LSI keywords (Latent semantic indexing) are a topic of discussion within the SEO community. Optimizing content for keywords is a common practice, but Google had come a long way from when higher keyword density meant higher rankings. Today, Google’s algorithm is smart enough to understand the context of any page.

From an SEO perspective, using LSI keywords, i.e., keywords contextually related to the main topic of your content, are essential. Search engines know what words they expect to see on a page dealing with a particular topic, hence the importance of using them in your content.

Especially since over 15% of daily Google searches are new terms users have never searched for. By using LSI keywords in your content, you will be able to enhance its contextuality and improve your visibility in search engines.

In this article, we’ll look at LSI keywords, how to find them, and how to use them to improve your SEO, drive more relevant traffic to your site and attract more customers. 

Related content:

How to Use Long-Tail Keywords in Your Content Marketing Strategy?

4 Best Keyword Research Tips to Improve Your Ranking

Jaaxy keyword Research Tool Review

SEO for Beginners : How to Optimize Your Blog Posts for SEO

If you’re up to it, let’s get started.

What is Latent Semantic Indexing?

Latent semantic indexing is a natural language processing (NLP) technique that search engines utilize to learn a large variety of synonyms based on context. From a technical perspective, latent semantic indexing (LSI) is a computer technology developed in the late 1980s to extract specific information from large data sets. 

Computers use the process of singular value decomposition to find the correlation between different terms in a seemingly random data set. LSI allows search engines to find the underlying relationships between words in a document to understand the exact meaning of any text, just as humans do.

Since search engines can read your content as humans do, using relevant keywords will increase your chances of ranking higher in search results. As Google emphasizes understanding the context of any content, latent semantic indexing has become essential in SEO.

What are LSI Keywords?

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are words related to a main keyword and are considered semantically relevant to the content’s main topic. LSI was incorporated into Google’s algorithm in 2004 to help the search engine provide more relevant results to users. After the LSI update, Google’s algorithm moved beyond indexing a page based on exact keywords and how often you use it. 

 Now Google can identify semantically related words and context and decides what your article is about based on these. Google Spiders can read a page to understand the context, which means they can differentiate between closely related keywords to give context to the content, especially when there is ambiguity. According to the LSI patent:

 “[…] there is enormous diversity in words used to describe the same object or concept, called synonymy. Users in different contexts or with different needs, knowledge, or linguistic habits, will describe the same information using different terms. For example, it has been shown that two people choose the same main keyword for a single, well-known object less than 20% of the time on average. Indeed, this variability is much greater than commonly believed, and this places strict, low limits on the expected performance of word-matching systems. The second aspect relates to polysemy, a word having more than one distinct meaning. In different contexts or when used by different people the same word takes on varying referential significance (e.g., “bank” in river bank versus “bank” in a savings bank). Thus the use of a term in a search query does not necessarily mean that a text object containing or labeled by the same term is of interest.” 

For example, if the main keyword of your page is “Online marketing, “the LSI keywords could be “Websites, ” blogs, “social media,” or “emails.” It is essential to understand that LSI keywords are not synonyms.  The majority of LSI keywords are words and phrases that are closely related to your primary keyword. Using synonyms in your articles can help your article’s SEO, but they are not LSI keywords.

 Is LSI used in Google’s algorithm?

 LSI is an old technology invented in the 1980s, so it was intended to be applied to something other than such a large set of documents.  In the earliest days of SEO, Google’s crawlers, also called “spiders,” automatically found and analyzed websites by going from one link to another on connected web pages. 

 Google and other search engines determine the subject of a page based entirely on the keywords they found on the page. The World Wide Web is vast and dynamic, meaning billions of pages in Google’s index change regularly, requiring analysis to run every time there is a significant update to the storage files. It would require a lot of processing capacity.

Instead, Google uses a more advanced approach and analyzes your page to determine the overall theme, which considers much more than if a page contains a specific set of related words. In addition, Google’s algorithm is designed to consider your company name, website, and business sector to help Google get a holistic view of each page on your site as it relates to your business.

 Why Are LSI Keywords Important for SEO?

 Regarding SEO and user experience, content based on LSI keywords can have several benefits.

 LSI keywords enhance the context of your content

Incorporating LSI keywords into your content enhances the contextuality of your content and has SEO benefits. Moreover, Google’s algorithm can now “read” a page like a human being would and rank keywords based on the determined context, which means that the search engine can now differentiate words based on minor details. For example, it can now differentiate between literal and figurative expressions. Avoid using LSI keywords in your content if they are not relevant.

LSI keywords help your content rank higher 

Using LSI keywords in your content improves the relevance signal that Google uses to rank a page. For example, when your content includes multiple LSI keywords related to your main keyword, Google supposes that it is more relevant to a particular search query and places it higher in its search engine results pages (SERPs). LSI keywords also prevent your page from ranking for the wrong keywords. LSI keywords are not a panacea.  If your content is not truly informative, the forced inclusion of relevant keywords will not improve search engine rankings in the long run.

 LSI keywords improve the relevance of your content

A search engine’s main objective is to provide users with relevant and valuable content. Including LSI keywords in your content naturally shows search engines that your content is more relevant and valuable. As a result, your search engine ranking will increase for semantic searches, no matter what your target keyword is.

 Additionally, adding related words helps keep your content from overloading with keywords, known as “keyword stuffing.” According to a recent Google research paper, the company identifies words that frequently occur together to help bots more easily understand the main topic of their crawling pages. By categorizing them more accurately, the results are even more relevant.

 LSI keywords increase the number of people finding your content:

 LSI keywords also help you offer users a better search experience, improving various ranking factors, such as time spent on a page, bounce rate, Etc.

 How to Find LSI Keywords for Your Content? 

 Your first step in LSI keyword research is to create a database of essential keywords in the industry.  After you’ve done so, it’s easy to find the right keywords for your content.  When you know your industry well, you can easily find related keywords.

Below are five approaches you can use when conducting LSI keyword research for your content. 

 Google autocomplete  

Google’s autocomplete feature is the easiest way to find keywords related to your primary keyword.  You type a phrase into Google Search to find relevant LSI keywords and search terms. Google’s search box offers instant suggestions when you type in a search term. For example, if you type the search term “website” into Google, you will find the following LSI keywords. Just look for the words that appear in bold as suggestions. 

It is one of the easiest ways to find LSI keywords for content. The autocomplete results do not necessarily indicate important related keywords, but they can hint at which keywords are worth mentioning.

Google Related Search Suggestions  

Alternatively, you can type your main keyword into Google, then scroll down to find the “Related Searches” section.  Google displays a “Related Searches” section at the bottom of every SERP page. Use these listed terms to find other LSI keyword ideas for your content. For example, if you’re writing about the “keto diet,” you might also want to include the following:

 the keto diet, what to eat

keto diet plan

keto diet food list

keto diet for beginners

keto diet for weight loss

keto diet: what not to eat

keto diet advantages and disadvantages

 Choose those that are of interest to be included in your content. Google also uses bold type to mark essential words in search results.  It can be another source of LSI keywords.

 People Also Ask

The “People Also Ask” box on the Google search results page provides another fantastic, free resource. The “People Also Ask” box is an interactive, universal Google search result that displays a box of questions other users have asked related to your original search. You can check out some of the results to see if there are additional words you can use. Look for the ones that are in bold.

 Google Image Tags

 Google image tags are another simple but effective way to find LSI keywords. To use it, type your keyword into Google Images.  And Google will offer you many related terms above the image results. 

 Using Online Tools

Tools are also available to quickly find the top latent semantic indexing keywords and phrases and their search volumes.  Here are some LSI keyword tools you can use to find appropriate selections of related words.

 Google Keyword Planner

 Google Keyword Planner is a helpful tool for finding LSI keywords and their search volumes, with trend charts and add-ons.  Some are synonyms and variants of your keyword, but if you dig a little, you can find exciting phrases that would otherwise be hard to get. Google’s Keyword Planner is primarily for AdWords advertisers, so you need an AdWords account.  However, you don’t have to spend money or run an ad campaign to use the keyword planner. 

 Log in to your Google AdWords account and click the “Find keywords” option. Click the “Find new keywords using a phrase, website, or category” option. 

 LSIGraph

 LSI Graph is a free semantic keyword tool that shows you an expanded list of LSI keywords. To obtain a list of LSI keywords, enter the main keyword of your page, and you will get a list of related keywords to consider. Type the primary keyword you want to rank for into the search bar and click

 in the search bar and then click the “Generate” button, you will get a list of LSI keywords to include in your content. Using LSIGraph, you can do eight scans per day for free, but you’re likely to do hundreds if you have the LSIGraph BASIC plan for a fee. However, LSIGraph performs LSI keyword research using Latent Semantic Value (LSV) technology.

 It efficiently searches synonyms and LSI words and shows other characteristics of each semantic keyword, such as trend, volume, CPC, and LSV.  LSIGraph’s “Related Searches” feature is similar to Google’s autocomplete feature. Whereas Google suggests keywords as you search, LSIGraph suggests related terms at the bottom of the search results.

All of these keywords are suitable for different contexts.  The key is to determine which ones are most appropriate for the page you are creating. If you see an LSI keyword that doesn’t fit the context of your page, you can always make a note to use it on some other page, improving the overall SEO of your site.

 SEMrush

SEMrush is a popular digital marketing suite with many SEO, PPC, and content marketing features.  Semrush Keyword Magic Tool lets you enter your main keyword to obtain a list of keyword ideas. Click on the “related” tab at the top of your screen to get a list of keywords similar to the keyword you entered in the tool.

 Semrush SEO Content Template Tool is another excellent source for finding top semantically related words based on the top page rankings for your target keyword. Once you enter your top keyword into the content template generator, SEMrush analyzes the top-ranked pages for that keyword.  It also lists semantically related keywords your top 10 competing pages use.

 LSIKeywords.com 

 LSI keywords is a free LSI keyword generator that you can use to find phrases with the exact target keyword, their synonyms, and exact topic-specific LSI keywords.  However, this software only creates a single list of these keywords.

 It would help if you used short phrases for your search. If so, LSI Keywords is likely to detect more LSI words. As for long keywords, the tool will mainly display all terms containing the main keyword of the search. It is important to note that some keywords may have multiple semantic meanings.

 Since LSI Keywords does not determine the relevance of searches, you have much work ahead of you to choose LSI keywords that are directly related to your niche.

 How to Use LSI Keywords for SEO

Inserting LSI keywords into the text of your page helps Google understand your page and gives it more weight in the rankings, even if only a little at a time. LSI keywords must appear naturally in your text.

 All you have to do is to replace a few instances of your page’s primary keyword with an LSI keyword. The following are four simple, easy, yet effective ways to place LSI keywords in your content.

 Use LSI Keywords in Your Title Tags

LSI keywords are often more extended versions of your primary keyword. For example, if your main keyword is “content marketing, “one of your LSI keywords is “types of content marketing.” In this case, using the LSI keyword in the title is better. It may help you rank for keywords “content marketing” and “content marketing. “

 Include LSI Keywords in Meta Descriptions

 Including LSI keywords in your meta description increases the overall relevance of your page. Make sure to make your meta description more readable by including fewer keywords, as Google may consider this a bad practice.

 Use LSI keywords in the Alt tags of images.

All images in your content must have alt tags. Ensure you write these tags to include some of the LSI keywords. But again, it doesn’t mean you have to write alt tags stuffed with keywords. Naturally, the images you include in the content must have some relation to the LSI keywords you have.

 Include LSI Keywords in Headers

Google pays special attention to page titles.  The subheadings of your article (H1, H2, H3 tags) must contain some of your LSI keywords.  LSI keywords can help you decide how to divide your content into smaller sections. Sometimes your LSI keyword list contains a relevant word but doesn’t belong in the existing article.  In such cases, you can create a new section of your article dedicated to that keyword.

 Use LSI Keywords in Anchor Texts

Optimizing your anchor texts for a single keyword can be risky for your SEO. You want to include enough related words to make the context of your page immediately clear to Google and other search engines without spoiling the reader’s experience.

 Focus on Context and Readability

 LSI keywords can help quality content rank higher.  However, placing them randomly in your content could be more helpful. Adding a few LSI keywords ensures that you don’t overload your page with keywords, known as “keyword stuffing.” However, using too many closely related keywords can affect the readability of an article.

 When a phrase seems unnatural, or the placement of a keyword makes the word awkward, remove the keyword. For indexing keywords, the best strategy is to use them naturally in your text, just as you would with the main keyword on a page. No matter how often you use keywords, your priority on any page should be to provide clear, concise, and helpful information.

 Doing so gives your readers a better experience, which is a factor in Google’s rankings, and improves your overall online presence.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article will help you learn more about content optimization with LSI keywords. When ranking higher in search engines, LSI keywords can be one of your best allies. As Google makes great strides in artificial intelligence and machine learning, it doesn’t just use LSI keywords to find the context of the content.

 Google’s primary goal is to provide users with the most relevant results possible. Your content must use semantically related words to demonstrate relevance, which may be its primary goal. But remember that your content is first and foremost aimed at Internet users and must remain interesting, valuable, and easy to understand for your readers while keeping a good balance between the LSI keywords and your content message.