subject: What Is Latent Semantic Indexing for SEO? [print this page] Search engine optimisation doesn't follow guidelines that are set in stone. The big name search engines are constantly working to develop newer and more sophisticated ways of effectively indexing the Internet.
They're extremely powerful and have a lot of money to spend on developing ever more technologically advanced methods. The job of publishers and more especially SEO consultants these days is to try to keep up and adapt to new requirements as and when they arise.
If you've taken an interest in the methods used by search engines to determine where on results pages your site should feature, and we're guessing you have, then you'll know about the importance of keywords. If you've received advice from a good SEO agency you'll have put a lot of time and effort into keyword research and you'll be featuring your keywords effectively in title tags, anchor text, Meta tags and a whole host of other places.
If you take search engine optimisation seriously you'll know that it's something you need to maintain over time. Part of this process involves keeping up to date with the latest developments from search engines in terms of how they index you. With that in mind, you'll want to know something about latent semantic indexing, and we've put together a short list of questions and answers for you.
What Does LSI do?
LSI is a new method of indexing that the search engines are now using. The technique involves listing, categorising and analysing words or phrases in context. Through analysing words or phrases in terms of their context they come to be seen conceptually. Essentially this is a sophisticated approach to appreciating keywords and it represents a significant evolutionary step forward for the search engines. It means they are breaking free of the shackles imposed by having to adhere to strict rules for exact keyword matching when determining meaning and relevance. Through LSI phrases typed in by users can be interpreted in a much more sophisticated way and results offered by search engines will reflect that.
What Does That Mean?
It means that keywords have become more abstract from an SEO point of view and the science of using them more complex. Through LSI the search engines have begun to take synonyms and other linguistic features into account for determining the relevance of sites. Now more than ever it's important that your site is what it claims to be. LSI exists to better lead the search engines toward sites relevant to users. If yours is such a relevant site, it will probably work to your benefit, but that doesn't mean you won't need to learn about it, understand it and start catering for it.
Does It Mean That My Keyword Strategies Are Now Irrelevant?
Not exactly. It certainly means that you need to start paying a lot more attention to synonyms, and to start using them wisely on your pages and in your links. Using variations of keywords is the next big thing in terms of strategy. Whereas before, links back to a homepage on your site would have contained the same useful keywords, you'll probably want to start thinking of mixing things up now in terms of variety. You'll probably start looking at anchor text in a different way too.
Is LSI a Good Thing?
The fact that search engines think so means that it is. It will ultimately lead to a better experience of surfing the Internet for users, and that can only be a good thing for everyone involved, even if it does mean some re-thinking in the short term. LSI represents advancement in the way search engines interact with users. While it still may not be possible to assert that there's a human response to search queries, we are getting closer to that when phrases entered into query boxes are understood on a conceptual level.
You can bet that SEO consultants are busily working to understand the finer points of LSI as we speak, and preparing new and cunning ways in which to optimise sites with LSI in mind. Our advice to you would be to continue using good marketing strategies and to get advice from a good SEO agency about how you're affected by changes on a practical level. Remember that professional SEO services exist to take pressure off publishers when optimisation is a huge priority that must be balanced against many others. If understanding the latest development is time consuming, delegate some of the responsibility.
