As a content creator, you already know that it's not enough to stuff your article or blog post with repetitive keywords to get noticed by search engines. However, what you may not know is that there's a more effective strategy for ranking your content high on search engine results pages (SERPs). This strategy involves using LSI keywords or latent semantic indexing keywords.
LSI keywords are words and phrases that are related to the main keyword in your content. They're not synonyms, but rather, they're conceptually related terms. For example, if your main keyword is "dog food," some LSI keywords might include "canine nutrition," "pet health," "animal diet," "puppy chow," and so on.
LSI keywords work by providing context and relevance to your content. Search engines like Google use semantic search algorithms to understand the meaning behind the words on your page. By including relevant LSI keywords in your content, you help Google identify what your page is about and rank it higher for relevant search queries.
Topic clusters are groups of interrelated content on a website that cover a broad topic in-depth. Each cluster usually has a pillar page or cornerstone content piece that covers the primary topic, and subtopics that dive into specific aspects of the main topic. Using LSI keywords in your pillar content helps create a semantic connection between the subtopics and pillar page, making it easier for search engines to index and rank them.
Keyword variations are different ways of expressing the same concept or idea. They're important because people use different words and phrases when searching for information online. For example, if you're writing about "digital marketing," some keyword variations might include "online advertising," "Internet marketing," "e-marketing," "web promotion," and so on.
Keyword density refers to the number of times a keyword appears on a page compared to the total number of words on the page. While it's important to include your main keyword and LSI keywords in your content, you don't want to overdo it. Keyword stuffing is the practice of using too many keywords in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings. This is a bad practice that can actually hurt your SEO efforts.
LSI keywords are important for SEO because they help search engines understand the context and relevance of your content. By including relevant LSI keywords, you're creating a semantic connection between different words and phrases on your page. This helps search engines identify what your content is about and rank it higher for relevant search queries.
