Google's stand on LSI keywords?

[vtmoz]

Hi all,

So the keywords which appear while typing some keywords and suggested keywords at the bottom of the search results page are refereed as LSI keywords. I been noticing some of the LSI keywords for years related to our industry and Google now suddenly changed them. I wonder why it would be. I can see competitors are started using those LSI keywords widely, is that the reason Google changed them?

Thanks

[RobCairns]

Hi vtmoz,

It's very common for Google to change its algorithm in response to user trends. The thing to remember is that users have different forms of intent when they use certain words or phrases, and Google is constantly altering their ranking methods to reflect this.

While LSI keywords tend to remain static, there can be alterations and shifts within the industry or in how people observe and interact with it. However, these changes would not necessarily occur because companies begin using them more frequently.

More likely, Google is dipping into its reservoir of big data to determine that user queries leading to certain pages were not producing user satisfaction (i.e. bounce metrics were high on pages that were previously identified as supplying relevance via LSI keywords) and therefore made a change to better reflect what users were searching for (and interacting with) from their SERPs.

A couple of questions to ask:

1. Has anything changed within your industry that would cause an LSI keyword shift? (new products, new competitors, new rules and regulations, etc?)

2. Is there a pattern in terms of the keywords that have changed? Is it industry-wide or a specific segment?

3. Are there new ways users may be interacting with the industry? New queries being used?

4. What is the impact on your rankings for general terms related to those LSI terms/phrases?

Based on the answers to these questions, you can better identify whether it's a shift from Google altering the LSI algorithm for your industry, or simply an indicator of a developing industry. My guess is the latter.

Hope this helps - feel free to reach out any time if you need a clarification or just want to chat!

Thanks,

Rob