Website SEO Tips
Long Tail Queries
 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.
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.
Search Pattern
The following example shows the typical number of words used in Searches.
In this example, 18% of searches use 1 word (the Short-Head), 32% of searches use
2 to 3 words, and the Long-Tail comprises the remaining 50% of searches.
Search Patterns and Short-Head phrases
Savvy users (and who isn't these days?) will enter a keyword phrase, and when Google
returns millions of results, enter additional Keyword terms. The Short-Head phrases,
as they return many SERP listings, are not likely to bring in visitors – despite
the high Ranking. The Search Engine users will, after a few searches, finally select
a Website using a phrase of three or more Keywords.
This pattern of multiple searches diminishes the value of optimising for Short-Head
Keywords.
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 that have a low search count, and create a long tail Keyword
Phrase.
- The main Keyword needs to have sub-categories using an appropriate adjective, popular
modifiers (like cheap, best), and geographic modifiers (like town, state, country).
- 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 in creating new pages containing chance phrases –
as long as these pages relate to the main topic. These phrases can increase visitor
numbers significantly, reduce the bounce rate, and increase the conversion rate
from visitor to customer.
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