Keyword stemming is a technique used in information retrieval and natural language processing (NLP) to reduce words to their base or root form, called the stem. The goal of keyword stemming is to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of search algorithms by reducing the variations of a word to its base form, so that a search query for a specific word will match other forms of that word as well.
For example, a keyword stemmer would reduce the words “run,” “running,” and “runner” to their base form “run.” This way, a search query for the word “run” would also match documents containing the words “running” or “runner.” This can help increase the relevancy and accuracy of search results.
In search engine optimization (SEO), keyword stemming can be used to target variations of keywords and improve the visibility of a website in search results. For example, an SEO might target both the base form of a keyword and its variations in the content of a website to increase the chances of matching with search queries for those variations.
Keyword stemming is implemented in search algorithms and can be done manually or automatically, depending on the search engine or tool being used.