What is Semantic SEO?
Semantic SEO is a relatively new topic, which is differentiated from traditional SEO mostly in how it works. Traditional SEO uses keywords to determine the best ranking pages of a certain site. However, the semantic search looks at things more globally– not just one phrase/word/keyword, but rather what that word means in relation with other words (and phrases).
In traditional search, a lot of keywords are used that aren’t really related to the topic at hand. In semantic SEO, only relevant keywords with good associations are used– which ultimately leads to higher quality web pages and better rankings.
To put it simply, Semantic SEO looks more closely at context of what is being discussed on an article or webpage, whereas traditional SEO focuses more on keywords/phrases.
The basics of this are that instead of the webmaster having to write a bunch of keywords and trying to fit them in a natural-sounding way, they can use pre-existing phrases so they don’t have to directly mention the words at all. This saves space and makes for a much cleaner page/article.
However, keep in mind that search engines are still just based on words– so you do still have to focus on keywords being used rather than terms being implied.
This is the main difference between semantic SEO and traditional SEO. Semantic SEO brings together groups of words or phrases that have a related meaning – usually with the aim of making it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. Semantic search is also thought of as being an alternative, or at least complementary approach to artificial intelligence and machine learning that’s used by search engines such as Google (see AI in SEO).
How to write for Semantic SEO?
Search Engine Land’s Danny Sullivan explains semantic search as a process of identifying concepts and their relationships with each other, rather than the use of keywords.
He says: “It’s a system that looks at words and phrases to determine what they mean in relation to one another – not just the individual words or phrases themselves.”
In most cases, this means that optimising for semantic search is about choosing the right words, phrases and synonyms to describe your content – rather than targeting specific keywords.
For example, if you were writing an article on ‘how to bake chicken’ it would be more useful for both users and search engines to include terms like ‘chicken recipe’, ‘baking ingredients’ and ‘food recipes’ than just ‘chicken’.
Simply writing indepth content which covers every aspect of the topic and gives the reader a ton of information is the best way to write for semantic SEO, rather than specifically targeting any one keyword.
For example, if you are writing an article about ‘Paris Fashion Week’ it will be more beneficial if you use phrases like ‘Spring 2017 Fashion Trends’, ‘Paris Haute Couture’ and ‘Fashion Shows in Paris’.
When writing for semantic SEO, the idea is to not directly mention your keywords but to include them (by using synonyms) naturally in your articles.
Another tip for writing semantically would be to try to include words which are “entities” (ie, nouns). These might be people, places or things.
For example, if you were writing an article on ‘Paris Fashion Week’ it would be more beneficial if you included the names of different fashion designers. This is because Google indexes entities in articles – rather than just keywords.
Scroll down to “People also ask.” section of the Google search results and there you will find semantically connected questions for the same.
This is where you can find out weights of different keywords and phrases.
There are many tools which you can use to check the semantic SEO weight of a keyword or phrase.
Examples: Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, etc.
Is it worth investing in semantically related keywords?
Many people argue that implementing semantically related words is not going to directly impact your Google rankings. However, they are wrong. The use of appropriate keywords and phrases can help to enhance the experience of both search engines and users.
The process is quite simple: when someone searches for something in Google, the results that show up include articles or websites which are related to their search query. Search engines take into account the contents of your page as well as other relevant pages to determine what result should show up at the top.
However, remember that if you do use keywords and phrases which are not relevant to your niche or content, Google will rank your web page down.
For instance, if you’re writing an article on ‘how to bake bread’ but you included the keyword ‘chicken’ in your article, your page won’t rank.
As such, you need to choose keywords and phrases which are related to what you’re actually talking about in your article. Don’t just use synonyms for the sake of it – ensure that they genuinely add value to what you’re writing about.
SEO Is Constantly Evolving
Google is serious about what type of content ranks on their search results and they are constantly looking for new ways to improve their algorithm.
While you don’t need to worry about semantic SEO in the early stages of your blogs life, it’s definitely something that you want to start implementing when your blog gains some traction.
As Google gets better at understanding what people mean when they search for things, using appropriate keywords and phrases will become increasingly important.
Remember to use keywords and phrases that are relevant to your niche but don’t try to stuff them in. It’s definitely worth taking the time to research semantic SEO, but make sure you integrate it into your blogging strategy at a time when it can actually benefit you!