10 Ways to Make Sure Your Blog Supports Semantic Search

Recently, Google announced yet another change to their search engine’s algorithm. It will now include what Google calls semantic search technology. Essentially what this means is that the search engine will be able to distinguish, to a degree, how a word with more than one meaning is being used within a search or on a web page. In order to best take advantage of this new development, here are ten ways you can make sure your blog supports semantic search:

1. Key phrases – The most useful thing you can do as a webmaster is to make sure your key phrases are as site specific as possible. Search engines using semantic search should be able to find you using the phrases that users are likely to use.
2. Test Siri’s intelligence – Since semantic search uses artificial intelligence similar to Apple’s Siri, it would be a good idea to test whether Siri queries are able to locate your website. Enlist the help of users whose devices are equipped with Siri to do some searches with her and see if she “suggests” your website.
3. Keywords – Semantic search intends to identify not just keywords, but the meanings behind the words themselves. SEO improvement will involve making sure that the keywords you’re using on your site are relevant to the content in order to rank highly in a semantic search.
4. Test questions – Use natural language, and in question form, to do test searches. See how highly your website ranks in answering those questions. Is it providing content that a user would be looking for?
5. Be informative – Using semantic search technology, search engines like Google will begin to provide information about a search topic in their search results, and not just a best guess on where to find the keywords used. That means your website needs to be at least as informative for the user as the search page itself.
6. Test Google Assistant’s intelligence – When Google’s answer to Siri, Google Assistant, launches on Android devices later in the year that will be the gold standard you’ll want to use to test your website’s ranking for search criteria. Test to make sure your website comes up when GA is asked questions related to whatever is the purpose of your site.
7. Complex language – Your website’s content should be such that if a user were to use a long-string search query, they could still find you. Use more complex language when doing test searches to sample your site’s ranking.
8. Define your niche – Now more than ever, websites will need to fill a niche that makes them unique in some way. Your site will need to address questions asked by users in their search queries in a way that can’t be surmised by artificial intelligence and answered within the search results page.
9. Relevant advertising – Advertisers are already using semantic search technology to find suitable websites for their ads. A good test of whether your website supports semantic search is to evaluate the relevance of the ads placed on it, or even whether your website is getting enough ads.
10. Useful databases – Use databases like Freebase to identify the schemas used to gather the kind of information that your website is attempting to provide. Then you can incorporate them into your website’s content.

Taken From Longhorn Leads