How to Get Web Traffic Using Latent Semantic Indexing
Latent semantic indexing (LSI) is an algorithm that uses synonyms and related words to determine the relevancy of a document to a set of search words. LSI and similar document-ranking methods have revolutionized the way that search engines rank pages. You can get much more Web traffic by writing for LSI than from old-fashioned keyword density enhancement. Instead of having to stuff keywords into a Web page, writers can now insert relevant terms to get higher search engine rankings.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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Use keyword research tools such as the Google AdWords tool, Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft AdCenter Labs to find synonyms and related terms for your chosen terms. Place priority on the words provided by Google, which is at the forefront of the search engine market. Also favor terms which are getting more searches over the long term (see Resources below).
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Search Google for each separate keyword with a tilde in front. For example, type "search," "engine" and "optimization" in the search field. Select the synonyms which Google provides if they are relevant to your subject. Then search again using the full keyword phrase on Google, Yahoo and MSN Live Search. Make a note of the suggestions which the search engines provide.
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Incorporate the terms you gained from your research into your optimization strategy, allowing them to fall naturally within the text. Avoid optimizing for a single word or phrase which is getting millions of hits. Instead, choose between 10 and 15 keywords, combined in phrases which you have found in your research.
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Make sure that your keywords are in your title and in the first hundred words of your website text. Include as many of the synonyms and related terms within that first paragraph as can occur naturally.
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Vary the link text on your page rather than repeating the same term repeatedly. For example, if your desired search term is "search engine optimization," vary this term with similar ones such as "website optimization," "search engine secrets" and "search engine placement."
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Check your keyword density. Use a tool such as Tag Crowd to visualize your keywords and see which ones are featuring most prominently within your text. If your chosen keyword isn't showing as much as you would like, increase its incidence in your writing. If the term won't fit naturally into your text, use a close synonym which has been provided by the search engines (see Resources below).
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Use a tool such as the Textalyser tool to ensure that your terms are not higher than 5% of your total keyword density. Add together the percentages of different versions of a word, such as "engine" and "engines." Replace non-keywords which are figuring too highly with synonyms. Don't worry about the density of common words such as "the" and "your," which most search engines ignore (see Resources below).
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Write your meta tags after you have completed the website text. Make absolutely certain that every single term in your meta tags has been used in the text at least once.
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Tips & Warnings
When in doubt, optimize for Google.
If the search engines can't provide a synonym for your desired term, use a thesaurus.
