Semantic SEO is an approach to search engine optimization (SEO) that emphasizes meaning, relevance, and user intent over keyword optimization. It’s a strategy that attempts to understand the broader context of a webpage and tune its content to match the actual intent of its viewers.
The concept of semantic SEO stems from Google’s Hummingbird update in 2013. Hummingbird was a major overhaul of Google’s search algorithm that aimed to improve its understanding of a webpage’s context and better match search results to a user’s actual search intent. Instead of focusing solely on the exact words typed into the search box, Google started to consider the true goal or intent of the search, dubbed “semantic search.”
The principles of semantic SEO, therefore, revolve around understanding the user’s intent and providing answers accordingly. Instead of merely stuffing a page with keywords, content creators are encouraged to think about the questions and answers that their viewers are actually interested in. In practical terms, this means focusing on topics rather than isolated keywords, and expanding the content to cover related concepts and ideas (source: “Semantic SEO Strategy: How to Do SEO in 2017”, Bruce Clay, Inc.).
For example, suppose you are optimizing a page about smartphones. Instead of just including phrases like “best smartphones” or “cheap smartphones”, you might consider including sections about “how smartphones work”, “the history of smartphones”, or “smartphone repair tips”. These are all related topics that a user interested in smartphones might search for (source: “Introduction to Semantic SEO”, HigherVisibility).
Semantic SEO also involves implementing structured data on your website. This refers to special tags that provide search engines with additional information about your content. This can include things like the type of content (e.g. article, recipe, product, event), the author, publication date, and more. This helps Google and other search engines understand your content better and index it more accurately (source: “What Is Semantic SEO”, Search Engine Journal).
There are several tools available, like Google’s Knowledge Graph, that can help you identify the relationships between words and concepts, leading to more complex keyword strategies. These tools can also help you identify related topics and ideas, which you can then incorporate into your content (source: “The Future of SEO: It’s Not What You’re Expecting”, Neil Patel).
In conclusion, semantic SEO is about creating meaningful content that truly addresses the needs and concerns of your viewers, backed by optimized structured data. It’s a more nuanced approach to SEO that emulates the complex way that humans understand and articulate information (source: “What Is Semantic SEO and What Should You Do about It?”, Ahrefs).
Sources:
1. “Semantic SEO Strategy: How to Do SEO in 2017”, Bruce Clay, Inc
2. “Introduction to Semantic SEO”, HigherVisibility
3. “What Is Semantic SEO”, Search Engine Journal
4. “The Future of SEO: It’s Not What You’re Expecting”, Neil Patel
5. “What Is Semantic SEO and What Should You Do about It?”, Ahrefs
