This Myth Needs to Die
"Use LSI keywords to rank better!"
You've heard this advice a thousand times. It's in every SEO course, every blog post, every YouTube video.
There's just one problem.
LSI keywords, as SEOs describe them, don't exist.
What LSI Actually Is
LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing. It's a mathematical technique from the 1980s designed to analyse relationships between documents and terms.
It was created for small document collections.
Google does NOT use LSI. Google's John Mueller has confirmed this. Repeatedly.
Google uses far more advanced natural language processing. Neural networks. BERT. MUM. These make LSI look like a calculator next to a supercomputer. Understanding entity-based keywords is a much more accurate way to think about how Google processes language today.
What SEOs Actually Mean
When SEOs say "LSI keywords," they usually mean "related terms" or "semantic keywords."
And using related terms in your content IS good advice.
It's just not "LSI." Call it what it is: using semantically related keywords to demonstrate topic comprehensiveness. Moz's keyword research fundamentals explain this distinction properly.
Why This Matters
Because if you think "LSI keywords" are a magic ranking trick, you're missing the real point.
Google wants comprehensive, expert content that naturally covers a topic in depth. Not a checklist of "LSI keywords" to sprinkle in.
The Takeaway
Use related keywords naturally. Cover your topic thoroughly. Write like an expert.
Just stop calling them "LSI keywords." Please.
sighs
Better yet, follow a real process. SEO Checkup. 113 tasks based on what actually works. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.