ties, topics and keywords: clarifying core semantic SEO concepts

This article aims to clarify some of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of entity and semantic search engine optimization.

This is our road map:

• What is the difference between keywords, entities and topics?
• How do entities affect keyword research?
• What is a map of a particular topic?
• How can you optimize your pages in the entity paradigm for search?
• What is the role of schema markup in entity SEO?
• What are semantic networks? How do you create them?

What is the difference between keywords, entities and topics?

When discussing entities, I have seen a lot of confusion about the differences between keywords, topics and entity types.

It can be hard to separate the definitions of entities, keywords, and topics in SEO.

Entities

They are the basic concepts or things of content. Entities can be simple nouns like “chocolate” or “iPhone”.

They can also be used to represent more complex concepts such as “The Olympic Games” and “Mount Everest”.

Entities are distinct, identifiable concepts that can be found in a variety of texts or contexts. Entities are not tied to phrases, but rather represent larger ideas.

In a phrase such as “delicious recipe for chocolate cake”, “chocolate” is the entity.

For a site about tech reviews on a larger scale “smartphones”, laptops”, and gadgets are the main themes. This signals to search engines what is important.

Keywords

They are specific phrases or words that users enter into a search engine. These terms are the link between the intent of the user and the content that they are trying to find.

Keywords can encompass one or more entities that reflect what the user is actively searching for.

While “iPhone”, as a whole, is a thing, you could use ‘iPhone 12 Pro Max Review’ to encompass it.

Topics

Topics are categories or thematic areas that encompass one or more entities. Consider a topic to be an umbrella that can house multiple entities.

Under the topic of “Smart Home Technology”, entities such as “Google Nest Hub,” smart thermostats,” or “IoT Security” could be included.

Here is a list of their main differences:

Scope

• Topics can be broad and include multiple entities or keywords.
• Entities are more focused and specific.
• Keywords are specific searchable terms that relate to both.

Hierarchical Relationship

• Topics usually include entities.
• Keywords can be grouped by topic or entity or both.

SEO

• Topics guide your broader content strategy.
• Entities can help refine and focus a strategy.
• Keywords are the targets of actual search queries.

Intersection

• Topics can be combined to create content clusters.
• Entities and keywords are used to refine and clarify the content of these clusters.

User intent

• Topics help users navigate their way through information.
• Entities give specific answers
• Keywords can be tailored to match specific user queries.

Semantic Networks (in the context SEO)

• Topics are often nodes in semantic networks, which connect entities.
• Keywords are used to direct users to nodes.

Keywords help to flesh out various aspects of any given topic.

Keywords that you choose to target in a content strategy should fall naturally under your chosen topics.

This will ensure that your content is comprehensive, relevant, and meets a variety of user intentions related to your topic.

Topics are the main themes that will guide your content. They provide a focus and a scope.

Entities sharpen the focus on your content and give search engines such as Google a more nuanced view to better understand it, both at micro and macro levels.

Keywords refine and drill-down into specific aspects of your broad topics, making it discoverable for users who have particular queries related to these topics.

How do entities affect keyword research?

SEO strategies have traditionally been based on keyword research. They focussed primarily upon keyword difficulty and search volumes.

Before moving onto more competitive keywords, specialists would focus on low-hanging fruits – terms that a website could realistically rank.

This approach, while effective in the past has become less optimal as search algorithms have evolved.

A keyword centric methodology today risks creating disjointed topical authority across a website.

Imagine that topics were arranged in a space, where some are close to each other and others are far away.

“Fun nights with the Family” is closer to “bowling”, but “bowling shoes” are also close.

It is the way advanced language models interpret language. They create graphical representations for topical relevance.

Google may have difficulty determining the core purpose of your website if it has a dispersed topic structure that jumps from one loosely-related topic to another.

It could result in a drop in rankings or simply an inability to compete for keywords that are important to your business.

Although targeting keywords that are low hanging fruit is still possible, it does not necessarily establish a site as an authority on a particular niche.

In order to optimize content for the modern era, two aspects are essential:

Density

You should aim to cover the content graphically closely together better than your competitors. Consider the competition.

Decide which sub-niche you can excel in. Are you the expert in the field you choose?

Expectations in relation to the subject of logic

Content that is naturally aligned with the site’s goals will help you achieve SEO success.

SEO professionals often miss the mark by attempting to cover all angles of their topic or using AI.

Imagine, for example, a website dedicated to “Kettlebell Workouts For Beginners.”

While an article on the history of the kettlebell may be interesting, it might not benefit the primary audience who is looking for workout tips.

Entity SEO does not give you a pass to cover any topic. Prioritizing content that aligns with the main goals of your website and Google’s perception of your expertise is essential.

Before you dive into the details of kettlebell design make sure you have covered the basic information that your audience is looking for.

You should only expand your topic when you have observed that the search engine considers you an expert on your sub-niche. (This can be seen by quick rankings or top rankings for new articles).

Always remember:Establishing yourself as an authority on a particular topic is a challenge that never ends. Research is key to success. You need to identify subtopics that are ripe for further exploration, areas other people may have missed.

It is equally important to identify content clusters in competitor domains. Not just to duplicate, but to outdo.

Keep an eye on their backlink profile. A realistic strategy requires you to gauge your ability match, or even surpass these external factors.

What is a map of a particular topic?

SEO is often synonymous with keyword analysis and research. This was the first stage of any SEO effort.

Marketers would search the internet for keywords that promised high search volume and low competition.

The strategy was straightforward: choose a keyword with high potential, create content around that keyword, and then repeat.

This tactic focused more on sniping opportunities than building an overall digital presence.

It was important to target isolated keywords to increase traffic.

It was the idea that you would build up a solid base of content ranking and then gradually advance to more complex terms over time. This was a keyword-centric approach.

The cluster-centric Approach

I believe that a developed SEO strategy should be based on strategic decisions made around groups of content, and not solely aimed at single keywords.

Topical maps are a powerful tool for modern SEO. They help you visualize your content strategy and plan it better.

Topical maps are essentially visual representations of your main subject and its connections to sub-topics or themes.

Imagine it as a spider chart or mind map. You will have the main topic – your website’s overarching theme – at the center of the map.

Sub-topics that are closely related to your central topic can be branched out from it. These sub-topics will serve as pillars for your main subject.

The sub-topics can be further divided into themes or narrower facets to provide a more organized and layered structure.

Imagine that your central theme is “Basketball.”

There are branches such as “Basketball Techniques”, “Basketball Equipment” and “NBA Teams”.

You can also find “Free Throws,” and “Dribbling,” as you continue to explore.

Keywords are interspersed to suggest content angles and user intention.

Clusters of content items are now more important than individual keywords.

These clusters will allow you to give your audience a complete picture of the subject.

In assessing the competition and volume of keywords, the focus is shifted from the individual keyword to the cluster, focusing on the aggregate potential instead of singular opportunities.

You will now focus on analyzing your competitors’ content clusters and finding pockets where you can perform better than them.

Benefits of clustering your thoughts

The shift from keywords to clusters has multiple benefits:

Depth & breadth

• By combining related topics into one topic, you can provide a comprehensive overview and in-depth insight, while also catering to the different user needs.

Authority

• You’re diving deep, establishing your authority in a niche. You are diving deep and establishing authority in a particular niche. This causes search engines to give you a higher ranking, sometimes for terms where you have weaker external elements than your competition.

Flexibility

• Content can be expanded more easily with clusters. You can easily integrate a trend that emerges in a cluster without disrupting the structure of your website.

When building topic maps, keyword clustering tools are a game changer. They can help you determine whether a keyword should be a standalone topic or if its better suited to a larger topic.

The old approach consisted of cherry-picking the best keywords and using them to drive your SEO forward.

Selecting clusters of dense, authoritative content is the new strategy. If you do it right, you can get a boost in topical authority and avoid the need for external SEO factors.

How can you optimize your pages in the entity paradigm for search?

Let’s look at some of the questions that people have about how to implement entities on your website.

What has changed with On-page SEO?

You may have noticed that if you’ve been doing SEO for a while, your Search Console report shows that your pages are often ranked for keywords which are not mentioned in the content.

Google’s understanding of language has been transformed by entities and the knowledge graph. Search results used to be dominated by pages that directly mentioned a keyword.

Google now draws on a larger pool of pages, based on the better understanding that entities provide. Pages that cover topics within a similar sphere are also considered. Google will now favor content that is more comprehensive.

The “authority pages” that I call this new paradigm are now available. These pages are rich in content and entity relationships. They’re designed to provide answers to many user queries. These pages combine the essence of several pages that were previously needed.

AI tools are useful when you’re developing these authority pages.

The basic procedure is composed of a few steps that are essential:

• Use tools and methods such as TF-IDF, RAKE (Rapid Automatic Keyword extraction), or keyword extraction techniques like keyword extraction to extract key keyword phrases or entities in articles that are already ranking highly within your target area. This step is important because it allows you to determine the minimum amount of subject matter and keywords that Google appears to consider essential for ranking within a particular topic area.
• After you’ve identified the baseline, your next goal is to surpass it. You should not only match top ranking articles in terms keywords and entities, but also surpass them by adding new entity relationships or aspects of the topic which haven’t yet been thoroughly covered. It’s important to provide a comprehensive and insightful article that goes beyond the current content, increasing your chances of being seen as an expert on the topic by search engines.

In How chatGPT can optimize your content for Entities I go into greater detail about these concepts and tools. I also break down how to maximize topical authority within the SEO landscape.

What is the role of schema markup in entity SEO?

In the world of SEO the concept of entities plays a crucial role in structuring content.

Search engines can better understand your page by using schema to highlight the entities.

Schema is an underutilized tool in the SEO world.

Many people stick with generic schemas. However, using custom options such as “Mentions Schema” can improve the way Google interprets your content.

Mentions schema lets you specify who or what your page mentions and even links to authoritative sources such as Wikipedia to provide greater clarity.

How to use it?

Step 1: Identify the core entity

Before you start implementing schemas, identify the entity or entities that your content is centered around.

If you are writing a guide on “Mediterranean Diet”, your main entity will be the Mediterranean Diet.

Step 2. Use the mentions schema

Use the mentions schema to specify other entities that are related to your core entity.

When discussing the Mediterranean Diet you may mention “Olive Oil,””Fish,”and “Exercise.”

 "@context": "http://schema.org/", "@type": "Article", "mentions": [ "@type": "Thing", "name": "Olive Oil" ,  "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fish" ,  "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exercise" ]  

Step 3 – Use “SameAs” for authoritative sources

Use the “SameAs attribute” to link to authoritative sources such as Wikipedia or scientific articles when you mention another entity.

 "mentions":  "@type": "Thing", "name": "Olive Oil", "sameAs": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil"  

Step 4: Visualize with tools

Tools like Schema Zone can help you visualize your schema structure.

Enter your URL and check if the schema highlights your core entities.

Step 5 – Test and Monitor

Google’s Schema Testing tool can be used to ensure that your schema is implemented correctly.

Then, you can monitor the performance of your site to see if it has improved your search ranking.

By using schema to define the entities in your content, your content will be more easily understood by search engines. This will improve your SEO performance.

Search engines need to be able to understand your content.

What are semantic networks? How do you create them?

It is impossible to overstate the importance of a structured SEO strategy, especially with search engine algorithms continuing to evolve.

Topical maps are a good starting point for determining which content clusters you should be focusing on. However, they don’t cover the whole picture.

Semantic content networks are a refined and holistic approach to integrating your content’s multiple aspects into one unified whole.

What is a content network with semantics?

A semantic network is an advanced way to organize and connect your website content, going beyond single pages and keywords.

It’s a model of organization that acts as a guide for connecting your content.

Instead of marking individual pages or keywords, you will plot out clusters of related content, typically in the form internal links and hierarchical relations.

What is the difference between this and traditional models?

You’ll see similarities to the “hub-and-spoke” model.

This enhanced model uses central themes, or “hubs”, as anchor points. Sub-topics, or “spokes”, are then branched out from them.

Its focus on logic, accessibility and usability ensures that users and search engine can easily understand your content’s architecture and flow.

Why are semantic content networks important?

Search engines such as Google today are moving away from a narrow focus of keyword counts and towards a broader understanding on content, context and semantic relationships.

A semantic content network can help you adapt to the new landscape. It will ensure that your content is easily discoverable and also resonates well with this level of search engine understanding.

Adopting this strategy will help you create more than a simple search engine optimized website.

You are creating a web of interconnected content that is logically connected and enhances user experience. It also aligns perfectly with the intelligent semantic capabilities of modern search engines.

SEO is headed for a bright future, where connectivity, clarity and coherence will be the most important factors.

Prioritizing entities in SEO

We’ve moved from a keyword-focused SEO to a holistic, interconnected view that encompasses entities, topics and their broader semantic relationships.

Search engines can better understand a page’s context and essence by using entities, which are the fundamental concepts of content.

Topical maps and semantic networks become more important as we move towards this enhanced understanding.

These are not just tools, but strategies that better align themselves with the changing nature of search engine algorithms and enhance the user experience.

SEO isn’t just about the future – it also involves the present.

This shift in online behavior can be harnessed to create more impactful and meaningful experiences.

The post Entities and topics: Clearing core semantic SEO concepts first appeared on Search Engine land.