An NLP process where search engines identify people, places, and organizations within content.
Why NER Matters
NER is a foundational part of modern SEO because it’s the technology behind a search engine’s ability to understand the true context of a webpage. It’s a key part of how search engines build their Knowledge Graph and provide rich, structured results. By optimizing your content for NER, you can:
- Improve Content Relevance: You can help a search engine’s algorithms move beyond simple keyword matching and get a more accurate understanding of your content’s relevance.
- Boost E-E-A-T: By providing a clear, consistent, and accurate information about your business and your authors, you are signaling to search engines that your website is a credible source.
- Get Rich Results: NER is a key part of how search engines provide rich results, such as a prominent Knowledge Panel or a rich snippet, which can significantly boost your click-through rate.
Across Different CMS Platforms
The management of NER is a content and technical SEO strategy that can be applied to any CMS.
WordPress
WordPress users can optimize for NER by creating high-quality, in-depth content that is relevant to a user’s search intent. A good SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math can help you add schema markup, which is a key part of your NER strategy.
Shopify
On Shopify, NER is essential for your product descriptions and blog posts. You can use a keyword research tool to find the terms your customers are using and then use them in your product titles, descriptions, and collections to improve your visibility in search results.
Wix
Wix has a streamlined, user-friendly system, but you can still optimize for NER. The platform’s built-in SEO tools make it easy to manage your titles, meta descriptions, and on-page content.
Webflow
Webflow gives you granular control over your website’s design and code, which is perfect for a sophisticated NER strategy. You can use it to create a perfectly structured page that is optimized for a specific keyword or set of keywords.
Custom CMS
With a custom CMS, you have the most control but also the most responsibility. You can build a system that automatically tracks and analyzes your keyword performance and provides your content creators with data-driven insights.
Across Different Industries
The way you use NER in SEO will depend on your industry and your goals.
E-commerce
E-commerce sites can optimize for NER by providing high-quality, in-depth content that is relevant to a user’s search intent. This can lead to a rich result in search results.
Local Businesses
Local businesses can optimize for NER by providing clear, consistent, and accurate information about their business. This can lead to a prominent Knowledge Panel in search results.
SaaS Companies
SaaS companies can optimize for NER by providing high-quality, in-depth content that is relevant to a user’s search intent. This can lead to a rich result in search results.
Blogs
Blogs can optimize for NER by providing high-quality, in-depth content that is relevant to a user’s search intent. This can lead to a more prominent listing in search results.
Do’s and Don’ts of NER
Do’s
- Do use a clear, consistent, and accurate information about your business. This is a key part of your E-E-A-T.
- Do use a variety of keywords. A good SEO strategy includes a mix of short-tail, long-tail, and user-intent keywords.
- Do write for your target audience. The best content is written with the reader in mind.
Don’ts
- Don’t use keyword stuffing. This is a dated tactic that can harm your SEO.
- Don’t use a keyword that is not relevant to your content. A keyword should be relevant to your products or services.
- Don’t focus on a single keyword. This is a risky and outdated approach.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Failing to create high-quality, in-depth content: This is the most common mistake. A low-quality page can be seen as a negative signal by machine learning algorithms.
- Ignoring a user’s intent: A keyword should be used with a user’s intent in mind.
- Focusing on short-tail keywords alone: Long-tail keywords are often easier to rank for and can be a great source of organic traffic.
FAQs
Is Named Entity Recognition (NER) a ranking factor?
No, Named Entity Recognition is not a direct ranking factor. It is a concept used in information retrieval that helps us understand how a search engine’s algorithms might interpret the importance and relevance of a keyword.
How is Named Entity Recognition different from LSI?
Named Entity Recognition is a process that identifies specific entities like people and places. LSI is a process that looks at the semantic relationships between words and concepts. They are both parts of a search engine’s information retrieval process.
What is a “Knowledge Graph”?
The Knowledge Graph is a massive database used by Google to enhance its search results with information about real-world entities. NER is a key part of how search engines build their Knowledge Graph.
Can a website with a low domain authority still rank for NER?
Yes, a website with a low domain authority can still rank for NER. The key is to create high-quality, in-depth content that is relevant to a user’s search intent.
What tools can I use to find NER keywords?
You can use a number of tools to find Named Entity Recognition keywords, including Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs. These tools provide a list of related terms and phrases that you should consider using in your content.
