Semantic search

A lexical search is different from a semantic search because in a lexical search, the search engine searches for literal matches of the query terms or variations of them, without comprehending the overall meaning of the question. Semantic search, on the other hand, refers to a search with meaning. The goal of semantic search is to improve search accuracy by understanding the intent of the searcher as well as the contextual meaning of terms as they appear in the searchable dataspace. This can be done on the Internet or within a closed system in order to produce results that are more pertinent to the search. Content that does well in semantic search is well-written and utilises a natural voice; it focuses on the purpose of the user; and it takes into consideration similar subjects that the user may seek for in the future.

On the Semantic Web, highly structured data sources, such as ontologies and XML, are accessible via semantic search, which is considered by some authors to be a collection of strategies for obtaining knowledge from those data sources. These kinds of technologies make it possible to formally articulate domain knowledge at a high degree of expressiveness, and they could also make it possible for users to more precisely state their intentions when they submit queries.