What is Latent Semantic Indexing?
Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 5:11 am
Also known as latent semantic analysis, LSI is a natural language processing (NLP) technique developed in the 1980s to identify the contextual relationship between words.
In a nutshell , latent semantic indexing “finds the hidden (latent) relationship between words (semantics) to improve the understanding of information (indexing).”
Understanding the content of a page can help determine the topic based on the language used.
In theory, it makes sense that Google might use this technique to understand synonyms, among other things. In fact, using them throughout a piece of content helps the search engine better understand the topic.
The controversy surrounding the use of the term "LSI keywords" is saudi arabia telegram number database not so much about the importance of addressing the points you would expect to see on a page about a particular topic, but rather about the fact that there is no evidence that Google uses latent semantic indexing to answer a query.
LSI is now an old technology, it was developed for smaller sets of documents, not for the entire web.
That said, semantics is essential to how search engines understand a page of content. There is no denying that when covering a topic in depth, you need to use semantically related words and synonyms.
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ADS illustration
Google vs. LSI Keywords
As we've already mentioned, Google has confirmed that LSI keywords don't exist, and other members of the SEO community are echoing this as well.
In a nutshell , latent semantic indexing “finds the hidden (latent) relationship between words (semantics) to improve the understanding of information (indexing).”
Understanding the content of a page can help determine the topic based on the language used.
In theory, it makes sense that Google might use this technique to understand synonyms, among other things. In fact, using them throughout a piece of content helps the search engine better understand the topic.
The controversy surrounding the use of the term "LSI keywords" is saudi arabia telegram number database not so much about the importance of addressing the points you would expect to see on a page about a particular topic, but rather about the fact that there is no evidence that Google uses latent semantic indexing to answer a query.
LSI is now an old technology, it was developed for smaller sets of documents, not for the entire web.
That said, semantics is essential to how search engines understand a page of content. There is no denying that when covering a topic in depth, you need to use semantically related words and synonyms.
with SEO Content Template
Try for free →
ADS illustration
Google vs. LSI Keywords
As we've already mentioned, Google has confirmed that LSI keywords don't exist, and other members of the SEO community are echoing this as well.