LSI keywords start out complicated because of their name. LSI stands for Latent Semantic Index. Now, that’s an intimidating name. It’s one of those names that computer geeks love to put things into so that normal people think they (the geeks) are very, very smart.

It is so complicated?

According to Wikipedia, Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is an indexing and retrieval method that uses a mathematical technique called singular value decomposition (SVD) to identify patterns in the relationships between terms and concepts contained in an unstructured collection of text. LSI is based on the principle that words used in the same contexts tend to have similar meanings.

wow! That’s even worse!

OK, those are all the big words I’m going to use here. Unless you are involved in the development of search engine technologies, you do not need to understand SVD. You just need to know what LSI keywords are and how to use them. LSI keywords are just words that are related to your main keyword.

In search engine optimization (SEO), you want to use the keywords you are targeting on your page so that the search engine will rank your page high when a searcher enters those keywords into their search. That’s fine and pretty easy, except if you use keywords too much, the search engine will penalize the page as spam and move it down the lists.

That’s where LSI keywords come in…

You can put LSI keywords in your content instead of overusing the main keywords and it will be like putting many of the main keywords without the problem of overdoing it. They can also be worked on the content in a way that does not impair the readability of the page for humans.

So where can I find LSI keywords?

The easiest place is the Google AdWords Keyword Tool. Just do a search for “Google AdWords Keyword Tool.” Be sure to select Descriptive words or phrases, then enter your keywords in the text box. Enter the captcha and press the “Get keyword ideas” button.

You will get a list of keywords related to the main keyword. Scroll down until you get to “Additional Keywords to Consider.” These are LSI keywords that you can use in your content to safely add to the strength of the main keyword.

The bottom line…

LSI keywords are just keywords that are related to the main keyword. Use them to safely increase your search engine rankings.