Update:
“There have been some recent studies and evidence that suggest LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) is no longer a factor in search engine rankings.
LSI is a technique used by search engines to understand the relationship between terms and concepts in a piece of content. It helps to determine the relevance and context of a particular keyword or phrase, which can impact how well a website or page ranks in search results.
However, recent research suggests that LSI may no longer be as important as it was in the past.”
Original Article:
Using Latent Semantic Indexing or LSI is just another technique that you can use withing your blog posts to get a higher ranking on the Search Engines.
The goal of having keywords and doing keyword research is to get your blog posts to be positioned well in internet search results for a particular search term.
The closer to position #1 that your post appears, the more traffic you will have. Here is some more on how you can use LSI in your SEO attempts.
What Is Latent Semantic Indexing?
If you have seen the term LSI and wondered what it stands for, it stands for Latent Semantic Indexing. Are you thinking, “Oh no, something else to learn”? Do not worry. This one is easy! LSI is simply a synonym of your keyword, but search engines like Google and Bing now give it significant importance when indexing your site.
LSI looks for synonyms related to the title of your page. For example, if the title of your page was “How to care for your dog,” the search engine would expect to find words relating to that subject in the content of the page as well, i.e. “dog shampoo,” “dog training,” “pug,” “dog chain,”, etc.
Are you thinking, “Oh no, something else to learn”? Do not worry. This one is easy! LSI is simply a synonym of your keyword, but search engines like Google and Bing now give it significant importance when indexing your site.
Search engines used to look for the “density” of a keyword used in an article or blog post. This is an oversimplification, but generally speaking, the rule used to be that the more a keyword was used, the higher the post or article would be ranked.
That was a somewhat unfair way of ranking things for the search results. If a blog post used a keyword over and over again, it could conceivably rank higher than a post that was better written and more informative but did not have the correct keyword density. Some websites were ranked highly based on the keyword “stacking” as opposed to quality content.
Latent Semantic Indexing is a good thing, not something to fear. It keeps the content relevant, which benefits not only the reader but also the blog owner who is producing quality content. LSI adds a new dimension to writing a quality blog post. If your blog post contains synonyms for the keywords used, the search engine algorithms will interpret that as being evidence that your post is providing good, detailed information about the subject, and not simply “spamming” keywords. The fact that your post is then seen as providing quality content will result in a higher ranking.
LSI adds a new dimension to writing a quality blog post. If your blog post contains synonyms for the keywords used, the search engine algorithms will interpret that as being evidence that your post is providing good, detailed information about the subject on hand, and not simply “spamming” keywords. The fact that your post is then seen as providing quality content will result in a higher ranking.
How To Create Quality Content While Being Aware of Using Latent Semantic Indexing
Here are five tips on how to create quality content that search engines will love, by being aware of keyword usage and Latent Semantic Indexing:
- Always check with several different keyword tools to find the best keyword for your subject.
- Once you find a keyword, type it into a search engine and see what related searches come up. The related searches should lead you to some synonyms of your keyword that you can use for LSI words or phrases.
- Always make sure that what you are writing is focused on your subject matter, and that your content is relevant. Also, make sure to write for people and not for search engines.
- Use your keyword in your post or article, but do not overuse it. Overusing a keyword could lead a search engine to “red flag” your blog post as “keyword spam”. Density is important, but a balanced post is more important.
- Use your synonyms (LSI terms) throughout your post.
Remember to check Google Webmaster Tools and see what keywords your pages are ranking for.
LSI is not a gimmick or a trick. Do not get overly concerned about it, but simply keep it in mind while you are writing. The odds are, if you are providing quality content, you will not have to worry about failing LSI scrutiny.
You just might find that making good use of Latent Semantic Indexing improves your writing style and makes it easier and more enjoyable to write for your website.
