Long Tail Queries and Long Tail Keywords

The number of words used in search queries has increased over the years, whilst the shorter search queries have decreased. This is the result of the ever-growing sophistication of people doing searches. The searchers attempt to minimise the number of Websites visited, before they find what they want.

The competition amongst Websites for visitors who do searches with few words is ferocious, and with the growth of Websites on the Internet, getting fiercer by the day.

Short phrase queries, although high in number, make up only 20% of potential visitors. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will be most effective when also attempting to attract the remaining 80% where the traffic per query phrase is low - the Long Tail.

Long Tail SEO involves attracting visitors using the less popular Keywords. To attract the Long Tail Queries, the Website must be optimised for Long Tail Keywords - that is Keyword Phrases that are more specific. Long Tail Keyword Phrases can lead to a higher conversion rate, since these visitors are more likely to find exactly what they want. And it is much easier than competing against the top ranking Websites using short Keyword Phrases.

Those Websites that are not optimised with Long Tail Keywords could find the number of visitors and the conversion rate steadily declining.

Long Tail SEO Tips

All the techniques used for the organic Search Engine Optimisation apply. In addition:

  • When choosing Long Tail Keyword Phrases, there is no point in doing what everybody else is doing. Try to rank for an ever increasing variety of terms, not just the most competitive ones.
  • Research needs to be carried out on Keyword Phrases containing 5 or 6 words, instead of just a few high traffic Keywords.
  • The descriptive, keyword rich Long Tail Phrases should be used in Navigation, Titles, Headings, Meta Description and Links.
  • In order to cover more Keyword Phrase possibilities, you will need to create enough content to contain most of the less popular search phrases.
  • Collect all the articles, advertising blurb, etc related to your Website and see if you can create new topics of interest.
  • Combine 3 or 4 Keywords (or adjectives) that have a low search count, and create a long tail Keyword Phrase.
  • Creating a page for every long-tail Keyword Phrase is hardly practical, so add one or more words to the usual Keyword Phrases. You may achieve good rankings for both the original Keyword Phrase and the Long Tail Phrase.
  • Use Google Sets to find related Keywords.

Long Tail SEO will involve extra effort in researching appropriate phrases and writing additional content, but the results will be rewarding.

Ranking Above The Fold

"Above the Fold" refers to the top portion of a Search Engine Results Page (SERP) that is visible prior to scrolling.

The majority of searchers will click on the first entry "Above the Fold" that they come across in the SERP. That is why Bounce Rates are high, and why getting a high ranking is so important. And if the result is not satisfactory, the searchers will add yet another term and search again, making an even longer Long Tail query.

With Long Tail SEO and less competition, searchers are more likely to find your Website "Above the Fold", more likely to visit your Website. And more likely to be content with what they find.

Serendipity

Serendipity is the good luck in making an accidental but providential discovery. Scientific serendipity involves the chance discovery, but which is the outcome of systematic research.

The scientific serendipity techniques can be applied to SEO. By creating many pages of different, but related aspects, there is a greater chance of being accidentally found by a Website searcher.

An example will make this clear. I was asked to create and optimise a Website for a mathematics coach - see Smith Mathematics Coaching. I told him that his Website needed many different pages of content, related to mathematics coaching, in order to increase the chances of being found by the Search Engines. One of the documents that he supplied was a list of the schools that his students came from. The name of the school included the suburb. It turned out that many parents, when they searched for a mathematics coach, included their suburb in the search phrase. And serendipitously, many visitors landed on the Webpage page that contained the listing of the schools.

In hindsight, one can see the value of including the suburb, but this fortunate occurrence was unlikely to have been predicted. It also could not have been ascertained from any Keyword research, as volumes were too low.

There are many benefits to creating new pages with chance phrases, whilst sticking to the topic. These pages can increase visitor numbers significantly, reduce the bounce rate, and increase the conversion rate from visitor to customer.

by Neville Silverman