Latent Semantic Indexing

Webmasters with content sites need to burn one phrase into their brains: latent semantic indexing.

The strictest definition of latent semantic indexing, or LSI, is a ‘A mathematical and statistical technique for extracting and representing the similarity of meaning of words and passages by analysis of large bodies of text.’

Sounds a little complicated? Actually, in practical terms, it’s easy to figure out.

If you’re a web master with a content site, whether it’s about birds, dogs, couches, or anything else, you need to pay attention to latent semantic indexing when you’re creating your web pages.

Google, the world’s premier search engine with over 60% market share, uses LSI as a key tool in trying to figure out which web pages should rank higher.

Basically, the web master that wants to integrate and follow LSI techniques will make a web page with certain keywords he is targeting. Next, and most importantly, he will add those keyword’s related keywords to the same page. If you have a page on peaches, and you’re only targeting the word, peaches, then Google will rank your web page higher if you also have the keyword phrases that it thinks are closely related to peaches.

In order to see which keyword phrases Google thinks are related to a keyword you’re targeting, perform this simple trick on Google.com. Type ~ followed by your keyword and then – followed by your keyword and press enter on Google. For example,

~peaches -peaches

Typing that search string and pressing enter will bring up the following words in high density throughout the first set of search engine results pages: apple, fruit, tree, etc. The apple, a kind of fruit, is referenced heavily when you search for peaches in the LSI format.

So, if you’re building a page on peaches, include the keyword phrases of apple, fruit, and tree too. Google will think you really are relevant.

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