Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been constantly evolving over the last decade. With Google dominating the search engine space in recent years, what is considered ‘good’ SEO is largely dictated by Google. Search engine optimized marketing content tends to be targeted at very focused customer groups. These groups are classified based on geography, gender, buying patterns, and a range of other factors; and this is where lexicons become a crucial aspect of SEO content marketing strategies.
What are Lexicons?
In simple terms, lexicons are specific words or phrases that are closely associated with a particular group of people. For instance, the word ‘objection’ and ‘motion’ may have very different implications depending on whether you are addressing a group of lawyers, or a more generic audience.
A Brief Note on Using Lexicons
Using lexicons to enhance your SEO content strategy often involves understanding colloquial nuances and exploiting them to create a deeper connection with your target audience. The internet has also spawned a vast array of sub-cultures that people easily associate with. Thus, an SEO expert or writer who intends to use lexicons in a content piece must be keenly aware of the linguistic traditions and peculiarities of the target audience. At times, if you are not fully aware of the contextual implications of certain phrases, lexicons can become a double-edged sword. A certain degree of care must also be taken to not sound pretentious or condescending while attempting to use lexicons. Failing to nail the tone can completely alienate your target audience and dismantle all your previous SEO campaigns.
Why Should You Consider Using Lexicons?
Get ahead of your competitors
Hunting for the right keywords to add to your articles involves weighing the effective competition against the search volume and frequency of certain keywords. This balancing act can turn out to be a difficult affair. For instance, you might find that certain keywords are very popular, but since many competitors with stronger digital presence are using these keywords, it is difficult to compete using that particular keyword. Settling for keywords that have lower search frequencies might seem like your only option; but it does not have to be. Using lexicons allow you to bypass some of these brute force techniques. You might not get the keywords that are statistically on top, but you could potentially connect deeply with a small number of people by incorporating more regionally specific terms in your content. When it comes to online marketing, a single sale is much more valuable than ten uncertain leads.
Lexicons can be used everywhere
If your content is filled to the brim with irrelevant keywords, you can be sure that it will not rank too well on Google. Keyword stuffing is considered a bad SEO content strategy by most professionals. Keywords should also be carefully placed in specific parts of your article. Lexicons, however, do not suffer from the same limitations. You can place these anywhere in your article, including meta descriptions, slugs, or even image alt tags.
Connecting with the audience
Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the power of lexicons is through a thought experiment. Consider the following scenario. You have come up with a revolutionary new potato chip formula, and you are attempting to sell your product on the general market. If you are specifically targeting British audience in a particular blog post, using the word ‘chips’ or ‘fries’ instead of ‘crisps’ could cost you dearly. In Britain ‘chips’ refer to thick fries, and ‘crisps’ refer to the circular slices of fried potato that are commonly known as ‘chips’ elsewhere. This is just one example of how using a lexicon in your content can instantly connect you with your audience and make them feel like you are one of them.
Including lexicons in your content is undoubtedly one of the most organic ways to grow your online presence. Using lexicons in the right context can be the difference between a successful SEO content strategy and a marketing blunder.
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