Please read the previous post before this post; https://seobegood.com/semantic-seo/
Semantic SEO | In 5 Steps | pillar page
Semantic SEO | In 5 Steps | Part2 Generate Your Subtopics The second step is to generate your subtopics for your main topic or a seed keyword. It is an excellent way for HubSpot to determine if the keyword can be considered the main topic or, in their case, a pillar page. I quote: “When considering whether something should be called a pillar page or not, ask yourself this: Would this page answer every question the reader who searched X keyword had AND is it broad enough to be an umbrella for 20-30 posts?
A good sniff test here is — if you’re trying to get the page you’re working on to rank for a long-tail keyword, it’s not a pillar page.
If the page you’re working on explores a very narrow topic in great depth, it’s not a pillar page. If the page you’re working on touches on many aspects of a broad topic, it’s probably a pillar page.” With that, let me show you an example of how you can find subtopic ideas for the main topic “raised bed gardens” that I have seen in step #1. First, I fire up my keyword research tool from SE Ranking, enter my targeted keyword, select my location, and hit analyze.
Now, SE Ranking separates keyword ideas into three different keyword ideas categories, I found it super helpful for any keyword research strategy as it helps to concentrate on the specific keywords you need, but when I am searching for subtopics, I am going through both “Similar Keywords” and “Related Keywords” ideas. So, let’s started with the “Similar Keyword” report and scan for the keywords there.
Once I am done, I can move to the related keywords report by switching the taps. So, here I scan the keywords, and any keywords that make sense to me could be subtopics I will include in my topic cluster. (Note: Please be aware I have no idea and knowledge in gardening beds whatsoever) For example, the keywords “raised bed garden plans,” “raised bed gardening kit, “raised garden bed DIY,” “raised garden beds ideas,” and “how to build raised garden beds” are for me great keyword ideas for subtopics as I can create an entire blog post to target this keyword.
Pro Tip: If you are not sure if the keyword can be subtopic or not, pop it into Google, and if the keyword is being targeted by another website with a specific blog post or page, it is a subtopic keyword. So, I can start creating my topic cluster and adding more subtopics. Now depending on the tool, you are using, you enter your keyword. If you like more visuals like me, a simple spreadsheet will do or will use the MindMeister mind mapping tool. Remember, you want to find as many subtopics as possible for the main keyword to create topic relevancy for your semantic SEO so Google and users can acknowledge your website as the go-to place for the subject.
Semantic SEO | In 5 Steps | Search intent
Find Search Intent The third step once you have your subtopics is to start creating content to target the subtopics/keywords, and for that, you need to find the search intent for your targeted keyword. Search intent means the reason behind the search query or what the users want when they type the keyword into the search box. This is important to know when you want to create content on your website to target the keyword, so you create the type of content users are searching for. For example, I want to target the subtopic or keyword “raised garden bed ideas.” So, to find the search intent, I can pop the keyword in the free tool SE Ranking Google Location Changer to get precise results for my targeted location.
And now, based on the search results, I will create the type of content users want. So, I can see that most of the top-ranking pages are listicle blog posts for my targeted keyword. Therefore, I can create my own and unique listicle blog post to the targeted keyword. Another example could be the keyword “raised garden bed metal,” where I would create a category product page based on the search results. However, I don’t have my product and do not have an eCommerce shop on my website.
Therefore, I cannot target this keyword because I cannot match the search intent. However, instead of just targeting the keyword “raised garden bed metal,” I can add a keyword modifier “best” and target the keyword “best-raised garden bed metal.” And now, based on the search results, I can create a listicle blog post with the best-raised garden bed metal and add my affiliate links to make a few bucks if somebody buys the product via my link. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze a search intent for semantic SEO to match the searcher’s needs when entering the keyword to maximize the organic traffic potential.
Semantic SEO | In 5 Steps | LSI Keywords
Find LSI Keywords The fourth step is to find LSI keywords for your targeted keyword.
Once you understand the search intent of your targeted keyword, you can start searching for LSI keywords. LSI keywords are related to your targeted keyword, and search engines like Google associate those together to understand your content better. And using LSI keywords will help you create your content outline as you will collect essential talking points that you should include within your blog posts. And to learn everything about LSI keywords. However, let me share with you two techniques for finding LSI keywords for your targeted keyword.
And for this, let’s stick with the same keyword, “soil for a raised bed,” and create an outline. Technique #1: Using Keyword Research Tool The first technique to find LSI keywords is a keyword research tool. Enter the keyword “soil for a raised bed,” enter my targeted location, and hit analyze.
And then open the “Similar Keywords” report. And here, I will be scanning the list of keywords to find any related keywords that I can include in my article as a heading, FAQ, or mention it within my text.
And for example, the keywords “best soil for a raised garden bed,” “raised bed garden soil mix,” “best soil for vegetable garden in a raised bed,” “how much soil do I need for a raised bed,” and “best soil for tomatoes in raised beds” are great examples of LSI keywords I can include within my article to improve my semantic meaning, add comprehensiveness and more value to my article. So, let’s pop those keywords and a few more into my document as talking points. Technique #2: Analyzing Competitor Ranking Pages The second technique to find LSI keywords is to analyze your competitor’s top-ranking pages for the targeted keyword and see what keyword variants their pages are ranking for.
To do that, I will analyze my targeted keyword in SE Ranking Keyword Research tool and then open the competitor keyword report for the top-ranking pages to see the ranking keywords their pages are ranking for.
And here, I have a list of proven keywords that Google associates with my targeted keyword and users are using to find related information to the keyword. Therefore, analyzing this list and including any relevant keywords within my web page can improve my web page’s topical relevancy, ranking, and organic traffic and possibly outrank my competitors.
So I have scanned the list of ranking keywords and found a few that I believe should be mentioned or addresses within my content and add them to my article document. That is why LSI keywords are essential for your Semantic SEO because, as you can see, you can add more value to your content, directly answer the questions, and provide the information your users are looking for.
Technique #3: Google And the last technique I want to be mentioned where you can search for it on Google. Pop your targeted keyword into Google Search and scroll down. Here you will get other exciting ideas that you can include within your outline. So let’s pop some of these bad boys into your outline, and let’s keep searching. And once you have the LSI keywords you want to use in your article, it’s time to move to the next step.
Semantic SEO | In 5 Steps | collect relevant questions
Collect Relevant Questions, And the last step of your Semantic SEO is to collect relevant questions to your targeted keyword and answer them in your blog post. Answering questions related to your keyword can help you earn featured snipped by answering directly associated questions. Answering questions can also help you appear in the “People Also Ask” box, ranking for more competitive keywords and increasing organic traffic.
This is an essential part of preparing your article outline and collecting LSI keywords to not forget about including questions and answers within your blog post. Let me give you an example of our targeted keyword, “soil for a raised bed,” how you can find related questions.
First and most importantly, I will check the “People also ask” box in Google search if it appears for the targeted keyword. If it does, I will collect any relevant questions that I can answer within my blog posts and include them within my article outline. Another place where I can search for relevant questions to answer is using the website Answer the Public. Here I can enter my targeted keyword and get exciting questions. This is a great place to improve your content Semantic SEO.
And lastly, where you can search for relevant questions is from forum websites like Quora or Reddit.
For me, forum places are often must-go places to get some exciting ideas as often, if people cannot find an answer on Google, they come to forums. Therefore, this is a good indication there is demand but not supply. So, once you collect all your questions, you will have a solid outline and foundation for your content to create a comprehensive and incredible piece of content that brings tons of value to your users. As you can see, we have created an excellent outline for the keyword “soil for a raised bed,” and we are ready to start writing our content and optimize it with different types of SEO strategies.
However, remember that you don’t need to include every singly relevant keyword and question you have found. Now, these are only suggestions to create your outline, and you should use your knowledge and expertise to develop a logical structure of your outline. Don’t try to overdo it, and sometimes less is more. Also, you don’t need to follow the keywords or questions precisely, but you can rewrite them to fit into your context and sentence.
Google is smart enough to recognize the answer to a question even when rewritten.