In order to get your websites content to rank on the search engines, you need to take the path of least resistance. Although trying to rank for highly trafficked keywords and terms may seem like a logical approach, it will most likely lead to a lot of frustration and wasted resources. Also, even if you end up getting traffic from these types of keywords, chances are the quality of the traffic will be low due to disinterest in what you specifically have to offer.
Think of every search query as being like people – they are all different. There are billions more unique search queries than there are generic ones.
In reality, if you were to add up all search engine traffic that comes from the most popular keywords, it would not even come close to the amount of traffic that comes from searches using more unique queries. This is called the theory of the long-tail keyword.
A critical component of SEO is choosing the right keywords for optimization. If you sell cars, you may want your website to rank for “car store,” (a head term), but chances are you are going to have some trouble there. However, if you optimize multiple pages on your website for each specific car that you sell, you are going to have much more success and it will be easier to rank on the SERP.
A keyword like “2011 red BMW convertible” (a long-tail keyword or term) is a good example. Sure, the number of people that search for this keyword will be much lower than the number that search for “car store,” but you can almost bet that those searchers are much farther down the sales funnel and may be ready to buy.
Why Long Tailed Keywords are Effective
This is why long-tail keywords are so effective. They target people who are looking to perform a specific action, for example, to buy something, or looking for a specific piece of information, like a how-to or a service that can solve their problem. By choosing to optimize with long tail keywords, you will find it easier to rank on the search engines, drive qualified traffic, and turn that traffic into leads and customers.
Content is the Key
We have all heard it – when it comes to SEO, content is the key. Without rich content, you will find it difficult to rank for specific keywords and drive traffic to your website. Additionally, if your content does not provide value or engage users, you will be far less likely to drive leads and customers.
It is impossible to predict how people will search for content and exactly what keywords they are going to use. The only way to combat this is to generate content and lots of it. The more content and webpage’s you publish the more chances you have at ranking on the search engines. Lotto tickets are a good analogy here. The more lotto tickets you have, the higher the odds are that you will win. Imagine that every webpage you create is a lotto ticket. The more webpage’s you have, the higher your chances are of ranking in the search engines.
As you already know, the search engines are smart. If you create multiple webpage’s about the same exact topic, you are wasting your time. You need to create lots of content that covers lots of topics. There are multiple ways you can use content to expand your online presence and increase your chances of ranking without being repetitive. Here are few examples:
Homepage: Use your homepage to cover your overall value proposition and high-level messaging. If there was ever a place to optimize for more generic keywords, it is your homepage.
Product/Service Pages: If you offer products and/or services, create a unique webpage for each one of them.
Resource Center: Provide a webpage that offers links to other places on your website that cover education, advice, and tips.
Blog: Blogging is an incredible way to stay current and fresh while making it easy to generate tons of content. Blogging on a regular basis (once per week is ideal) can have a dramatic impact on SEO because every blog post is a new webpage.
While conducting SEO research, you may come across articles that discuss being mindful of keyword density(how often you mention a keyword on a page). Although following an approach like this may seem technically sound, it is not recommended. Remember: do not write content for the search engines. Write content for your audience and everything else will follow. Make sure each webpage has a clear objective and remains focused on one topic, and you will do just fine.
William