Semantics is the study of the meaning of words and sentences. While this is how you communicate to your friends, family and coworkers, it now can apply to how we communicate with search engines. Google, Yahoo and MSN require different language tactics to help them understand and process your website content efficiently. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is the process in which search engines place value on websites based on the organization of their text. Algorithms determine what a page is trying to say by analyzing the words and phrases and how their meanings are related.

Google’s mission statement is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. Their algorithm’s main goal is to place value correctly on web pages and rank them appropriately for each given search.

What this means regarding your website content:

• New algorithms allow for better Search Engine Optimization, or SEO,  writing. Writers no longer have to practice “keyword stuffing” to achieve high rankings. Instead, they are able to write content that flows more freely and sounds more appealing to users. Plus, the content is then preferred by search engines.

Key to using LSI techniques

Begin by thinking of terms that will semantically support your target keyword.
For example, if you were trying to optimize for “search engine optimization”, use terms such as:

• online marketing
• PR
• boost
• improve
• rankings

Instead of writing a phrase about SEO this way:
“Our extremely talented SEO team can manage all your SEO needs and improve the SEO of your website.”

Write it this way:
“Our extremely talented online marketing team can help with your PR needs to ensure that your site is SEO friendly and will beat your competition’s rankings in the search engines.”

The LSI algorithms don’t just apply to sentences, paragraphs or portal pages. It’s best if the whole website is written with this concept in mind. Try to make sure all content is semantically relevant and consistent throughout the site. While it seems natural to add marketing fluff and hyperbole to your pages under the guise of attracting users and hyping up your service, remember that only users and search engines find quality content interesting.

Think of it this way, who would you rather have representing your brand: Billy Mays or Charlie Gibson. Too many exclamation marks can potentially scare away your audience.