SEO Topical Authority, Semantics, And Our Brain

Carlos Abiera
4 min readJan 15, 2022

The algorithm forms the brain of the Search Engines. Over time, it is getting better and better like a child learning to walk. We help it improve by feeding raw data — our queries.

We translate our ideas into words and phrases. These will become queries when we start typing it in front of a screen.

“Semantics is the study of meaning in context; it’s the investigation of how words, phrases and sentences evoke concepts and ideas in our minds. As we learn language, we attach meanings to words by learning what objects and concepts each word refers to.” — Jenny Lederer

This is where semantics will come in. Semantics is how we associate meaning to a word and in a complex world, sometimes the same words can have different meanings.

Allegory of the Cave by Plato. Illustrating how people create meanings out of the forms of shadows made by the fire. The “wall and objects” could be the Algorithm while the fire is the aggregate of all user intentions. The “wall and objects” is getting better, reshaping itself to decipher individual queries, creating a collective understanding of meaning.

How Google Shape the SERP Using Semantics

Imagine we are the prisoners in Plato’s allegory of the cave. To show the most useful information or the shadows that mean to us, the Google algorithm or the “wall and objects” considers the following factors:

  • Words of your query. This is the fundamental and critical aspect of the search algorithm. The words or phrases we used must reflect our actual intention. Data cleaning is applied — correcting misspelled words or suggesting synonyms — to add more clarity to the query and improve the search result. Formal Semantics is being used here to analyze the broader relationship between the words or phrases.
  • Relevance. The algorithm analyzes the page using your queries, if the words or related words are present on the page, whether it appears on the headings, title tags, meta description, or body of the text and it is appropriate in your location, the content is more likely to be relevant. Lexical Semantics is being used here to deconstruct words and phrases within a line of text to understand the meaning in terms of context.
  • Quality Content. This is another ranking factor. Reliable sources or website that gains authority are prioritized by the search algorithm. It is a valid signal that the information is well trusted.

How Our Brain Understand Semantics

Prof. Friedemann Pulvermüller, an expert in the neurobiology of language, in his research — How neurons make meaning: brain mechanisms for embodied and abstract-symbolic semantics, highlights four semantic mechanisms necessary for processing meaning in mind and brain. These are:

  • Referential Semantics, which establishes links between symbols and the objects and actions they are used to speak about
  • Combinatorial semantics, which enables the learning of symbolic meaning from context;
  • Emotional-affective semantics, which establishes links between signs and internal states of the body; and
  • Abstract Semantics for generalizing over a range of instances of semantic meaning.

It means a word is not a piece of a puzzle residing in our brain. It creates web-like connections, creating triggers and activates different areas of our brain. Por ejemplo, semantic processing may occur when we say the word “fish”, we imagine its shape, color, smell, and taste and the association we have in it like the place, event, and unforgettable experience.

Adapted from How neurons make meaning: brain mechanisms for embodied and abstract-symbolic semantics

So What?

We can leverage these insights in ranking our content in SERP using — topical authority. Like the semantic processing in our brain, this can reveal a broader set of keywords and quality content around a specific topic. This idea is not new. Moz, in their whiteboard Friday, demonstrates the process on how to use related topics and semantically connected keywords.

A topical authority is a process of creating dominance in the selected topic by creating quality content that targets the associated topic, relates them together, provides unique value, and nurture engagement to your audience.

  • Value — Provide fresh content and new insights
  • Engagement — key factors to build trust
  • Consistency — improve reliability and solidify trust

But some say topical relevancy is a short-term fix because the Google algorithm will create its own answers to its questions. Search Engines are the database of all human intention. Semantics is the tool we used to express and convey our intention. In recovering ideas, we are not looking for a piece of jigsaw puzzle inside our brain, instead, we are pulling a network of rope to access it. If we observe unusual outside topical authority and not working anymore in long term, just imagine our brain responds and creates a new network to whatever it makes sense to it — whether it solves the problem, entertain or inform. The algorithm will keep on changing but there are certain rules that stay. Like how engineering evolves over the years but the laws of physics are the same.

  • Offer a unique value (Relevance)
  • Provide unique resources to amplify the value (video, audio, photos, copy, pdfs, etc.)
  • Make sure Google understands it (crawlability/indexability)
  • Be sensitive to user feedbacks (Reviews)
  • Observe and learn how the user interacts (Analytics)

Our brain is a product of 600 million years of evolution. It is alive and striving. We are feeding it with our everyday experience, we unconsciously filter it, select, test, formulate new insights and so is Google’s algorithm.

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Carlos Abiera

Carlos C. Abiera currently manages the operations of Montani Int. Inc. and leads the REV365 data team. He has keen interests in data and behavioral sciences.