As a digital marketer, I’m
constantly seeking ways to improve my own website’s organic traffic and that of
my agency’s clients. If you’re the least bit familiar with SEO, then you must
have heard that Google’s algorithm updates render techniques from five years
ago completely obsolete.
Algorithm update after algorithm
update, Google tells us that keyword stuffing and poor quality content no
longer work.
What does then?
Well, great content (as I’ve said
it in most of my articles here) and LSI keywords. Let’s expand a bit on the
latter.
What are LSI keywords?
LSI stands for Latent Semantic
Indexing. According to Search Engine Journal, LSI is “a mathematical method
used to determine the relationship between terms and concepts in content”.
Consequently, LSI keywords are those semantically related to your primary
keyword.
They matter to Google because they
help make its search results more accurate by learning what people are truly
looking for. To both Google and readers, they point to relevance.
You shouldn’t, however, confuse
LSI keywords with synonyms. Let’s look at an example.
If you’re writing a blog post
related to Windows 10, your post should also contain references to previous
versions (Windows 7), the company that released the operating system
(Microsoft), maybe even Bill Gates and the Office suite.
Why? Because this comes naturally.
Just like when I talk about LSI keywords, I mention Google, ranking, SEO, page
indexing and so on.
This helps Google differentiate
your blog post from an article about replacement windows, for instance. And it
helps them return relevant results to their users.
How can LSI keywords boost your organic traffic?
Google still crawls your page and
uses your primary keyword to determine what topic said page is relevant for.
But the algorithm has gotten smarter. If the primary keyword is not surrounded
by something extremely relevant to your topic, your ranking will be affected.
Here are just a few ways in which
LSI keywords can help boost your traffic:
1. No more keyword stuffing
Your objective is to find the
right balance between your primary keyword and LSI keywords in order to rank
better. This way, you don’t need to repeat that same keyword ad-nauseam – a big
no-no in today’s SEO.
This protects your website from
becoming spammy. If you perform keyword stuffing, you will be penalized by
Google. You can now write naturally and both search engines and readers will
appreciate your content.
2. Reduced bounce rate
Following on the example above: if
your article doesn’t contain words typically connected to the Windows operating
system, someone looking to replace their windows may land on your page. Of
course, they would immediately bounce.
By using the right LSI keywords,
you make sure that you stay relevant and only get organic visits from people
who matter to your business. If you think about it, you basically have the same
purpose as Google: offering relevant results to users helps both of your
businesses.
3. Rank for more keywords
This is basic math: the more
keywords your page ranks for, the more visits you will get. And the beauty of
LSI keywords combined with your primary one is that they boost each other’s
value.
Using the right LSI keywords can
help you beat your competition. It’s a puzzle game, but one that’s worth
playing right.
4. Get lower PPC costs
If you’ve ever had to manage a
Google AdWords campaign for more than a month, then you know how hard it can be
to come up with new ways to reduce your cost-per-click or improve your CTR.
Enter LSI keywords.
When your landing page has the
right type of quality and super-relevant content, Google will boost your
quality score. The result? You will rank higher and your ads will be cheaper.
5. More time spent on-page by
users
Offer your readers a smooth,
seamless text that doesn’t seem forced in any way and they will keep on reading
it. Throw keyword-stuffed articles with little informative value their way and
they’ll leave within seconds.
How to find the perfect LSI keywords
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as
writing naturally. Sure, when you write about Windows 10, you will mention
Windows 7. But that may not be enough. Luckily, there are tools to help you
with your LSI keyword planning.
1. Google search
That’s right, the plain old
(FREE!) search. Just type in your primary keyword and see what else Google
suggests for you (the autosuggest feature). This way, you know right off the
bat what other terms Google considers relevant.
2. Google Keyword Planner
Also a free tool, this is where
you should start your basic LSI keyword search. However, I only recommend it in
combination with other tools.
Here’s why.
You have to remember that this is
the tool you typically use to create ads. Paid ads. Google will recommend some
keywords that may not help you rank, but would help them make a profit from
your ads.
Since you are not planning to
create ads, but use this tool to create a high-ranking page, compare the
results with those from other tools.
3. LSI Graph
This is one of the tools I use
quite frequently. It’s free and you can also download their WordPress plugin.
You will get plenty of results to fuel your content strategy.
4. Keyword Shitter
Pardon my French! But I guess
you’ll forgive when you take a look at this tool. Not only can you find LSI
keywords with it, but you can also get some awesome long-tail keywords ideas.
Bonus, you can download them.
5. SEMrush
If you want to get serious about
your SEO and beating the competition, SEMrush is the way to go. This is a paid
tool, but it will give you a lot of insight into your competitors’ keywords, as
well as their backlinks – basically, all you need to beat them.
LSI keywords matter more than you think
The next time you hire SEO
copywriters, make sure to ask them about their LSI strategy. If they shrug it
off and say repeating the same keyword over and over again is the way to go,
look elsewhere. They will never help you boost your organic traffic.
Source: - http://www.sitepronews.com/2017/06/30/how-lsi-keywords-can-help-you-improve-your-seo/
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