Entities and semantics
Semantic search
Semantic search is retrieval based on meaning rather than on literal keyword matching.
What is semantic search?
Semantic search is retrieval based on meaning rather than on literal keyword matching. A query and a passage can match because they express the same idea, even when they share no words.
Why it matters
It is why exact-match keyword thinking understates what a page can rank for, and why writing naturally outperforms writing for a phrase.
How it is actually done
Implemented with embeddings and entity understanding rather than term frequency alone, which is why coverage of a subject matters more than repetition of a phrase.
Where this gets confused
It does not mean keywords are irrelevant. They still signal what a page is about and still appear in the queries people type; they are simply no longer the whole mechanism.
The definition is simple; the implementation is where the arguments happen.
Where this comes up in the work
It is part of Brand and Creative, and more specifically of Positioning and messaging. Across the rest of the work it shows up in:
- Generative Engine Optimization, where it decides restructuring the pages so a model can lift a correct answer out of them
- Answer Engine Optimization, since keeping the question wording close to how people actually type it is only as good as this is
- Technical SEO, in which it is the first thing checked before checking that hreflang pairs point back at each other
- Entity and Semantic SEO, which cannot be done properly without it
What to check
Two questions that establish whether this is actually in order on a given site:
- Whether the staging behaviour matches production behaviour
- Whether the person who would notice a regression is looking at the right report
More in entities and semantics
Common questions
What is semantic search often confused with?
It does not mean keywords are irrelevant. They still signal what a page is about and still appear in the queries people type; they are simply no longer the whole mechanism.
Does semantic search affect rankings directly?
It is why exact-match keyword thinking understates what a page can rank for, and why writing naturally outperforms writing for a phrase. Whether that becomes a ranking change depends on what else is true about the site, which is why it is worth measuring rather than assuming.
How is semantic search audited?
Implemented with embeddings and entity understanding rather than term frequency alone, which is why coverage of a subject matters more than repetition of a phrase. Anybody with access can establish it in an afternoon. If this is already in place, Local SEO and Marketplace Marketing are the next two things to fix.
Who owns semantic search in a business?
It needs one named owner rather than a shared responsibility. The natural home is Website Design and Development, since carrying out the replatform without losing what the old site earned is where the consequence lands. Hosted site builder or Self-hosted CMS explains the method. Smart bidding or Manual bidding explains why the method is the one being used.
How much work is semantic search?
Less than people expect to check and sometimes more than they expect to fix. Implemented with embeddings and entity understanding rather than term frequency alone, which is why coverage of a subject matters more than repetition of a phrase. Are backlinks still important? explains the method. Do AI assistants send any traffic? explains why the method is the one being used.
Where does semantic search sit in the priority order?
It comes before work that assumes it is already handled, and after anything actively blocking indexation.
Take the guesswork out of the next quarter
Tell us what you have already tried. Knowing what failed narrows this down faster than anything else.