How to Drive Traffic Through the Long Tail

Many experts would have you believe that SEO is dead especially with recent algorithm changes such as  the Google Panda and Penguin update.

However, what these updates actually did was level the playing field. Those websites which published low quality content or engaged in questionable tactics have seen significant drops in their rankings and traffic.

But this is a good thing.

Why? Because it means that those companies that invest in quality content stand to benefit tremendously in terms of having a high return on their investment. It’s also the reason why more companies are investing more into a content marketing strategy.

Still don’t believe me?

According to a recent study done on consumers’ attitude on content, “Two-thirds of consumers say the information provided by custom media helps them make better purchase decisions.”

Educating potential customers by providing valuable content is perhaps the best way to increase conversions.

The same study then goes on to report that “6 in 10 say that after reading a custom publication, they feel like they know more, and feel better, about the company.”

Consumers are more likely to do business with companies they trust.

Additionally, consumers are also increasingly turning towards social media. According to this social media infographic, over 75% of buyers use social media websites in the purchasing process.

By distributing your content through various channels, such as Facebook and Twitter, you also have the potential to reach more people who need the products or services that you offer.

So how can a business use a content strategy to drive more traffic and increase sales?

By targeting long tail keywords.

Long tail keywords are essentially those phrases that are made up of three or more words and are very specific. For example, the phrase “digital camera” is not really a long tail as it’s a general term.

The problem with such short phrases is that they are not very specific. Is the searcher looking to buy a camera? Do they want the best price? How do they want to use the camera?

A better example of long tail keywords is the phrase “best digital cameras for astronomy” as it’s much more specific. Now we know exactly what the searcher is looking for. We can increase conversions by providing relevant information and getting ranked in the search engines.

Why target long tail keywords for SEO?

Writing content around these phrases can significantly increase online traffic.

While such phrases generally have less traffic, they also have less competition and higher conversion rates. The individual searching for “best running shoes under $100” already knows what they want.

Contrast this with the individual searching for “running shoes” as they are most likely conducting research and are still in the early phase of the buying cycle.

By providing detailed information on running shoes which cost less than a hundred dollars and giving recommendations, you build trust with the individual especially if your website is positioned as an authority.

So with that said, here are 5 strategies that companies can use to bring more long tail traffic to their websites.

5 steps to targeting long tail traffic

1. Blog more

More content means more traffic.

But it’s not enough to have one or two pieces of content. Marketing needs to be consistent.

Posting content on a weekly basis is ideal but posting daily would be even better. Of course, quality should never be sacrificed either for the sake of getting content up.

More content means that your website has more potential for getting found for relevant keyword phrases.

2. Theme your content

Many search engine experts recommend a certain keyword density, which means including your target keyword phrase a certain number of times throughout your content. However, this is no longer effective.

Instead the better approach is to “theme” your content. This article from Famous Bloggers about niche vocabulary sheds more light:

When an expert in any field writes an article, there is a certain vocabulary associated with the topic of the article. Someone who knows the topic very well will use that vocabulary naturally within the article and in fact needs to use it if the article is to be a quality piece on the topic.

Rather than focus on optimizing for a single keyword phrase, it’s much more effective to write for people first and then include relevant keywords in the text afterwards.

Finding such phrases can be done by using Google’s AdWords tool, WordTracker, LSI Keywords or even the autosuggest feature from Google’s own search engine.

Writing in this way takes more effort but just one well written themed piece has the potential to draw traffic from hundreds, if not thousands of keywords.

3. Target less competitive phrases

To get results faster, it’s best to employ a content marketing strategy that targets less competitive phrases. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore such phrases.

Instead, posting content around long tail keywords simply gets more targeted traffic and builds authority in the search engines. Once that authority is established, rankings for more competitive phrases will also increase.

The key is consistency. The best way to separate yourself from the pack is to employ an effective strategy.

4. Optimize your pages with keyword research

Depending on your business, it helps to optimize your pages accordingly so that you can capture more traffic through long tail phrases.

If your business has multiple services or products, then it makes sense to build separate pages for them. However, it’s extremely important that you do not stuff your content with keywords as doing so can result in being penalized.

One good example of optimizing a website is for local businesses. Those shops that are in certain cities will benefit tremendously by including location type keywords in their content.

5. Answer questions

Instead of taking a strictly keyword approach to your content, a better way would be to simply see what others in your niche are asking and then creating content from those questions.

Two great resources for conducting research include Yahoo! Answers and Quora.

As an example, I did a search for “cloud hosting” on Yahoo! Answers:

The questions with arrows next to them make for perfect post ideas.

Quora works the same way. I did a search for “search engine optimization” with the following results:

Writing posts around such questions can result in a significant amount of traffic just through the power of long tail keywords. Of course, you’ll need to thoroughly answer those questions otherwise the searcher will look elsewhere for a better answer.

Educating potential customers is one of the best ways to increase conversions.

Quality content matters

To succeed online, you need quality content. You can have the best products or services but having poor content is only going to do your business a disservice.

This is why having a content marketing strategy in place is so important as prospects will be much more likely to do business with your company if you provide valuable and useful information.

This is where I come in. If you are interested in having me implement such a strategy for your company, then do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m currently available for hire for SEO content writing services.

Contact me today to find out how I can help take your business to the next level.