Python is a programming language known for its excellent performance in natural language processing. While Python is commonly associated with AI applications, such as big data utilization and machine learning, it can also be used for tasks like information gathering and text analysis.

In SEO, the challenge lies in providing users with valuable information. One indicator of success is appearing in the top search results.

By employing Python, you can efficiently analyze other websites, identifying areas for improvement on their own sites. Therefore, if you are managing a large-scale website, consider integrating Python to enhance productivity.

What is Python?

Python, developed in the Netherlands in 1991, is an open-source programming language. Its features include writing programs with concise code, extensive specialized libraries, and code that is both easy to write and read. Python is used in various fields such as embedded development, web applications, desktop applications, AI development, and big data analysis.

Python has deep ties with well-known platforms like YouTube and Dropbox, making it an indispensable programming language today.

While Python has gained prominence in AI, particularly in natural language processing, its roots lie in being proficient in handling natural language, which can be leveraged for SEO purposes.

What is Natural Language Processing?

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the task of processing and extracting content from natural languages ​​(such as Japanese or English) using machines. It involves analyzing the meaning of words through various techniques, ranging from conversational language to academic writing, considering the context and structure of language.

Human language is inherently ambiguous, with meanings changing based on context and structure, making it challenging for machines to understand. However, effective NLP allows machines to comprehend text accurately.

Google’s BERT update successfully improved text comprehension by employing BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), and language AI like GPT-3 has succeeded in understanding and generating text through machine learning.

Examples of Python’s Utility in SEO

Python’s proficiency in natural language processing makes it valuable for SEO tasks such as extracting and analyzing web data.

For instance, Python can be used for

• Retrieving lists of search results for specific keywords
• Extracting information like URLs, titles, and meta descriptions from specific websites
• Extracting header tags from H1 to H6
• Calculating article word counts
• Extracting image counts and URLs from articles

While existing tools like GRC or Raccoon Keywords can perform similar tasks, constantly switching between tools to analyze competitors and markets can be cumbersome for content creators.

Python’s strength lies in its ability to perform deeper analysis and automate tasks, making it incredibly useful for SEO. As the volume of data increases, automation becomes more efficient, allowing analysts to create highly useful tools for handling web data.

How Python can be used in SEO

There are two primary ways to utilize Python in SEO.

-Scraping (Information Gathering)

-Morphological Analysis

What is Scraping?

Scraping, as the name suggests, involves gathering data by scraping through it, typically from the web or databases. 

While search engines like Google use crawling to gather information by traversing the web, scraping specifically focuses on extracting targeted information for specific purposes, differing from crawling, which collects information and website structures as it roams the web.

However, in practice, the line between crawling and scraping can blur, as crawling tools sometimes perform scraping tasks as well.

Morphological Analysis

Morphological analysis is a part of natural language processing that involves breaking down sentences into their smallest meaningful units (morphemes) and identifying their respective parts of speech and variations.

For example, breaking down the sentence “For SEO solutions, contact Tokyo SEO Maker to boost your website’s search ranking on Google” into morphemes reveals:

SEO / solutions / for / Google / SEO / ‘s / search / ranking / to / boost / Tokyo / SEO / Maker / to / contact.

While internal SEO is crucial for improving search rankings with targeted keywords, the quality of content remains paramount. It is essential not only to include keywords in titles and headings but also to consciously incorporate related terms and co-occurring words within the content.

While keyword density may not directly affect SEO anymore, analyzing competitors’ keyword usage and trends can provide valuable insights when aiming to improve rankings for specific keywords.

In summary, understanding the trends and tendencies of top-ranking sites rather than focusing solely on keyword density is crucial.

SEO Analysis with Scraping and Morphological Analysis

Combining scraping (information gathering) and morphological analysis using Python allows for smooth analysis of top-ranking sites for SEO purposes.

Morphological analysis alone can be utilized for text mining (a data analysis method that breaks down text into words or phrases to extract meaningful information such as frequency and correlations), and there are text mining tools available. 

While manually collecting data from top-ranking sites and inputting it into text mining tools is feasible, it becomes inefficient as the frequency increases and is unsuitable for processing large amounts of data.

*On a side note, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can automate manual tasks.

And while text mining tools can cost upwards of $100,000 per month, using functions like COUNTIF, SUM, and INDEX in Excel for text mining is limited in efficiency.

In this regard, utilizing Python for scraping and morphological analysis proves to be highly efficient and effective.

Examples of Using Python for SEO

Here are some examples of how SEO experts utilize Python for SEO

• Using Python to retrieve the index page count of multiple sites.
• Identifying large-scale rendering issues using Python and Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
• Recrawling URLs extracted by Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
• Finding keyword cannibalization using Google Search Console and Python.
• Web scraping using Python and Requests.
• Randomizing user agents with Python.
• Creating XML sitemaps with Python.
• Parsing robots.txt files with Python.
• Keyword density and entity calculator.
• Predicting speed improvements using PageSpeed ​​API, Lighthouse, and Python.

Reference: Python for SEO: Complete Guide (in 8 Chapters)

As shown above, Python enables automation of manual tasks and allows for deeper analysis when combined with other SEO tools.

It is worth noting that while Screaming Frog SEO Spider mentioned in the list is a paid tool, its free version still offers excellent capabilities for analyzing competitor sites.

Getting Started with Python

To start using Python, you need to set up a development environment. Two popular options include:

-anaconda

-Google Colaboratory

Anaconda is often said to excel in specialized areas rather than general programming, particularly for data science and machine learning.

Google Colaboratory allows you to write and execute code directly in a web browser without needing any installation, making it easy to run Python immediately.

However, regardless of the platform, Python remains a programming language. Coding in Python requires a good understanding of web concepts and HTML, making it somewhat challenging for those without programming experience. In practice, having an engineer on board is often necessary.

Summary

Python, with its excellent capabilities in natural language processing, is a powerful programming language for SEO. Leveraging its features for tasks like scraping and morphological analysis, combined with integration with other SEO tools, enables deeper analysis in a shorter timeframe. However, the initial learning curve for Python can be high. While it might be a lower priority for smaller sites, for larger-scale websites, implementing Python can significantly improve productivity and help solve SEO challenges efficiently.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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