Finishing up our discussion on Long Tail, particularly how it applies in SEO and SEM, we have two basic examples to illustrate the thinking.  If you would like more detailed examples of long tail keywords or an analysis of your particular needs, please contact us.

Geographic Example

You are a career coach.  The search term career coach yields a dozen paid listings and sites that have entrenched their ranking.  You are a career coach in Pittsburgh.  If I am in
Pittsburgh and I search for career coaches, the choices may overwhelm so I might refine my search to a career coach in Pittsburgh.  That search phrase cuts the number of paid placements and half and the sites are less entrenched.  Not only do you have an easier road to capturing this keyword, but the subsequent hits to your site are far more qualified.

General Keyword Example

Geography is an easy example.  Look at one more that is a general example.  You are a manufacturer of remote controls for machinery.  The term remote control drive heavy traffic to your site, but further analysis shows that a lot of people don’t stay very long, probably because they mistook your site for a provider of a remote control for their tv, or garage, or son’s toy.

A searcher for your products will see the same thing when they search - remote controls for all sorts of items, including machinery.  The next refinement may be to search for machinery remote controls.  This narrows the search and you will get far less traffic from your analytics, but further analysis will likely show higher conversions.

Taking the time to analyze search patterns beyond the top keywords will guide you in effectively applying long tail keywords for your business.  To find the methodology for your customer’s searches, you can analyze your data or industry data on site’s like Google Analytics.  You can also ask your customers.  A simple survey can yield valuable information regarding your customers and prospective customers search and surfing habits.