Google is constantly looking for ways to improve the user experience for web searches. That means not only using the words or phrases that users type or speak into the search bar but also going a step further and determining what exactly they’re looking for. If this sounds familiar, that’s probably because Google has been using these types of tools—think: Semantic Search—for a while now.
The latest in these user intent-based search trends comes back to the ever-important keyword. Keywords have long been synonymous with SEO, and for good reason. Once upon a time, when search was in its infancy, keywords were what produced search results for Google users.
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Back in the day, without a keyword, search engines had nothing else to go by compared to their current sophistication. Fast-forward to the present day and search engines have AI and machine learning on their side. However, the keyword still plays an important role in SEO for your financial advisor marketing in the form of “Keyword Stemming.”
What is Keyword Stemming?
Keyword stemming is the way Google understands different forms and tenses of the same word within those queries. While it may seem that this would have always been a given, it’s important to remember those early days of search were relatively crude compared to modern times. Searches were literally based on a word-for-word system.
This means if the word typed into the search bar didn’t exactly match the keyword for that website, that search engine wasn’t able to make that connection. Why? Because Google didn’t have the ability to make inferences or “think.” But, it does now.
Technically speaking, keyword stemming isn’t “new,” however there have been recent advancements that make it a basic requirement for your financial advisor website content.
How Does Keyword Stemming Work?
Using machine learning, Google can examine the original word, known as the “stem” word, and identify all other possible forms of that word and include those in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) as well. This not only helps make the search process much more user-friendly by offering up more relevant results, but it also presents an opportunity to improve the SEO of your financial advisor website content.
Here is an example of keyword stemming for your financial advisor website content using the word finance:
Variations:
- FinancialFinances
- Financing
- Financier
- Financed
- Financing
- Financially
How Keyword Stemming Helps Financial Advisor Website SEO
Understanding what keyword stemming is and how it works, you can now put it to work to help enhance your existing financial advisor website content and create new content with keyword stemming in mind.
Because Google is looking for multiple variations of the same word, having multiple variations of that word in your financial advisor content can help Google’s algorithms better understand your content and in turn, deliver it to those looking for that type of information on the Internet.
As an added benefit, keyword stemming is an alternative to keyword stuffing (using the same keyword excessively in the same content to be seen as more relevant to Google). And because Google is getting smarter, keyword stuffing is now seen as more detrimental to SEO than it is helpful.
Does Keyword Stemming Affect Your Financial Advisor Website’s Rankings?
Because Google doesn’t disclose exactly how its search algorithms work, there’s no way of knowing if keyword stemming benefits your financial advisor website’s rankings. However, using what we do know about Google, it’s not a stretch to think that keyword stemming can help improve rankings for certain keywords.
How? It all comes down to content. For all the secret formulas we don’t know about, Google is transparent that it considers the quality of content above all else. With that in mind, adding keyword stems to your financial advisor website will likely improve the depth and context of your financial advisor content, giving it more credibility in Google’s eyes.
How Does Keyword Stemming Fit into Your Existing Financial Advisor Website SEO?
If you’re worried that keyword stemming is going to require a complete SEO overhaul (that you likely don’t have time for), you can relax. Keyword stemming is a way to enhance your existing financial advisor content to improve SEO—not replace it. It’s helpful to look at keyword stemming as building another layer onto the content you already have since this is just another evolution of Google’s algorithms and how machine learning is managing the ranking process.
Reminder: as with all your financial advisor website content, quality should always be given priority over quantity. That means striking the right balance between including variations of your keywords, while also not compromising the integrity of the content itself. What matters the most is the number of Google users who open and read your online content. That is also what should matter most to you.
Too many keywords can drown out the messaging behind your content, but not enough keywords and you risk being left out of the SERPs. And don’t forget to add synonyms of your keywords as well – to cover all your bases!
Getting Started with Keyword Stemming
The best place to start integrating keyword stemming is your existing financial advisor website content. From there, you can look at your current list of content keywords and begin weaving stems of those words into your content. And don’t forget to include meta tags and descriptions.
Pro Tip: This is a good time to do a keyword audit and analyze which words are performing better than others. This will give you a place to start adding stems to those keywords into your financial advisor website content. However, that doesn’t mean you should reduce your primary keywords because they still play an important role in SEO efforts that increase your online visibility.
