What are LSI Keywords?
Short for Latent Semantic Indexing, LSI keywords refer to words (or terms) that are closely linked to the main keyword a page is targeting.
For example, if your primary keyword is “Apple,” LSI keywords might include terms like “iPhone,” “MacBook,” or “fruit” depending on whether you’re talking about technology or food! They help ensure search engines like Google know what your content is about.
How Do LSI Keywords Work?
Put simply, LSI or Latent Semantic Indexing is a NLP (Natural Language Processing) technology developed in 1989. A lot of complicated mathematical concepts go into this technology, but put simply, it is used to identify relationships or “latent” associations between words in a way that humans would.
Let take a look at another example:
Your webpage is targeting the keyword “Digital Marketing”, so the content on the page might include other terms like SEO, PPC or social media. These terms don’t have the same meaning but are still contextually related.
Why are LSI Keywords Significant?
By using LSI keywords, you’re not only making your content more comprehensive and credible for readers, but you’re also helping search engines rank your page more accurately. So, they’re a great way to boost your SEO naturally without overloading your page with the same keyword over and over.
However, while they are a good consideration when creating your content strategy, it is important to consider that LSI keywords are not a ranking factor.
How To Find LSI Keywords?
1. Related Searches: One of the easiest ways to find LSI keywords is to look at the related searches section at the bottom of Google’s search results page. After entering your main keyword, you’ll find a list of suggested search terms that are connected to your topic. These suggestions can give you some ideas into what users are searching for, helping you add valuable context to your content.
2. Google Autocomplete: When typing your search into Google, it will show a dropdown of popular related terms people are searching for. These suggestions reflect real user queries and what people are looking for.
3. Keyword Tools: Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush are great for generating lists of related terms based on your primary keyword. These tools often give insights into search volume, competition, and keyword difficulty, so you can choose the best LSI keywords for your strategy.