Keywords are a crucial part of any SEO strategy. They’re the basis of SEO, as they tell the search engine how to connect a website’s content with the search query’s being entered by internet users. But, there are more to keywords than a basic list of products or services for which a company wishes to be known.
This includes short-tail and long-tail keywords that can be used to describe solutions in various ways. Then there are thematic keywords, which have changed the way companies think about their offerings and the markets they serve, as well as how they are ranked and how they structure their marketing content.
What Is Thematic Relevancy?
Thematic relevancy is a way of arranging and organizing a website based on set themes or categories. The main landing page is focused on a broad theme or overarching category.
Then each subsequent landing page will focus on more specific information related to the broader keyword, thereby leading to a progressively narrower theme, which runs along a thread leading back to the main theme.
The goal is to not only organize the website properly but gain the notice of search engine algorithms that crawl for content and gain higher rankings across all the keywords, simple and complex, within a theme.
Thematic relevancy can be done when a website is first being created. This is the best time to start, as everything can be built around the main theme and narrower themes.
If a website has already been created, implementing thematic relevancy and developing a new organization for the website can be done when the site is redesigned. Since this can have a profound impact on optimization, website designers and content builders are urged to consider it from the beginning.
How Are Thematic Keywords Developed?
Thematic keywords are developed naturally as the website is designed using thematic relevancy. Thematic keywords are those created from the main theme. As the theme gets narrower for each additional page, the thematic keywords start to develop.
For example, if the website is about books, the main theme will simply be books.
The pages linked to and from the landing page might be for non-fiction books, fiction books, and kid’s books. From there, themes get narrower. For non-fiction, themes might become historical non-fiction, biographies, and autobiographies.
These are natural themes that fit under the overall theme of books, and the keywords are naturally developed and used on the subsequent pages.
General keywords, including short-tail and long-tail keywords, can still be used on the page. They’re still an important part of SEO and can be leveraged to help the website rank higher.
The thematic keywords, however, develop as the website is created and help support the main theme of the website, enabling it to rank higher.
The Difference Between Thematic Keywords And General Keywords
In the past, it was necessary to come up with a specific list of general keywords or targeted terms. In the beginning, they could just be placed anywhere on the website. As SEO developed, the better practice was to use the keywords in the content on the site, so they fit in naturally.
In fact, Google encourages an organic approach and penalizes websites that employ shortcuts and tricks for plugging in as many instances of keywords as possible.
Now, however, the basis for searches has evolved. Searchers aren’t just typing in keywords they want to learn more about. Instead, they’re typing in whole phrases, abstract descriptions, and questions.
Their queries don’t always neatly match the keyword or content they’re actually seeking, and they don’t need to. The search engines today understand this and can automatically contextualize what an internet user is likely asking about to pair them with the most relevant results.
It accomplishes this by searching for content that is thematically relevant to a query rather than a text-for-text replication of it.
Thematically relevant content anticipates and accommodates this and is highly ranked as a result. Even though thematic keywords may not be an exact match for what the searcher typed in, the search engines use AI algorithms and systems to identify the most suitable content.
Instead of general keywords that have to be matched exactly or very closely, search engines can match the general idea by using context. This context is fed from other related text, links, and pages across a website that are all part of a clear and consistent theme.
Using A Hierarchical List As A Foundation For Content
To rank highly in the search results, it’s crucial to have a well-organized page with high-quality, thematically arranged content. Thematic relevancy can be used to create the basic foundation of the website and content can be added to the pages to use the thematic keywords.
This helps boost the ranking of the website quickly, as search engines will be able to see what the website is about and how it can be helpful for searchers.
Incorporating thematic relevancy begins with the landing page. This should focus on the main theme of the website. Keeping with books as an example, the landing page would just focus on books in general.
This page would then link to other pages that have more specific information, like non-fiction books, fiction books, and kid’s books. From there, each link leads to another, more specific layer.
Starting with books, going into kids’ books, and then drilling down into picture books, chapter books, educational books, activity books, etc., provides a general idea of how thematic content will get more specific as it branches out wider and deeper into the website hierarchy.
This type of hierarchal list makes it easy for website visitors and search engine algorithms to find more specific content that meets a certain need. Search engines will view the entire website and determine the overall theme.
If this is carefully planned, it’s easy for the search engines to respond. As a result, the website will start ranking higher for the overall theme as well as more specific thematic keywords used on the various pages.
Creating Content For Thematic Keywords
Once the website layout is determined and there is a hierarchal list of thematic keywords to use, content can be added to the pages.
Search engines seek to offer searchers more information that might be relevant and helpful, so websites that include well-written, well-researched content will rank much higher than those that just include lists or generic information.
One way to add more high-quality content to the website is to use the hierarchal list of thematic keywords.
The thematic keywords can also be used in blog posts and other content linked back to the more specific themes. For instance, a blog post about great non-fiction authors will have the theme of non-fiction books and a link on the non-fiction books page of the website, which all contributes to the broader and more competitive theme of books.
How To Do Thematic Research
While thematic keywords will naturally develop as the hierarchal list of pages is created, it is possible to do thematic keyword research. This can help website designers and content producers determine what the organization of a website should be and whether one theme or topic deserves more attention than another.
Writing down a list of potential themes for the website is one way to figure out what the thematic keywords might be, but there are also tools available online to help with this.
Thematic keyword tools are designed to help the website designer or content producer develop a number of themes for the website, starting with the overall theme for the page. Then, the tools can suggest narrower topics and competitive, high-traffic terms that might be used.
Though it’s possible to do this without the tool, these tools can speed up the process and uncover potential themes that might have been overlooked.
Is Working With A Professional A Good Idea?
After learning about thematic relevance, website designers and content builders may want to jump in and give it a try. The problem is, it isn’t always as easy to do as it might sound.
While there are tools available to help with choosing thematic keywords, knowing how to write for them and properly implement them into website architecture is another matter—one that is often better left to SEO specialists with experience in thematic relevance.
These professionals will know how to create the most effective and approachable hierarchal list for the website as well as how to develop thematic keywords that will do more to boost website rankings. They can also do this with greater efficiency compared to independent research.
From the beginning, websites need to be built so they are properly optimized. They also require content that is arranged intuitively, features useful information, and offers value to all types of potential customers.
This isn’t something that can be easily done without a lot of careful attention and skill for implementation. While identifying and using thematic keywords can be more complex than simply choosing general SEO targets, a more thematic approach its not something that should be overlooked.
It is a worthy investment that’s integral to achieving better rankings and return from your internet marketing efforts.
