In the last few years, an SEO strategy for a logistics company I had been working with for the last 6 months looked perfect on paper. The keyword research was very well done, and the meta tags were well optimized. They were creating blog articles using exact match phrases and they were posting them regularly and consistently. Their rankings were okay, and they were receiving lots of steady and consistent organic traffic.
Then came a core update from Google, and within 6 weeks, they lost 34% of their organic traffic.
During this period, not one change was made to their existing website’s content, their site was clean from a technical standpoint and they had followed every guideline given by Google. They basically lost everything due to the fact that Google changed the question they were asking about their content. All of these were built around a question that was no longer relevant. The previous question that Google was asking them was, “Does this web page have the keyword?” The new question Google is now asking is, “Does this web page really understand what the complete and absolute meaning of the term is?”
This difference changes everything.
The Actual Meaning of Semantic Search in the Real World
Let’s get rid of all of the jargon that surrounds semantic search. Simply put, semantic search is not an abstract concept that exists solely for SEO or is only found at an SEO conference; instead, it represents how Google has made a major transition from matching a string of text to understanding what something means, understanding the context of something, and understanding the intent of the user.
For example, if I type “how do I reduce churn in SaaS,” Google is not looking for web pages that have that specific string of words on it; instead, it is trying to determine what the user is trying to achieve (retention strategy, customer success, product-led growth); then it determines which web page provides information that will best help the user meet his/her goal — even if none of the keywords on the page match.
This change in search results has been occurring rapidly since the introduction of BERT (2019), and MUM (2021), and now with the introduction of Search Generative Experience (SGE). Each step has brought Google closer to understanding how we (humans) actually use language; that is, with nuance, within the context, and with multiple meanings layered into one piece of information.
Marketing teams who continue to rely on keywords to drive search engine optimization will find themselves not only behind but working against how today’s search engines work.
The Importance of Topic Authority Over Keyword Density
When considering someone to be an expert on a specific subject, how would you describe that person? An expert does not only know isolated facts, but understands how those facts relate within concepts. An expert can address a subject from different perspectives, can answer many different questions related to that topic and often can anticipate what information you are seeking. In terms of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Google rewards this as well.
In fact, topical authority in Google has replaced keyword density as the most important ranking factor for establishing trust in your website’s organic search results; Google uses this method to determine if your website fully addresses a given subject area or simply because you have repeated the same keyword or phrase sufficiently.
For example, Healthline has achieved high rankings, not due to an extensive amount of time spent optimizing individual pages with repetitive keywords/phrases, but because the entire health-related content created for their sites creates an interconnected web of relevant content which indicates a large amount of knowledge associated with each of the individual health-related subjects; therefore, Google has determined that Healthline has an enormous amount of trust/authority regarding health-related content, so all new Healthline pages take advantage of the already established high level of authority when their content is indexed and displayed in organic search results. In B2B, the same concept exists; if one cybersecurity company creates a series of intertwined content pieces addressing zero-trust architecture (i.e., implementation, case studies, myths, technical comparisons, etc.) as opposed to creating one “pillar” page, that cybersecurity company would have an advantage in search engine optimization (SEO) due to the degree of topical authority associated with their content.
AI-Based Ranking Factors Have Changed Everything About How We Rank
Google’s AI doesn’t just read content better; it now understands the contextual aspects of that content as well. The following are just a few of the ranking factors that are becoming increasingly important:
Entity Recognition
Google uses its Knowledge Graph to map the relationships between entities (people, businesses, concepts, and places) to your content. Mentioning relevant entities in the correct way/format helps Google to understand that your content belongs in a particular context. This is why using actual data, companies, and frameworks in your content not only improves the quality of your writing but also sends a semantic signal to Google.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Google’s Quality Guidelines have long referenced an E-A-T standard; however, the addition of “Experience” in 2022 is significant. Weight will now be assigned to content generated from true first-hand experience – true case studies, true practitioner’s experiences, detailed specifics about any situation. Generic thought leader content produced from an abstract level does not pass as sufficient.
Aligning Search Intent Across All Funnel Stages
Search Generative Experience (SGE) provides users with AI-generated summary content at the top of search results for many queries, particularly informational queries. In order for your content to appear in or adjacent to these summaries, it is necessary that the content clearly and directly addresses the query intent. Any other location for the answer within the page (e.g. three scrolls deep and after a lengthy introduction) is unlikely to lead to visibility in this format.
Natural Language Patterns
Pages that read as conversational and naturally written (e.g. a variety of sentence structures, in a conversational style, question and answer format) will perform better in semantic search than pages that have been built to primarily target keywords. Given that writing for humans has become the most technically sound SEO method, the irony here is profound.
Creating a Sustainable SEO Strategy That Works
What does this mean when you actually put it into action? Here is a strategy you can follow:
1. Instead of creating a keyword list, use intent mapping to brainstorm all potential queries (questions) that your target audience might ask about any particular topic (around that topic). Using tools such as AlsoAsked, Semrush’s Topic Research, or Google’s People Also Ask data will help you identify how broad the semantic environment is for your target terms. Therefore, your content planning should address the entire semantic landscape, rather than just focusing on a few high-volume search terms.
2. Content clusters (groups of pages around particular topics that form an authority site) should be created instead of isolated content pages. For example, there will be a central (hub) page which is a complete and authoritative topic, and then there will be a number of cluster (related to the hub) pages about various subtopics related to the hub page. In clustered content pages (i.e., cluster pages that are also linked together) provide not only the navigation for users but they also create a semantic web for Google and send Google signals on how the cluster of pages/links relates to each other. This helps to develop your authority within the semantic category.
Investing in relevant entities (e.g., industry frameworks, recognized methodologies, well-known figures in your industry, tools and platforms) helps ground your content in Google’s Knowledge Graph, thus increasing your pages’ semantic surface area.
Treating author credibility as an SEO asset will only gain importance, as Google continues to evaluate what is being written but also by whom. Author bio pages, bylines of legitimate authors, and consistent publishing under expert authorship provide the E-E-A-T signals needed. Publishing under “Admin” or a generic company name means that you are leaving trust signals behind.
Why The Majority of SEO Agencies Are Still Fighting (And Losing) The Previous War
Let me be clear: there are now countless SEO providers who offer what are essentially old-fashioned keyword-based tactics but in fancy new terms. Instead of simply using the correct wording for a particular page, they are providing what they call “Content Optimization” to make it look like it has been semantically enhanced.
True Semantic Strategy goes far beyond just putting the correct wording on your website. It means fully understanding your target audience and developing real authority in the area you’re creating content for, not just relevancy. In addition, True Semantic Strategy requires a website that has been built with the proper technical structure to support your website’s topic relationships and content clusters. And lastly, you must continue to monitor how your target audience’s search behavior is changing over time, and not just provide monthly ranking reports.
For this reason, the gap between those agencies who understand semantic search and those that don’t is growing fast. Companies like Yeasinarena are using the new semantic-based frameworks to create SEO strategies based on topic authority, intent mapping, and semantically correct website structure rather than merely chasing keyword positions. This can be seen not only in increased search engine rankings, but also in the quality of traffic you are receiving and the conversion rate associated with that traffic.
Semantic change has arrived, and only you determine if this change is part of the future or if your current SEO strategy accurately depicts this change.
If you currently rely on a keyword spreadsheet to create your SEO strategy, consider changing your approach by auditing whether your current content is “deep” in topics and update your strategy accordingly. If you do not have the resources available to evaluate topical depth in your content, consult with a firm such as Yeasin Arena Excelytics to assist you in updating your SEO approach.