keywords, let’s take a closer look at what they are and how they relate to the key keyword you’re trying to target.
LSI keywords are used in search engine optimization (SEO) because they support your content. They add context to your content, making it easier for users to understand what it’s about and for search engines to understand what’s on it.
✔️ Examples of LSI Keywords
✔️ LSI Keywords Examples
✔️ LSI Keyword Examples
✔️ How to Use Related Keywords
✔️ Tools to Find LSI Keyswords
✔️ Do Related Keywords Affect SEO
✔️ How to Use Semantic Keywords
✔️ How to Include Semantic Keywords in Keywords
Each of the above phrases can be used as a complement to your main keyword (LSI keywords).
If you’re scratching your head trying to figure out how to add LSI/LSI/related keywords to your content, you’re in the right place. We’ll go over the different ways you can easily find these keywords and how they can help your content rank higher and more in search results.
Let’s start from the top:
Our Keyword Includes the Word “Keyword”
Are LSI keywords the same as synonyms?
Although some LSI keywords are synonyms, they are not all LSI keywords. Most of the LSI keywords are related words and phrases. So, synonyms can be used in your posts to improve your article's on-page SEO but synonyms are not LSI keywords.
For instance, the LSI keywords for "jacket" are "coat" and "jacket" which includes words like "reversible", "winter", "feather down," "warm", "padded", "puffer", etc.
If you’re not sure what’s synonymous and what’s related, you can do a Google search to get a better idea. The LSI keywords in the drop down menu are the suggested searches.
What are the benefits of using LSI keywords?
As I mentioned earlier in the introduction, every year, Google processes hundreds of thousands of queries that are never searched. Google has updated its algorithm to take context into account in order to understand related keywords better. Google said
LSI keywords add context to your content and provide SEO benefits such as:
🔺 Increase your website's search engine ranking: Spraying LSI keywords in your text allows search engines to gain a better understanding of your page and increase its ranking power
🔺 Improve relevance of your content: Adding related keywords to your content helps to ensure that you don't overuse keywords in your content, which can lead to keyword stuffing. By adding related words to your content, you can ensure that your content is relevant and relevant to the users who are searching for it. These related words also help to improve the search experience of users, which in turn improves various ranking factors such as page loading time, bounce rate and more.
Do LSI keywords have any disadvantages?
While there are no obvious drawbacks to using LSI keywords, the indexing technique does have some drawbacks. For instance, it does not take into account the order of the words and removes all conjunctions or prepositions from the text. It assumes that words have only one meaning. It does not consider the underlying ideas and the irony behind the words. In some instances, the meaning behind the words may be different from that of the text.
When did LSI keywords become relevant?
When did LSI keywords become important?
It all started in 2004 when Google introduced latent semantic indexing (LSI) into its search algorithm. The goal was to help the search engine deliver more relevant results to users.
Even for figurative language, Google can generate relevant results.
However, Google didn’t stop there. The search engine also wanted to know more about the anchor text used in hyperlinks and the groups of websites that link together (known as SEO neighborhoods).
In just one algorithm change, Google drastically altered the way it presented search results.
The search engine was no longer targeting exact match keywords in the web content. Context and synonyms were now understood by the algorithm. Instead of just looking at a keyword and how often it is used to determine what the page is about, Google was now able to analyze everything on the page.
To get a better idea of how this will affect you, let's take a closer look at LSI keywords, and how they relate to SEO.
Impact of LIS Keywords in SEO
Google’s first crawlers, also called spiders, crawled from link to link on linked web pages. While crawling, they looked at the keywords on the page to determine its subject matter.
For instance, if you publish a blog post called “21 tips for effective email list segmentation,” then Google will crawl your page to see if you have used the term "email list segmentation" in any of the following areas on your website:
◾Title tag
◾Content body
◾Image alt text
◾H1 heading
◾H2 & H3 sub headers
However, after Google’s LSI update, the crawl method changed, which led to these SEO improvements:
Google understands pages better
Instead of just looking at the main keyword on your page, it would now look at all the related keywords on your page. For example, email campaign, MailChimp, audience, subscriber, email tools, etc.
What this means is that Google is trying to figure out what a page’s overall topic is, and it’s relying on latent semantic indexed content to understand your content at a deeper level than just looking for multiple instances of a keyword.
Google now reads pages in the same way that a human would read a page, and it can categorize keywords based on the context in which they are found. This means that Google can now distinguish between words based on very small details. For example, it can tell the difference between a literal word and a figurative word, such as “don’t use LSI keywords in your content if they aren’t relevant.”
According to a recent Google research paper, they find words that are frequently used together to assist the bots in understanding the primary subject matter of the pages they crawl. With better categorization, the results are more meaningful.
Google takes the whole picture
Not only does Google take the whole picture into account, but their algorithm also considers your company name, your website, and the industry you operate in order to give Google a complete picture of every page on your website as far as your business is concerned.
Why are LSI keywords so important to Google?
At its core, Google’s goal is to give searchers the most relevant search results it can, even for 15% of all search terms that it has never seen before. That’s an incredible level of quality that the search engine wouldn’t be able to achieve without LSI.
Is YouTube Using LSI Keywords?
Is YouTube Using LSI Keywords?
It’s worth mentioning that YouTube is owned by Google, but they mainly run on different search engines and algorithm. What surprises me is that at the time of writing, YouTube doesn’t appear to be using LSI keywords for ranking purposes.
For example, as a YouTube creator, I use primary keywords in my video titles and rarely look at LSI keywords. And yet, my videos rank well.
The only place I would be able to include LSI keywords is in the video description, but I don't think it's necessary.
So, while YouTube searches will return related links, there aren't many places to put LSI keywords.
High-quality editing is the most important factor when it comes to YouTube SEO, as it helps to increase the engagement and click-through rates of thumbnails. Obviously, I am oversimplifying a complicated algorithm, but the truth of the matter is, high-quality edits are the most important factor in YouTube's algorithm, not LSI keywords.
So, while LSI keywords are important on Google search engines, they are less important in YouTube search engines.
Let's move into the next section, where you will find 5 effective tools that will help you find the best LSI keywords for your posts.
How to find related keywords with LSI keyword
The first thing you’ll need to do is build a list of keywords that are relevant to your company. Once you’ve done that, it’ll be a breeze to find related keywords. All you have to do is do a bit of research and you’ll find endless possibilities.
Of course, you’ll also need some tools to help you find the right LSI keywords. Here are 5 of the best LSI keyword search tools for finding the right selection of related words.
👉 Google Related Searches
You can also enter your primary keyword into Google and scroll to the bottom of your page to find the Related Searches section. Take a look at the LSI keywords listed below for more inspiration for your content.
👉 Google Autocomplete Search
Google's instant search is the easiest way to search for keywords relevant to your keyword. All you have to do is enter your keyword into Google's search box, and you'll be presented with a variety of predictions for what you may type next.
Check for words that appear as suggestions in bold. Create a list of words that are related to your keyword and include them in your content.
👉 People Also Ask search Results
The “People also ask” box at the bottom of the search results will give you a lot more options. Go into a couple of the results and see if there’s anything else you can add. Look for bolded words, like the one below. This is another great, free resource.
👉 Serpstat
Another great feature of Serpstat is that you can use it to find semantically related keywords for your posts. All you have to do is type in your main keyword and you’ll be shown a long list of related words and phrases. Click on SEO Research > Related keywords to get started.
So, now that you understand how to use free LSI keyword research tools to find keywords, let's take a look at the most effective ways to incorporate them into your content and your SEO strategy.
👉 LSI Graph
LSI Graph is an easy-to-use free keyword generator that will help you find all the keywords related to your main keyword. All you have to do is enter your page's main keyword and you will be presented with a list of keywords related to LSI.
How to use LSI keywords for SEO
With the keyword generation tools listed above, you’ll have a long list of appropriate LSI keywords for your content. It’s now time to incorporate them into your content and reap the SEO’s rewards.
Choose LSI keywords best suited for your topic
Before you decide how to use LSI keywords in your text, you’ll need to find the ones that are most relevant to your topic. For example, if you’re writing a blog post that is focused on the key keyword ‘blog SEO’, the tool you are using will give you a long list of options such as:
◾Blog SEO checklist
◾Seo Blog topics
◾Blog post SEO tips
◾Seo Blog for Beginners
◾What are the benefits of SEO
◾Seo Blog Meaning
◾Seo Plugin for Bloggers
◾How to write SEO friendly post
◾Blog SEO for Beginners
◾How to SEO latest trends
◾How to optimize your post
If you were writing a blog post on the advantages of blogging SEO for WordPress, you would use the keyword "blog SEO" along with related phrases like "what are the benefits of SEO" and "blog SEO tips for beginners".
If your blog post was about "how to optimize my post for SEO" or "how to optimize x blog post SEO" you would use LSI phrases.
Keywords total monthly search estimate
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out the best LSI keyword suggestions for your phrases because some suggestions might make sense in a completely different post.
For instance, if you’re writing a post about online course platforms, you might see some LSI keyword suggestions such as “online learning platforms”.
When that happens, you’ll need to decide whether the suggestion would make more sense as a separate article or as an add-on to your original post.
I tend to look at the overall monthly search estimate to determine if it’s better to write something new or include the suggestion in the original article you’re researching.
The keywords your tool provides will be relevant to various situations, and you must decide which ones will be most effective for your particular page.
While you are doing your research, you can also note keywords that do not match your page, and use them on other pages to enhance your overall SEO.
👉 How to add LIS Keywords in Post
Your LSI keywords should be placed in the same locations as your main keyword, such as the meta title and meta description, H1, H2 and H3 headings, image alt tags, and body text. Sprinkle related words/phrases throughout your post in an easy-to-understand way. This will open up new possibilities since you cannot reuse your main keyword in every important part of your page.
Include related words and phrases in your post in an easy-to-listen-to way. This will open up more possibilities since you can't reuse the same keyword over and over in every corner of your page.
Avoid overusing LSI keywords. These are not your keywords, per se, but it is still very easy to use them too much, and you will be penalized if you do.
You want to include as many related words as possible in your content, so that the context of the page is clear to search engines like Google and others, but not so clear that it ruins your readers’ experience.
In order to do this, you need to add relevant keywords while keeping your content consistent, natural and easy to understand. Not only will this help you avoid penalties, but it will also help you improve your visitors' experience and, ultimately, make more money while blogging.
Conclusion
To improve your SEO strategy, here are some general guidelines for using related words:
Do not use too many synonyms.
Write as you speak.
If you wouldn't say it in your own words, it doesn't belong in your text.
◾Use a specific number of related ◾words/phrases for every 200–300 words of your content.
◾This ratio isn't perfect, and it certainly doesn't guarantee that you'll rank for any given LSI keyword, but it's a good starting point.
No matter how many times you use related keywords, it's important to always focus on providing clear, relevant, and helpful information that helps your readers find what they're looking for (and, of course, helps you reach your business goal of turning readers into paying clients).
If you're writing with the goal of providing value, you'll naturally use related keywords throughout your text.
Google has made a lot of progress in AI and machine learning, and in fact, it's a little scary how smart Google is!
More and more, the search engine is using LSI keywords to find context in your content.
It's worth taking some time to learn how to use these powerful keywords in your search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing efforts.
In this post, you've learned everything you need to know about LSI keywords, why they matter, how to use them, and how to use them to enhance your online presence.
Now it's time to take action!
Find an article on your site that you can repurpose and improve with the tips in this post!
Let us know how you're using LSI keywords in your content!
