Semantic SEO

This is a quick read about the basics of semantic SEO that will help you better understand the “why?” behind many other guides on our Webflow SEO guide.

In this article, you'll discover:

• What is semantic SEO?
• What is the difference between lexical and semantic search?
• Why understanding semantic SEO is important when you are building a website?

Let’s dive in!

What is Semantic SEO?

Semantic SEO is the process of adding more topical meaning and metadata structure to your web content.

Semantic SEO is the process of optimizing your content for a specific topic, not just a set of keywords.

Semantic SEO considers things like search intents, user experience, and entity relationships, to create the best websites possible.

Difference Between Lexical and Semantic Search

Before semantic understanding became a crucial part of search engine algorithms, there was lexical search.

Lexical search was a single-keyword-based search that only looked for exact keyword matches in the search engine index.

Semantic search is a more advanced search method, where search engines have a better understanding of the contextual meaning behind keywords and phrases.

Starting in 2013, crawlers started to analyze a whole piece of content as one topic, not just pick out key phrases. 

The same approach was started to be used for queries we type into their search bar.

Example: You search for “Webflow techniques” and you will get results about “Webflow tips”. 

Why? Because search engines can understand what you mean when you are searching for this, even if there are no results that use this exact phrase in their content.

That’s semantic search in a nutshell.

What is a Topical Map?

A Topical Map is a detailed visual representation of all content related to one or more topics within a content cluster. 

It helps in planning and understanding the arrangement of main topics and subtopics, essential for effective semantic SEO in Webflow websites.

We talked about this more in our topical cluster guide.

Building Websites with Semantic SEO in mind

Semantic search makes the online experience better for users.

That’s because when people search for something online, they don’t actually need just one specific answer.

They want to understand the whole topic.

Semantic Search Example

When somebody types “What is Webflow?” into Google, they might have more than one question in mind.

Additionally, the user will probably have some follow-up questions:

• How much does Webflow cost?
• What can I build with Webflow?
• Can anyone build websites with Webflow?
• Etc.

Based on the user’s background, they might even have more specific questions that only their anticipated use case predicts:

• Is Webflow better than Shopify?
• Can I use JavaScript in Webflow?
• Is Webflow safe from hackers?

That’s why the best content that will rank for the “What is Webflow?” keyword will:

• Talk about each of these subjects at least briefly (have headings for them)
• Internally link to relevant sources that will allow users to learn more about specific topics if they want to

That’s why creating great websites, means:

• Understanding what users mean when they use certain keywords (their search intents)
• Crafting “networks of related web pages” that are valuable for the user (topical clusters)
• Making sure that visitors are getting the best UX and are provided with easy navigation
• Creating complete topical coverage across your whole website to make your site the go-to source of information in your industry for this specific topic

Competition Matters

Would you want to buy something from a store that has only one product? Especially if you know that there is another store that has many products with different prices, quality, and features.

The same works for websites.

It’s a game of go big or go home. 

Websites are ranked on search engines, not by simply comparing a single web page against a competitor web page.

They are ranked by analyzing your whole website including that web page, against competitors' websites and their best web page on the same topic.

This means site-wide content quality and sitemap size matter.

That’s because…

Crawlers Need Semantic Context

Crawlers examine your entire website and internal links to understand connections and topic relationships between pages. 

It's important to include enough information on your site, but not all of it needs to be visible to visitors.

Structured Data

Structured data is a way of organizing information on your website so that search engines can understand it better. 

It's like adding labels to your website's content, telling search engines exactly what each piece of information is about – whether it's a product price, a review, an event, or an article. 

This helps your website show up more effectively in search results, often with rich snippets like star ratings or images, making it easier for people to find what they're looking for when they search online.

Be sure to read our whole structured data guide to learn more. 

Optimizing Sites for Semantics

To optimize your website for semantic SEO, you should:

• Improve topical depth
• Have sufficient content length
• Create an easy-to-follow content structure (on any single page, and across the whole site)
• Add structured data that matches the content on that page
• Have only one page per single search intent
• Create topical clusters, not single pages
• Create content systems that work together

If you want to learn more about optimizing websites for semantic SEO - read our articles on schema (structured data), and then learn about Webflow-specific data structuring: static schema and dynamic schema.

You should also check E-E-A-T, heading structures, metadata, topical authority, search intents, and topical clusters.