future of on page seo
DESCRIPTION
the future of on page seo is ppcTRANSCRIPT
Leveraging
The Long Tail
Keywords of
The Search
(SEO) & PPC
Importance of
Long Tail
Keywords in
SEO & PPC
WordStream, Inc.
Agenda
• The Long Tail of Search – History and Definition
– What is it, why should you care?
• How to Leverage the Long Tail for SEO & PPC – Practical tips and strategies
– Common Long Tail Pitfalls and how to avoid them
• Q&A
The History of the Long Tail
• Popularized by Chris Anderson in a 2004 “Wired” magazine article that has led to a series of books
• Long Tail Theory: “Long tail products that are in low demand (low sales volume) collectively make up a market share that exceeds the bestsellers.”
WordStream, Inc.
The Long Tail and Search
• Real phenomenon that permeates many aspects of search marketing
• Popular Examples of the Long Tail: – Keyword (Search Query) Reports
– Popular Content Reports
• Why should you care about the long tail? – “20-25% of all Google search queries are unique” (Google)
– “56% of buyers who search use queries of three or more words, while only 7 percent use one word or an acronym” (Google)
– “Searchers are using longer queries” (Hitwise)
• Has many implications for managing both SEO and PPC
WordStream, Inc.
The Long Tail & PPC in Theory
• Broader (more general) search queries are indicative of early in the buying cycle
• They’re also relatively more expensive due to increased advertiser competition
• More specific the query, the closer the searcher is to a decision (conversion)
• Also relatively cheaper due to decreased advertiser competition
WordStream, Inc.
Consider these Google queries: 1. “Running Shoes”
• +10 pages of sponsored results
2. “Nike Air Terra”
• ~2 sponsored listings
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Searcher Intent = vs. vs. vs. vs.
Searcher Intent =
So in Theory, Long Tail for PPC:
WordStream, Inc.
Less Competition
(Lower CPC)
Better Ad Positioning
More Searcher Intent
(Higher Conversion
Rates)
Better ROI!
Dude, Where’s My Long Tail! • In Google AdWords, the long tail often doesn’t exist!
– “300 keywords generate +90% of my clicks”
– Therefore “the long tail is dead!”
• Yet Web analytics keyword reports show 10’s of thousands of unique search queries!
• What’s happening here?!
WordStream, Inc.
Search Queries vs. Keywords • Search Queries: What the user actually typed into the search
box that triggered your ads.
• Keywords: The words in your Google AdWords account that Google attributes an impression/click/conversion to.
• Use of aggressive keyword match types kills your long tail in Google AdWords – Can fundamentally distort cause and effect
– Operating PPC in “Low Resolution”
WordStream, Inc.
Keyword Match Types & Search Queries
WordStream, Inc.
Keyword Match Type Keyword Possible Valid Search Query
Broad Match Adidas Shoes Nike Slippers
Phrase Match “Adidas Shoes” Adidas Shoes for basketball
Exact Match [Adidas Shoes] Adidas Shoes
PPC Strategy for Long Tail • Need greater visibility into the search queries that are actually driving
traffic & conversions and leverage that information to correct for Google’s built-in tendency to distort reality
– Continuous Long Tail Keyword Discovery & Expansion: Self Explanatory
– Bidding: By bidding lower on “Head” terms versus mid and long-tail terms.
– Negative Keywords: Restrict ads from showing if you have more specific ads that you’d rather show.
– Match Types: Application of more or less restrictive match types
• No prescriptive way to manage the long tail, rather, you need : – Better resolution into the actual search query data and outcomes in order to understand
and react to it
– Effective keyword organization strategy
WordStream, Inc.
PPC Long Tail Implementation Strategies
Wow. This is a lot of theory and sounds pretty hard. How do you actually implement this??
WordStream, Inc.
Long Tail in PPC: What’s the Point?
• Long Tail awareness for PPC & strong campaign organization to better understand and react to how people are really interacting with your PPC campaigns
• To make your Long Tail of Keywords (in AdWords) look more like your Long Tail of Search Queries in Web Analytics
• Why? – It means your more precisely matching keyword searches with their intended ads
and landing pages
– Will (on average) yield Quality Scores, better exposure, lower CPC’s, higher conversion rates.
• More work, but … – Meaningful advantage in paid search if executed well
– Excellent foundation for Search Engine Optimization work
WordStream, Inc.
Long Tail Theory in SEO
• Most of the traffic and conversions on your site come from long tail search queries • “56% of buyers who search use queries of three or more words,
while only 7 percent use one word or an acronym” (Google)
• “Head” Terms (Less Specific) are – Incredibly difficult to rank on due to extreme competition
– Are less intentional and more informational in nature
• True “Long Tail” Terms are difficult to identify – “20-25% of all Google search queries are unique” (Google)
• So the strategy is to target Mid-Tail Terms! – Less competitive, easier to target
– Higher intent, Conversion friendly = Money!
WordStream, Inc.
Consider these Google queries: 1. “Running Shoes”
• 18,000,000 organic results
2. “Nike Air Terra”
• 131,000 organic results
WordStream, Inc.
Searcher Intent = vs. vs. vs. vs.
Searcher Intent =
So in Theory, Long Tail for SEO:
WordStream, Inc.
Less Competition
Better SERP Positioning
More Searcher Intent
(Higher Conversion
Rates)
Better ROI!
Long Tail Strategy for On-Page SEO
• Publish unique, relevant, and specific content:
– Themed Content: Target content around specific mid-tail keywords.
– Relevant Linking: Aggressive, relevant, in-paragraph linking like wikipedia.
• Prioritize work – Start with the traffic and
action producing mid-tail keyword segmentations first
• Repeat!
WordStream, Inc.
SEO Long Tail Implementation Strategies
How do you actually implement this?? (Easy if you’re already targeting the Long Tail in PPC!)
WordStream, Inc.
Long Tail in SEO: What’s the Point?
• To develop a portfolio of content that will rank on a portfolio of mid and long tail keywords because that’s where the majority of clicks and conversions are
• By leveraging valuable search query data from PPC you can very effectively target mid and long tail terms!
WordStream, Inc.
Common Long Tail Keyword Mistakes:
– Ignoring/Denying the Long Tail of Search
– Mistaking Quantity and Quality
• Fake keyword generators (permutations or combinations of lists of keywords)
• Over-trusting keyword suggestion tools
• Negative Keywords
– Avoid Keyword Injection: Need {Keyword}?
• Shortcuts hurt performance
• Write targeted ads and landing pages
– Simplistic bidding rules can torpedo the Long Tail in PPC
– Trying to do everything at once
• Take an iterative approach
WordStream, Inc.
Ways to Effectively Manage Long Tail Keywords
1. Tight Keyword Grouping & Organization
• Properly organize your long tail keywords for the best results
2. Use negatives
• Negative keywords improve your relevance without requiring you to comb through the list individually
3. Prioritize tasks
• Once you have gathered long tail keywords, continue to optimize the campaigns as you do with other keyword groups
4. Act on insights
• Turn insight into action! Dedicate time and effort towards crafting relevant ad groups and content pages
5. Distribute the work
• Break up work into smaller tasks, enlist the support of a team
6. Use Software
• Leverage keyword management software
WordStream, Inc.
WordStream in a Nutshell
• Your own private keyword database
• Real keywords from real data
• Easy keyword organization and management
• Continuous long tail growth
• Powerful keyword research and analytics
• Negative Keyword Tools
• Workflow prioritization
• Act on Long Tail for PPC and SEO!
WordStream, Inc.