Local business and the SEO long tail

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CHASING YOUR TAIL Why local businesses should use the long tail in SEO

Transcript of Local business and the SEO long tail

CHASING YOUR TAIL

Why local businesses should use the long tail in SEO

It wants to boost online sales

Imagine a tie shop

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They f ind the top 3 sector keywords online

The owner does their research

MO

NTH

LY S

EARC

HES

0

375

750

1125

1500

TIES TIES FOR SALE BUY TIES

1,1001,300

1,500

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And update the website

They build a plan

• On-page content using ‘ties’, ‘ties for sale’, and ‘buy ties’.

• Perfect meta information.

• Responsive website design.

• Adhere to SEO best practice.

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THEY WAIT

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“Why aren’t we number 1?”

“Hmmm…

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Advertisers

Major retailers

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All their ef for ts haven’t made a dent

The tie shop owner is sad

• Popular search keywords are chased by large companies.

• Big name advertisers get top billing.

• Major retailers have massive marketing budgets and a team of SEO experts.

• An independent shop can’t hope to match their resources.

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WHAT CAN THE TIE SHOP DO?

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“What products do we sell?”

The owner thinks again…

• Red and white striped ties.

• Green polka dot ties.

• Beaumont Primary School ties.

• Plain blue ties.

• Comedy rabbit cartoon ties.

• And many other styles…

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HOW MANY PEOPLE SEARCH FOR SPECIFIC

STYLES?

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Not many people search for specif ic styles

The owner checks

MO

NTH

LY S

EARC

HES

0

40

80

120

160

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Comparing specific styles against big search terms is depressing

MO

NTH

LY S

EARC

HES

0

400

800

1200

1600

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BUT WAIT…

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There is a way to get more trafficM

ON

THLY

SEA

RCH

ES

0

400

800

1200

16003,900 searches 4,000 searches

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Those product keywords add up to something big

The shop owner realises…

• Not many people search for ‘green polka dot ties’ or ‘red and yellow stripped ties’, but added together all these little searches make a very large number.

• And there is less competition for keywords with low monthly searches so it’s easier to get a high ranking for them.

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Keywords tel l the t ie shop something about a person’s intent

Buyers, not browsers

• People searching for product keywords are looking for something specific. Which means they are more likely to be in a buying mood.

• Whereas someone searching for ‘ties for sale’ could be browsing, or planning on buying at a later date.

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THIS IS ‘THE LONG TAIL’

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The long tail

• You can’t beat the major players for the top terms.

• So focus on the green area.

• Create optimised pages for targeted keywords (eg product descriptions).

• Make it easy to go from landing page to purchase.

Get more relevant traf f ic from potential customers

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Online sales are booming

The shop owner is happy

• Page 1 rankings are being achieved.

• Organic traffic is from people more likely to buy.

• Landing pages are product focused with ‘buy now’ buttons clearly marked.

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