There’s a lot said about the future of SEO and how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the game. But what is AI, exactly? And more specifically, what is natural language processing (NLP)?
In this post, we’ll explore NLP and look at its impact on search engine optimisation. Since Google’s BERT update, NLP has been a hot topic in the SEO world – so let’s take a closer look.
What is Natural Language Processing?
Natural language processing (NLP) is a subfield of AI and linguistics that deals with the interactions between computers and human languages. It involves programming computers to understand, interpret and manipulate human language data. It involves tasks such as:
- Identifying the intent of a sentence
- Extracting information from text
- Determining the sentiment of a text
All of these tasks are carried out by computers using algorithms, which is how they can understand human language.
In practical terms, this means that NLP can be used to improve search engine results by understanding the context and intent behind user queries and the sentiment of online content.
Why Is NLP Important for SEO?
Since the release of Google’s BERT update in October 2019, NLP has been on every SEOs radar. And for good reason – BERT was a game-changing update that gave Google a huge boost in its ability to understand natural language.
Before BERT, Google relied on an artificial intelligence model known as word vectors. Word vectors are mathematical models that represent words as points in space, with each word having its own vector. The more words you have in your dataset, the higher-resolution your vector becomes.
While word vectors are effective at understanding the relationships between words, they’re not great at understanding the context and intent of a sentence. BERT was designed to address this limitation, and it did so by using something called recurrent neural networks (RNNs).
RNNs are a type of AI network that are very good at understanding the context of a sentence. They do this by taking into account the previous words in a sentence when processing new information. This allows them to build a more accurate picture of the sentence as a whole.
The impact of BERT on SEO has been huge, and Google will likely continue to invest in NLP to improve its search results. So if you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve, it’s important to understand how NLP works and how you can use it to your advantage.
The Benefits of Using NLP For SEO
One of the key advantages of NLP is that you can gain a deeper understanding of the keywords and phrases your customers are using when they search for products or services like yours. You can also use NLP to determine what content is most relevant to your customers and determine what kind of language they’re most likely to respond to.
By using NLP, you can create content that’s more relevant, engaging, and persuasive for your target audience. And when it comes to SEO, that’s precisely what you want: high-quality content that will help you rank higher in the search engines.
There are several benefits to using NLP for SEO:
- Contextual understanding of user queries
- A better understanding of the sentiment of online content
- Improved search engine results
Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits.
Contextual Understanding of User Queries
One of the main benefits of using NLP for SEO is that it allows you better to understand the context and intent behind user queries. This is because NLP takes into account the previous words in a sentence when processing new information.
This means that you can get a more accurate understanding of what users are looking for, which can help you to better target your content. For example, if you know that a user is looking for “the best laptop 2021”, you can provide them with a list of the best laptops from 2021.
Better Understanding of the Sentiment of Online Content
Another benefit of using NLP for SEO is that it allows you to better understand the sentiment of online content. This is because NLP takes into account the emotional tone of a text when processing new information.
This means that you can better understand whether a piece of content is positive or negative, which can help you target your content more effectively. For example, if you know that a user is looking for a negative review of a product, you can provide them with a list of the worst reviews of that product.
Improved Search Engine Results
The final benefit of using NLP for SEO is that it can help to improve your search engine results. This is because NLP allows Google to better understand the context and intent of a user query.
This means that you can rank higher in the search engine results for keywords and phrases relevant to your business. And when it comes to SEO, that’s exactly what you want: high-quality traffic from people who are looking for products or services like yours.
How To Use NLP In Your SEO Strategy
Now that you understand the benefits of using NLP for SEO let’s look at how you can use it in your own marketing strategy.
There are several ways that you can use NLP to improve your SEO results:
- Identifying relevant keywords and phrases
- Creating targeted content around those keywords
- Monitoring the sentiment of online content
- Optimising your website for better search engine visibility
One of the best ways to use NLP for SEO is to identify keywords and phrases relevant to your business. This can be done using keyword research tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner or Semrush.
Once you have a list of relevant keywords and phrases, you can use them to create targeted content that is more relevant, engaging, and persuasive for your target audience. You can also use them to optimise your website for better search engine visibility.
Another way to use NLP for SEO is to monitor the sentiment of online content. This can be done by using tools like Social Mention or Buzz Sumo.
This will help you better understand how people are feeling about your brand and your products. You can then use this information to create more positive content that will help to improve your reputation online.
Why To Take Note of NLP for SEO
The relationship between NLP & SEO is a symbiotic one – as NLP continues to evolve, so will SEO.
If you’re looking to stay ahead of the curve, it’s important to understand how NLP works and how you can use it to your advantage. By using NLP for SEO, you can create content that’s more relevant, engaging, and persuasive for your target audience which as SEOs is exactly what we want: high-quality content that will help you rank higher in the search engines.
So if you’re looking to improve your SEO strategy, don’t forget about NLP – it can make a big difference.
Get Help From eCommerce SEO Professionals
If you don’t have the team, skills or budget to integrate NLP into your SEO in-house, we can help.
Our team of trained SEO professionals are experts in all things content marketing and SEO related, so we know how to get your website ranking high in the search engine results pages using the latest technology and techniques.
To speak with a member of the team send us a message using our contact us page.
