How To Optimize Content For SEO With Semantic Content Creation | For Better Results

In the beginning days of SEO, search engines found the topic of a webpage based on keywords. Keyword density was extremely important as search engines could not recognize the topic of the page without a set number of keywords. Content creators figured how to optimize content for SEO by creating content around a keyword.  

Rapidly evolving technology has made search engines smarter. Updates such as knowledge graphs, Hummingbird, Rankbrain, and Panda changed the way search engines scan and rate web pages.  Now search engine bots use artificial intelligence and semantics to understand the user intent and find suitable web pages that match the search query.

Keyword stuffing and buying backlinks, no longer help to get higher rankings on search engine results pages. Semantic content creation is the modern approach to optimize content for search engines and get higher rankings on SERPs. 

What is Semantic Content Creation? 

Semantic content creation is the art and science of creating in-depth content focussed on a specific topic. It provides topically relevant information that satisfies the true search intent of the viewers. Semantic content uses structured data to help search engines to understand the context of the content.

Content creation for semantic SEO focuses on creating informative content using carefully chosen semantically related keywords or LSI keywords that add relevance to the topic and increase the breadth of the content. 

Importance of Semantic Content Creation

Statistics suggest that around 80% of search engine users are looking to find answers to their specific queries. Semantic content offers value to users as it provides the exact answers they are looking for as well as additional information related to the search topic. Semantic content offers many advantages such as 

• Helps web pages to rank high in semantic search
• Aids to retain the rankings for a longer time
• Get a snippet and get featured in the coveted position 0 

Semantic content creation offers many benefits to businesses. Before we proceed to know how to optimize content for SEO with semantic content, it is essential to know what is semantic search, and the features and benefits of semantic search. 

What is Semantic Search?

In the earlier days, search engines would scan the web pages using keywords. They understood the topic of the web page based on the keywords on the page.

When a user typed a query, they would read the keywords in the query and throw up the web pages with those keywords, irrespective of the search intent of the user. This system was not helpful as most of the time viewers found it hard to find the information they want. 

Gradual increase in mobile searches and voice searches made it mandatory for search engines to upgrade their algorithms. 

Semantic search refers to the search engine’s attempt to understand the natural human language progression and provide accurate search results.

Google semantic search engine and other popular search engines such as Bing, Yahoo, etc. use semantic search NLP to comprehend the true search intent, the context of the query, and the relationship between words used by the viewer to interpret the question and provide accurate search results.  

Search engines use multiple factors to get an exact idea of the search intent such as 

• Search history of the user
• User location
• variations in spellings
• Global search history

For example, if you ask what is the biggest animal in the world, Google uses semantic search  NLP algorithms to understand the true intent of the question. It then scans scores of web pages to find the relevant answer and provides you with an accurate answer, along with suggestions for further questions. 

Google semantic search engine and other modern search engines make use of LSI or latent semantic indexing to find the relationship between words to get an idea of the concepts discussed in the content. LSI enables search engines to read the content just like humans do. With the help of LSI, search bots can even understand figurative speech. 

What Is LSI in SEO?

In the context of SEO, LSI keywords are the terms and phrases related to the primary keyword that you are targeting.

However, LSI keywords are not synonyms of the primary keyword, rather they are terms that are often used along with the word or the terms used to describe it.  They add depth to the content and help both the readers and search engines to understand the content. 

For example, if your primary keyword is plumbing, the suggestions that you see in the Google drop-down menu are the related terms or LSI keywords. 

Appropriate use of LSI keywords offers many advantages such as improving the ranking of the website, increasing the relevancy of the content, and providing better visibility to the website. 

How to Add LSI Keywords To a Web Page

LSI keywords should be sprinkled all over the content to enable search engine crawlers to understand the contents of the page. These keywords should not be inserted forcefully in the content. They should appear naturally and aid in the flow of the content. LSI keywords or lateral keywords should support the content and assist in improving the readers’ knowledge. Some of the crucial places to add LSI keywords are

1. Meta Title
2. Meta description
3. Headings
4. Alt Tags for images

To know more on how to optimize content for SEO with semantic content creation, consult Towards 90. Our experts are knowledgeable in the dynamically evolving SEO landscape and can assist you to take full advantage of Semantic search. 

Semantic Search Features and Benefits

1. Semantic search improves the accuracy of the search results. 
2. Viewers’ can get quick results for their search questions.
3. Semantic search results add value to the viewers’ knowledge as they provide in-depth insights into the topic.
4. Semantic search enhances user experience as they can instantly find relevant answers to their queries.
5. Creating semantic content with structured data improves the visibility of a webpage and increases traffic to the website. 
6. Semantic content makes it easier for Google bots to crawl through the content and decipher its context. 

How to Optimize Content For SEO With Semantic Content Creation

The importance of semantic search is growing to rise and Google algorithms keep evolving. Google aims to enhance its user experience by providing accurate answers to every search query. It is estimated that 15% of the daily search queries are unique. Google aims to provide the right answers even to these unique queries by using machine learning, artificial intelligence, and semantic search.  

It is crucial for every business to optimize their content with semantic content creation to rank high on SERPs and get featured in rich snippets and other Google answer block elements. 

1. Focus on Topics Rather Than Keywords

Though keywords are still important, semantic search has shifted the focus to topics. Search engines use semantic search to provide the most comprehensive results for user search queries. So the more informative your content, the more chances to get higher rankings on SERPs and find a place in Google-rich results. 

Understand the requirements of your target audience. Get to know their problems, their common queries,  and their knowledge requirements. Create evergreen content that provides comprehensive answers to their questions. Include lateral content that answers the advanced queries of the readers, once they are thorough with the basics. 

Well-written content that improves user understanding of a topic and provides accurate answers in an easy-to-follow manner is a sure shot way to earn high search rankings and maintain them for a longer time. 

2. Create Content That Matches Search Intent

Understand the search intent for each keyword that you intend to target in your content piece. Think why your audience would use that term or phrase. Know whether the keyword is informational, navigational, or transactional. 

Informational keywords help users to learn something and improve their knowledge. Navigational keywords are used when the viewer is looking for a specific website, a brand, or service. Transactional keywords are used when the user wants to transact with a business or purchase something. 

3. Include LSI Keywords in the Content

Use the related keywords or the LSI keywords in the content to aid semantic search engines to understand the content.

LSI keywords help to improve the scope of your content and enhance the understanding of the readers as well as search engines. Including lateral content that answers the queries of the readers will improve your visibility as search engines will rank your website for all the lateral keywords. 

4. Target Featured Snippets and Other Rich Results

Search engines aim to improve the user experience by providing direct answers to their queries right on the results pages. Viewers can see the answers on the first results page above the organic ranking websites. Search engines use semantic search to read through lakhs of web pages and reward the ones with comprehensive and well-written content by placing them in featured snippets and other rich results. 

Use semantic content creation to answer the user’s query in a straight forward manner. Write short paragraphs, include bullet lists, tables, and images to make the content attractive for the readers. Use long-tail keywords 

5. Unleash the Power of Structured Data

Google, Yahoo, Bing and other powerful search engines have developed the concept of structured data to help search engine crawlers in scanning the webpages and comprehending the meaning of the content.

Structured data or Schema markup provides microdata to the search bots and improves their understanding of the context of a webpage. Including structured data such as meta titles, meta descriptions, image tags, etc. improves the chances of your content getting noticed by search engines and get higher rankings or a place in the rich results. 

As search engines evolve their algorithms to enhance the user experience by providing relevant answers to search queries, the importance of semantic search will constantly grow. Businesses have to shift the focus of content creation from keywords to topics to take advantage of semantic search and improve their reach. 

To know how to optimize content for SEO with semantic content creation contact Towards 90. We use the advanced semantic tools to find the relevant keywords, LSI keywords, and right topics that interest your viewers.