An n-gram is a sequence of 'n' contiguous items, typically used in natural language processing and text analysis fields. In the context of SEO, n-grams mainly serve to analyze the frequency and distribution of words in a given text.
Types of n-grams
An n-gram can consist of individual words (unigram), consecutive pairs of words (bigram), triplets of words (trigram), or even longer sequences, depending on the specified 'n' value. For example, in the text "The cat sleeps peacefully," the unigrams would be "The," "cat," "sleeps," and "peacefully," the bigrams would be "The cat," "cat sleeps," and "sleeps peacefully," and so forth.
Analysis of n-grams
n-gram analysis helps in understanding text structure and patterns, by identifying frequently used word combinations. This can be beneficial for various tasks such as keyword extraction, next word prediction, detecting similarities between documents, identifying language patterns, among others.
n-grams and SEO
In the context of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the application of an n-gram analyzer can be crucial in unearthing the most prevalent keywords and key phrases within the content. These n-grams could potentially guide the process of SEO optimization in several ways:
Keyword Analysis: Analyzing n-grams can provide valuable insights into which keywords or phrases are recurrent within a particular set of content. This information can be leveraged to understand the core topics or themes, helping to shape future content and SEO strategies.
Understanding User Behaviour: n-grams derived from search queries can provide insights into user behaviour and their search patterns. SEO professionals can utilize this data to tailor their content, making it more user-centric and relevant to the targeted audience.
Improving Website Visibility: By identifying relevant n-grams, SEO strategies can be refined to better align with the algorithms of search engines. Optimizing content with pertinent n-grams can significantly enhance a website's visibility in search engine results, leading to increased traffic and improved search engine rankings.
n-grams and SEA/Google Ads/Bing Ads
n-gram analysis also plays a pivotal role in Search Engine Advertising (SEA), particularly on platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads. Here are some ways n-gram analysis can improve advertising efforts:
Identification of Negative Keywords: n-gram analysis enables advertisers to quickly identify words or phrases that are irrelevant or could negatively impact their campaign's performance. These negative keywords can then be added to the campaign to prevent ads from showing up in irrelevant search queries.
Optimizing Ad Performance: By identifying high-performing and low-performing n-grams, advertisers can optimize their ads' text and bidding strategies. High-performing n-grams can be emphasized, while low-performing ones can be negated or bid down.
Improving Campaign Efficiency: Through n-gram analysis, advertisers can ensure that their ads only appear in the most relevant search queries. This not only increases the effectiveness of their campaigns but also improves the overall efficiency by reducing wasted ad spend on unrelated or non-performing searches.