What is Semantic SEO & Why You Need it Now

In today’s digital age, having a solid online presence is vital for any business to succeed. One crucial method for creating such an online presence is through semantic search engine optimisation (SEO). The idea behind semantic SEO is that marketers and content creators should be creating content around keyword topics, instead of just individual keywords. 

In the “old days” of SEO, marketers would create a page of content to target one specific keyword, using that keyword over and over in headings, paragraph text and metadata. 

In today’s world, this is no longer the best practice. Web content should be written for people first, using semantic keywords to provide context and helpful information to both search engines and users.

What is semantic SEO?

Semantic SEO is the process of adding more topical depth and relevance to your website content. This strategy aims to provide search engines with a better understanding of the content on a web page and improve the relevance and accuracy of search results. Example: semantic keywords for ‘Bloom’ could be ‘Thrive’ and ‘Grow’ or, depending on the context, ‘Flower’ and ‘Blossom’. 

Over the years, Google has become faster and more intelligent, striving to deliver the most relevant and accurate results for user queries.

In 2013, Google introduced its game-changing algorithm, Hummingbird. This was a significant change to its previous search algorithm, which just looked for specific keywords used throughout a page. 

With Hummingbird, Google could understand the meaning behind search queries and provide more relevant results. This update made it essential to optimise content for the words’ meaning rather than just for specific keywords. 

It’s essentially allowed Google to think more like a human and lead with a human-first approach to SEO.

How is semantic SEO different from traditional SEO?

The main difference between the two is semantic SEO focuses on understanding context, adding topically relevant depth, and using long-tail keyword variations. 

While its older cousin, traditional SEO, focused on optimising content for one specific keyword through on-page elements such as headings, paragraph text, and metadata.

Semantic SEO focuses more on the overall topic and mimics how human beings use interchangeable words that have similar meanings. For example, we may like to create a page all about our work as an SEO agency. In this example, we would optimise the content for semantically-related keywords, including SEO company, SEO specialists, or SEO consultants.

A semantic SEO strategy can increase your business’s visibility in search engine results pages (such as Google and Bing) while focusing on traditional SEO may cause your page to miss out on potential rankings.

What can semantic SEO do for your business?

The benefits of using semantic SEO for your business cannot be overstated. Although these strategies require more time and effort, the benefits are significant. 

1. Increase Search Engine Visibility

By using semantic SEO techniques, web pages can be optimised to be more closely aligned with user search intent, making them more likely to appear in relevant search results.

2. Improve User Engagement

Semantic SEO can help improve user engagement, leading to longer visit times and more conversions.

3. Increase Site Traffic

By appearing higher in relevant search results, semantic SEO can help drive more traffic to a website and increase your search volume.

4. Enhance User Experience (UX)

Semantic SEO can help improve the overall user experience of a website, leading to increased user satisfaction and loyalty.

5. Future-Proof Against Algorithms

As search engines evolve and improve their algorithms, semantic SEO will become increasingly important for ensuring your content remains relevant and visible in search results.

How do you apply semantic SEO to your marketing strategy?

1. Conduct Keyword Research

Identify the keywords and phrases most relevant to your subject matter and target audience. Use your chosen keywords and phrases throughout your content – long-tail keywords provide context and help search engines understand the meaning of your content.

2. Create Topic Clusters

When using a semantic SEO strategy, you need to focus on topics rather than just individual keywords. This means creating well-informed content about a topic, focusing on Google’s E-E-A-T algorithm.

3. Improve Internal Linking

Link to other relevant pages on your website to provide search engines with a better understanding of the structure and context of your content. Internal linking will also create a logical flow between different pieces of content that increases traffic.

4. Optimise for Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are the boxes appearing at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs), answering a user’s query. To optimise for featured snippets, provide clear, concise answers to common questions. 

Not sure what users are asking? Check out a free tool that we love, Answer the Public, to get an insight into what people are searching for.

5. Publish High-Quality Content

For an effective semantic SEO strategy, create high-quality content that provides value to users. By providing valuable content, you can improve your website’s rankings and increase traffic over time.

6. Optimise Meta Tags

Use relevant meta descriptions and title tags to accurately describe the content on each page. This helps search engines understand the relevance of each page and can improve click-through rates. 

Not sure how to optimise your meta tags? Take a look at SerpApi to scrape search engines of any data you may need.

7. Monitor Performance 

Keep track of the performance of your content in search results and make adjustments as needed. Use analytics tools to identify opportunities for improvement and make changes to your content strategy accordingly.

Get help from our SEO experts

Are you looking for more tips to help boost your SEO strategy? Take a look at our top SEO tips and predictions for 2023.

Or, for personalised help with your business’s SEO and digital marketing, get in touch with us. As a leading SEO agency in Perth, we’ll help achieve higher search engine rankings for your business’s website through white-hat on-site, off-site and technical SEO practices. 

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business bloom.

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