What Is LSI Keyword In SEO? How To Find LSI Keywords?

What Is LSI Keyword In SEO: As I have mentioned in this post on keyword research, choosing the right keywords plays a vital role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of content. Unfortunately, not many people take it seriously enough. Your choice of keywords and their utilization can, literally, make or break a website.

Search Engines are not humans. They cannot read content in the truest sense of the word and determine whether or not whatever is written is relevant to what people are searching for.

It is, therefore, our duty to write the content in a manner that are not only useful to people (that is, the content provides all the information that people are searching) but also understandable to search engines.

Choosing the right keywords and using them in the content is one way to do that. The reason keyword research plays a central role here is that it helps in establishing relevancy of content to search engines in terms of the language used by people while searching. Now, to do that better, one approach is the use of LSI Keywords.

This article is about what is LSI Keyword in SEO, why are LSI Keywords important, and how to find LSI Keywords. Read on to find out.

Check Out The Beginner’s Guide To Keyword Research Here

What Is LSI Keyword In SEO?

LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing.

‘Latent’ means dormant or hidden.

‘Semantics’ is the study of meanings in language.

‘Indexing’ means organizing data in accordance to a specific plan, here the plan being latent semantic or hidden meaning.

Latent Semantic Indexing is a mathematical method that assumes that words that are synonymous or have similar meanings will occur in text pieces which are similar.

In simple words, it is a technique used to improve understanding of the information in a document by understanding the hidden meaning of and relationship between words.

In the context of SEO, LSI Keywords are the words and phrases that are synonymous to the target keyword or primary keyword of a page.

Why Are LSI Keywords Important?

According to many experts, the use of LSI Keywords in the content helps search engines understand the content better. This, in turn, helps in determining whether or not it is relevant to the queries of the users.

However, according to an article on Search Engine Journal, LSI Keywords are not that important anymore. Earlier versions of search engine might have used it in their algorithms to understand relevancy of the content better but now, according to the article, it is likely that search engines have evolved and become smarter.

There is no denying the fact that the use of LSI Keywords improve the thematic relevance of a particular article to the search engines. At the same time, it is true that search engines have become smarter now and they do understand that a content containing LSI Keywords doesn’t necessarily mean it is relevant.

So, I feel, if the content is really relevant and other aspects of SEO are taken care of, then the use of LSI Keywords can definitely help. It can contribute towards improving the relevancy of the article to search engines, and hence, can improve their rank.

Where To Use LSI Keywords In Your Page?

You can use LSI Keywords in the following places of your page:

• Slug: I don’t use LSI Keywords in the slug. The URL should be short and I prefer to use the target keyword in it.
• Title: I divide the title into two parts. The first part includes the primary keyword and the second part includes LSI Keyword
• Meta Description: Start off with the target keyword. Then use one or two LSI Keywords. But do not put them one after the other just like that. Use them in proper sentences so that it makes sense.
• Content: Use two-three LSI Keywords in the body of your content. Make the placement of these LSI Keywords look natural. Otherwise, it will be considered as Keyword Stuffing.

How To Find LSI Keywords?

There are many free and paid online tools to find LSI Keywords.

1. Google: You can find LSI Keywords from Google search result page for your target keyword. Just search for the primary keyword in Google. Then scroll down and see the section for related searches at the bottom. These are LSI Keywords.
   
2. LSI Graph: LSIGraph is a free online too to generate LSI Keywords for your target keyword. Just go to the website, type in the target keyword in the filed as shown below, check the box beside ‘I am not a robot’, and click on “Generate”. It will give you a list of LSI Keywords for that particular target keyword. Use two-three of the most relevant ones in your post.
   

I hope I have been able to explain what is LSI Keyword in SEO. If you have any confusion regarding what is LSI Keyword in SEO or anything related to it, ask in the comment section. I will try to answer at the earliest.