As some of the best SEO experts say, ‘Search is moving away from keyword matching and getting closer to user-centric results.’ Simply put, your search engine optimization tactics are futile if you don’t consider user psychology. Mere keyword matching won’t suffice in the world of AI SEO. You need to go beyond simple queries and understand the reasons why these queries appeared in the first place. But how will you do this?
Explaining Ontology Engineering
Ontology engineering is the answer. Ontology roughly translates to a diagram that shows the relation between different concepts. Think about a flow chart or a food web. These diagrams show the interrelationships between different ‘entities’. For example, a food web shows the prey-predator relationship of animals in the wild. You get to see how such animals (the entities) are interconnected.
Now, apply the same logic to topic clusters in SEO. A topic cluster shows the relationship between the different topics that a user searches for. For instance, a user might search for ‘the best SEO agency in India. This user might be anyone from a mere executive to a brand manager. They would want to know the exact SEO project outcomes, advantages, budget, etc. Thus, you can use ontology engineering to frame a relationship between these topics and form a topic cluster. Once you have the relevant content on all your product pages, you can internally link them for better navigation. AI also uses ontological mapping to learn new concepts.
Benefits of Ontology Engineering for SEO
There are several benefits of ontological engineering for SEO. As we mentioned above, search is taking a more user-centric stance, and the crawlers now understand the meaning behind the content before indexing a page. Google’s crawler explicitly uses ontological data and machine learning to understand the meaning of a text. Ontological engineering in artificial intelligence is the norm, and you will benefit from incorporating it into your SEO strategy.
Improved Search Engine Understanding
The search engine will comprehend your content and the purpose of your pages much better if you design them with an ontological approach. This is called semantic SEO. Your workflow will also improve as you will have fewer hassles while publishing new content on the website. Moreover, your landing pages will also be more visible.
Enhanced User Experience
Websites designed with an ontological approach have better navigation faculties. Users will quickly find the relevant products and services without much effort. For example, suppose a user has searched for ‘black formal shoes’. Ontological mapping allows you to list the products with categories like size and colour. Hence, your product will be visible on the SERP.
Increased Visibility and Rankings
Using ontology in AI search results will make your content more relevant. Suppose a generative AI search result uses some content from your website and shows you as the source. Users will quickly click on your content as AI has already deemed it credible.
Enhanced Content Organization
When introducing AI for SEO, Google aimed to provide users with better answers to queries and search experiences. You can organize the content on your website using internal linking and schema. You can also use this ontological approach to create better sitemaps. Thus, crawlers will understand the context behind your content more effectively.
Challenges and Considerations
Adopting ontological engineering presents various challenges. AI SEO is a new concept, and many SEO executives who use traditional practices have to change their approach. They need to adopt new practices that support Google’s human-centric search results. Therefore, they need to change how they categorize and link services on the website. Ecommerce SEO executives also need to play it differently. Another challenge is working with systems and programs that have their limitations.
Case Studies and Best Practices
Search Engine Journal is one of the websites that uses ontology in AI SEO. The website is the finest example of connecting related topics and improving navigation. Readers can easily find the relevant SEO topics and are known to fall down a rabbit hole once they start reading. Search Engine Journal has also been successful in generating leads and increasing ebook downloads with this approach. They clearly understand the future of SEO.
Technical and Conceptual Aspects
Google uses a Knowledge Graph to assess the intent of your website. This Knowledge Graph is an important aspect of AI SEO. Thus, you must produce more enriching content that matches your service. The quantity or word count of the content won’t matter. Adding more value to it is important so that users find it worth reading and clicking. You should use ontological and semantic structures to make your website content more valuable.
Tools and Technologies
You can use the following tools and techniques to aid your AI SEO strategies:
- Ontology Development Tools: Draw ontological diagrams using OntoFox or Web Ontology Language Editor (OWL Editor).
- Content Management Systems: Use your WordPress or Drupal websites to integrate the above ontologies.
- SEO Automation Tools: Semrush and Screaming Frog let you monitor your website and detect errors.
Use Google Knowledge Graph to gauge and fill any gaps between related content pieces.
Future Trends and Opportunities
The future of SEO looks starkly different from what it was a few years ago. Semantic SEO is gradually becoming popular as artificial intelligence takes over. The latest SEO trends also indicate that search engines are becoming more humane while the virtual gap between users and websites is narrowing. Hence, it is crucial to understand these trends and take advantage of them.
Ontology engineering enhances SEO performance by improving search engine understanding and content organization. As search engines get more sophisticated, the importance of ontology engineering will only grow. Your business can stay ahead and achieve long-term SEO success through this practice.
