LSI Keyword: Definition, How it Works and Benefits for SEO

Latent semantic indexing or LSI keywords are a type of keyword that has not received much attention from content marketers.

LSI keywords have an important role for  SEO, because they can help articles on a website so they can rank up in search engines. Specifically, the writing you make has the potential to be more on target, with what your audience is looking for, so as to provide good feedback.

Unfortunately, the way LSI keywords work is more complicated, because the method requires complex formulas to understand the relationship between words.

Interested in learning it? In the following, we present an explanation of what LSI keywords are, their benefits, and how to find them.

What are LSI Keywords?

LSI keywords stand for latent semantic indexing keywords, a keyword that is semantically related to the main keyword used to complement the main keyword and provide more powerful contextual information to search engines and users.

LSI keywords can be synonyms of a keyword. However, not all synonyms are LSI keywords.

The majority of LSI keywords are words that are highly relevant to a keyword.

For example, you use the keyword 'heels'. So, the LSI keyword that you can use is not just 'shoes'.

Other alternative LSI keywords are 'party', 'formal occasion', 'dress' and 'woman'.

Another example, when you type the keyword 'keyboard' in a search engine, chances are that the search results that come out are about keyboards on computers and musical instrument keyboards.

This is because keyboards have similar meanings, so Google gives quite ambiguous results. To avoid this condition, other LSI keywords are needed, such as 'computer', 'device', 'usb', and others.

So, why do you need to use LSI keywords?

The reason is, Google now uses the Hummingbird algorithm. In this algorithm, keywords are not the only determinant of a website's ranking.

Yes, of course keywords play an important role for SEO. However, Google also detects how far your content is relevant to what users are looking for.

So, by adding LSI keywords, Google can understand that your content has context that matches the keywords you use.

Therefore, LSI keywords have an important role for SEO, so it is recommended that writers write articles with specific keywords and according to the contents of the article when these keywords are searched.

Benefits of LSI Keywords on SEO

Actually, the benefits of LSI keywords for SEO are still a mystery. However, in 2004 Google updated its algorithm regarding synonyms and semantic phrases.

some of the benefits or advantages of LSI keywords are as follows.

• The quality of the content increases because it uses many terms related to keywords.
• Content is still considered relevant without the need to use excessive keywords.
• Content will be more likely to be found by more internet users.
• Search engines can provide higher ranking opportunities, because there are many terms that can increase the ranking of the site.
• Avoid penalties from Google for using keywords too often.

How to Find LSI Keywords

Now that you know what LSI keywords are and how they work, you should also know how to search for them. Because these keywords must be contained in the articles that you make to increase rankings in the SERP.

to find LSI keywords according to the target keywords, here's how.

1. Look at the bolded words in the SERP

The easiest way to find LSI keywords is to look at the words in bold on the search engine result page (SERP).

For example, as you can see in the photo above, the keyword used is 'sportswear'. However, you will also find the word 'sport jersey' bolded in the SERPs.

It means, 'sports shirt' is one of the LSI keywords that you can use.

2. Pay attention to the search box

Another tip for finding LSI keywords is to pay attention to the search box or Google search box.

When typing a keyword in the search box, there are many other keyword choices that you will see.

These keywords are terms that are searched for by Google users.

3. Search related searches

If you open the SERP and scroll to the very bottom, you will find the section 'Searches related to …'

So, you can use the words listed in that section as LSI keywords in your content.

An example of an LSI keyword is as follows.

The keyword used is 'bestseller book'. Then, you will find eight other keywords that are relevant to these keywords.

Alternatively, you can make these terms the keywords in your new content.

4. 'People ask too'

Another Google feature that is no less interesting is 'People also ask'.

When you search for something on Google, the feature will appear in the SERP. This feature displays things that many Google users ask about the keywords you use.

5. Take advantage of Google Trends

If you work in the content marketing field, you are certainly no stranger to Google Trends.

This Google product can provide information on what keywords are trending or searched for on Google.

So, you can enter the keywords you want to use. Then, you will find various keywords that are relevant to that term.

Conclusion

LSI keywords are Latent Semantic Indexing as words or sentences that are considered semantically relevant by search engines. To get LSI keywords, you can search for them for free by utilizing the features on Google, starting from 'related search results', 'people also ask', and so on.

LSI keywords are believed to improve content quality because they use many terms related to keywords. Indirectly, this has the potential to cause the content you write to rank in Google.