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[L503]Long Tail Cast On

by Corte Swearingen, Cor

family photography
photography tips
taking photos

If you used a keyword research tool like Wordtracker, you would discover that these phrases are very popular search terms. In fact, if you built a web page that focused on any of the keywords above, you would have a very difficult time ranking in the top 10 on Google's search results page?

Why? Because the competition for general keywords can be fierce. Keyword competition is defined using the term Supply. If a keyword phrase as a high supply, it means that there are many web pages out there that are using this keyword. The higher the supply, the more the competition.

Long Tail Keywords are simply the longer and more targeted phrases that people type into the search engines. In our photography keyword example above, we looked at a few very general competitive keywords. Here are some long tail keywords relating to photography.

night time photography tips
eliminate blinking from photos
removing red eye from photos

Do you see the difference? Long tail keywords are much more targeted to a specific sub topic. The nice thing about discovering long tail keywords in your particular niche is that they typically have a much lower level of competition, so it is easier to rank in the top ten in the search engine results.

Another advantage is that long tail keywords bring in much more targeted traffic. While the keyword ‘family photography' may be a very competitive keyword for photography sites, the traffic brought in by such a keyword will be pretty broad. By comparison, someone finding your site through the long tail keyword ‘eliminate blinking from photos' is looking for specific information. If you can provide that information, you stand a much better chance of building trust and confidence with this visitor and converting them to a newsletter signup, registration or purchase.

Someone that gets to your site via a long tail keyword is typically ready to pull the trigger on some type of purchase or action. We say that they are "late" in their buying cycle. In addition, you'll find it easier to achieve a top ten ranking at the search engines for long tail keywords. By sprinkling them into your page copy, you are more likely to pull in traffic that converts at a higher rate. The downside is that long tail phrases will typically not generate the high traffic numbers of more general keywords. But remember, the more general keywords are much more competitive.

If you use an analytics package like Google Analytics, you'll actually be able to see the types of long tail keywords that people typed in to get to your site. While long tail keywords can make up 50% or more of your traffic, many of them will only be one-time traffic generators.

So then, is it possible to research and target long tail keywords when writing your web pages? The answer is 'yes' and 'no.'

First off, if you write good original content that is genuinely helpful to your target market, you'll automatically weave in long tail keywords without even trying. As your page content grows, visitors will get to your site through more and more of these long tail phrases. In other words, the tail will grow longer and longer. In fact, you'll find visitors getting to your site using search phrases that you would have never thought of yourself. This is the value of focusing each of your content pages on a specific topic that provides valuable information to a narrow target audience.

All hail the long tail!

The idea that gave birth to the use of long tail keywords came from an article Chris Anderson published in Wired Magazine. Anderson put forth the notion that the collective sales of niche products could outpace the sale of popular products - especially since so much competition exists on the popular front. This idea has since been applied to the Internet and methods for driving traffic to sites.

Before diving into the concept, it helps to understand what long tail keywords are. They are nothing more than longer keyword phrases that people use during their Internet searches to help them find sites of interest. Rather than single keywords that most website owners and managers are used to optimizing for, the long tail involves the less frequently searched keyword phrases. These keywords tend to be more focused and targeted than a single world search. They also tend to reflect exactly what a searcher needs to find. So, in essence, they are the "niche."

The idea here involves taking advantage of the way people actually use search engines when they want very specific information. Instead of landing on a site with cursory information about a topic, a user that inputs phrases is more likely to find sites that fit the specific need. A person looking for information on the cast for a specific television show, for example, might type in the show's name. Or, they might include the words "cast list," "cast and crew" or "actors in" for example. These particular terms generally don't have the competition for ranking that other search terms might. This means it might be easier for a site owner to obtain traffic based on the new keyword phrases.

Long tail keywords don't work exactly the same way that more popular keywords might, but they can be rather effective. By working to drive smaller, steady streams of traffic to a website, long tail keywords can pay off with increased traffic, conversions and even search engine rankings. These words make it easier to compete and lead where the competition isn't as high.

Putting the long tail keyword strategy to work on a website requires finding the right words to use. There are several easy ways to do this.

One way that site managers often use is to purchase or use a tracking program such as HitTail.com. This program analyze a site and makes suggestions on long tail phrases that might work. HitTail is easy to use and very helpful. Another method involves actually looking at the phrases visitors to a website type in for internal searches. This can be a great way to find out exactly what things visitors are searching for, which can lead to better optimization. The Google Adwords Keyword Tool and other similar programs like Ad Word Analyzer software can also be quite beneficial.

A few other options for picking the right words are out there. Examining the competition and seeing what words they use can be quite helpful. It's also possible to simply continue building on a site with relevant, informative content that uses phrases and long tail keywords that come naturally.

Getting started in optimizing a website with long tail keywords isn't very difficult. Most people suggest looking at competition sites to see what they do and then figuring out the best phrases to use in the optimization process. Next comes a need to increase content that could help in tapping into the traffic. And of course, do consider using keyword tools to speed up the research process.

Making a website go from an average performer to a leader can be done. It takes some time and effort, but long tail keywords can make all the difference in the world.

Article Source : marketing mix concept

About Author

Both Corte Swearingen & Sunny Kataria are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Corte Swearingen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Web Development and Marketing. Corte Swearingen is the creator of the and CEO of. Corte Swearingen's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.

Sunny Kataria has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cars, How to Sell on Ebay and Ski Vacation. . Sunny Kataria's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.