Succeeding in your semantic cocoons: the Holy Grail for SEO performance
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 5:24 am
This method, which is still mysterious for some, is a real gold mine for others. If you are one of those who have not yet mastered the subject, here is an article specially written for you. You will find the basic knowledge to understand this system popularized by Laurent Bourrelly, as well as our method to set it up according to the rules of the art.
In this illustration, a search magnifying glass points to SEO.
Semantic cocoon or topic cluster: the definition
The semantic cocoon is an internal meshing method that allows the content of a website to be organized in a way that is relevant to Internet users and efficient for search engines.
It consists of creating a multitude of hierarchical links around a pillar page in order to improve its natural referencing. Each page leads to a sister page, a daughter page or a parent page depending on its role in the cocoon: the resulting structured mesh allows the SEO juice to flow efficiently to the target page.
The cocoon is called semantic, because it is built around a theme worked on numerous pages linked by a few close keywords and a semantic field exploited to the maximum of its possibilities.
The semantic cocoon technique can be compared to that of siloing , which consists of creating a vertical mesh between pages grouped in silos. The main difference lies in the watertightness of the thematic or semantic groups . Siloing organizes websites into groups of pages that are not linked to each other, while a semantic cocoon will create links between the groups through pages of the same level .
In this illustration, the structure of the internal mesh is shown.
A semantic cocoon to outperform in SEO
The semantic cocoon presents numerous advantages in terms of natural referencing.
It allows you to target long tail keywords
Unless you're called Amazon, it's impossible today to rank for a high-volume keyword with just one page, or even a few. To achieve this, a powerful semantic environment is essential: that's where the cocoon comes in.
The many pages that gravitate around the pillar page are optimized on long tail keywords related to the main query targeted. Much easier to position, these pages will attract traffic, then guide visitors to the target page. The same goes for the SEO juice that will flow to the pillar page which will therefore be better referenced. Semantic cocoon and long tail therefore go well together!
Based on internal meshing, it optimizes its operation
The semantic cocoon makes it possible to obtain a website with a user-oriented architecture . The hierarchical internal mesh offers easy navigation: the issues searched for by Internet users are treated as a whole in texts linked to each other in a logical manner . The time spent on the site is therefore naturally extended, which sends a positive image to search engines.
For indexing robots, the impression is the same. The semantic environment structured by well-thought-out internal links sends them a strong signal: the site is complete, expert and optimized for the user experience.
It facilitates the work of Crawlers, Google's indexing robots
The structure of a semantic cocoon is made in such a way that search engines can easily crawl all of its pages: the semantic weight will therefore be greater. They will also be able to see the semantic botim database coherence of the site and consider it as a relevant response to Internet users' queries.
For example, a site that deals with cat care through hundreds of specialized articles meshed according to the rules of the semantic cocoon will necessarily have more weight than another on animals that addresses this theme punctually. In theory, Google will place the pages of the first before those of the second.
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A semantic cocoon to respond to our new ways of searching and to Google's new algorithms
Our use of the internet is evolving and Google is adapting. Semantic cocoons are more responsive to new user requirements.
Internet users have changed the way they search the Internet
Overall, Internet users are using more and more words in their queries . In 2012, keywords composed of 4 words or more represented around 18% of searches 1 . In 2020, this figure rose to 70% 2 . The extent of available content pushes Internet users to refine their requests as much as possible . Long tail queries are therefore on the rise, which represents an advantage for semantic cocoons.
At the same time, devices have evolved: the use of mobile phones and voice assistants has exploded, as have the voice searches that go with them. Queries are increasingly taking the form of questions , which implies a connection with long-tail keywords and natural language that is more focused on semantics .
Google analyzes sites with much more finesse
At the beginning of the internet, search engines counted the number of times a keyword appeared on a page to judge its relevance. Today, this type of operation no longer interests anyone: it does not guarantee the quality of content . The rules of natural referencing have therefore changed.
To highlight pages that actually answer users' questions , Google is now interested in the overall meaning of the query as well as the search intent. Is the Internet user looking to obtain information, compare services, or buy a product? A semantic cocoon answers all of users' specific questions on a given topic by dedicating a page per query . This way of doing things makes the task easier for search engines.
Long content is better!
The texts on the first page of Google results contain an average of 1,890 words 3 . The search engine favors long texts, because Internet users are looking for relevant and complete information . This is exactly what semantic cocoons allow us to build: extremely comprehensive sites that cover a topic exhaustively and encourage visitors to navigate easily from page to page.
In this illustration, a search magnifying glass points to SEO.
Semantic cocoon or topic cluster: the definition
The semantic cocoon is an internal meshing method that allows the content of a website to be organized in a way that is relevant to Internet users and efficient for search engines.
It consists of creating a multitude of hierarchical links around a pillar page in order to improve its natural referencing. Each page leads to a sister page, a daughter page or a parent page depending on its role in the cocoon: the resulting structured mesh allows the SEO juice to flow efficiently to the target page.
The cocoon is called semantic, because it is built around a theme worked on numerous pages linked by a few close keywords and a semantic field exploited to the maximum of its possibilities.
The semantic cocoon technique can be compared to that of siloing , which consists of creating a vertical mesh between pages grouped in silos. The main difference lies in the watertightness of the thematic or semantic groups . Siloing organizes websites into groups of pages that are not linked to each other, while a semantic cocoon will create links between the groups through pages of the same level .
In this illustration, the structure of the internal mesh is shown.
A semantic cocoon to outperform in SEO
The semantic cocoon presents numerous advantages in terms of natural referencing.
It allows you to target long tail keywords
Unless you're called Amazon, it's impossible today to rank for a high-volume keyword with just one page, or even a few. To achieve this, a powerful semantic environment is essential: that's where the cocoon comes in.
The many pages that gravitate around the pillar page are optimized on long tail keywords related to the main query targeted. Much easier to position, these pages will attract traffic, then guide visitors to the target page. The same goes for the SEO juice that will flow to the pillar page which will therefore be better referenced. Semantic cocoon and long tail therefore go well together!
Based on internal meshing, it optimizes its operation
The semantic cocoon makes it possible to obtain a website with a user-oriented architecture . The hierarchical internal mesh offers easy navigation: the issues searched for by Internet users are treated as a whole in texts linked to each other in a logical manner . The time spent on the site is therefore naturally extended, which sends a positive image to search engines.
For indexing robots, the impression is the same. The semantic environment structured by well-thought-out internal links sends them a strong signal: the site is complete, expert and optimized for the user experience.
It facilitates the work of Crawlers, Google's indexing robots
The structure of a semantic cocoon is made in such a way that search engines can easily crawl all of its pages: the semantic weight will therefore be greater. They will also be able to see the semantic botim database coherence of the site and consider it as a relevant response to Internet users' queries.
For example, a site that deals with cat care through hundreds of specialized articles meshed according to the rules of the semantic cocoon will necessarily have more weight than another on animals that addresses this theme punctually. In theory, Google will place the pages of the first before those of the second.
Webinar
SEO: the secrets to reaching the first position on Google!
Download the support
A semantic cocoon to respond to our new ways of searching and to Google's new algorithms
Our use of the internet is evolving and Google is adapting. Semantic cocoons are more responsive to new user requirements.
Internet users have changed the way they search the Internet
Overall, Internet users are using more and more words in their queries . In 2012, keywords composed of 4 words or more represented around 18% of searches 1 . In 2020, this figure rose to 70% 2 . The extent of available content pushes Internet users to refine their requests as much as possible . Long tail queries are therefore on the rise, which represents an advantage for semantic cocoons.
At the same time, devices have evolved: the use of mobile phones and voice assistants has exploded, as have the voice searches that go with them. Queries are increasingly taking the form of questions , which implies a connection with long-tail keywords and natural language that is more focused on semantics .
Google analyzes sites with much more finesse
At the beginning of the internet, search engines counted the number of times a keyword appeared on a page to judge its relevance. Today, this type of operation no longer interests anyone: it does not guarantee the quality of content . The rules of natural referencing have therefore changed.
To highlight pages that actually answer users' questions , Google is now interested in the overall meaning of the query as well as the search intent. Is the Internet user looking to obtain information, compare services, or buy a product? A semantic cocoon answers all of users' specific questions on a given topic by dedicating a page per query . This way of doing things makes the task easier for search engines.
Long content is better!
The texts on the first page of Google results contain an average of 1,890 words 3 . The search engine favors long texts, because Internet users are looking for relevant and complete information . This is exactly what semantic cocoons allow us to build: extremely comprehensive sites that cover a topic exhaustively and encourage visitors to navigate easily from page to page.