📍LSI Keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing keywords) are words and phrases that are closely related in meaning to a main keyword. They help clarify the context of your content for both users and search engines.
What LSI Really Means
The term comes from an old method of analyzing text relationships in documents. In SEO, LSI keywords are not synonyms — they are contextually related terms. For example:
- For the keyword “apple,” LSI terms might include “fruit,” “orchard,” or “nutrition” if you’re writing about food — or “iPhone,” “MacBook,” and “iOS” if the topic is technology.
- They help disambiguate meaning and increase relevance for the topic at hand.
Despite their name, Google doesn’t use LSI technology anymore — but the concept of using related terms still matters for content quality and clarity.
Why Use Related Keywords in SEO?
- 📚 Add depth and context – Help search engines better understand what your page is about.
- 🔍 Match more search queries – Improve chances of showing up for different variations of a keyword.
- 🧠 Improve user experience – Support clearer, more informative content that answers more questions.
- 🚫 Avoid keyword stuffing – Related terms allow more natural writing without repeating the main keyword too often.
- 📈 Boost topical relevance – Help content align with user intent and modern ranking factors.
Example in Practice
You’re writing a guide about “digital cameras.” Instead of repeating that phrase constantly, you also include terms like “shutter speed,” “DSLR,” “image resolution,” and “lens.” These are not synonyms — but they’re semantically related and give context. That’s how LSI-style keyword use works.
What You Should Remember
LSI keywords are contextually related words that support your main topic. While Google doesn’t rely on true LSI, using relevant terms helps clarify your content’s meaning and improves its chances of ranking for broader search intent.