How to Increase Traffic with Long-Tail Keywords

As keyword competition increases, many are seeing their traffic and search engine positioning dwindle, not to mention the high cost of PPC keywords. However, there's a virtually "untapped" backdoor to getting better search positioning and paying less for PPC keywords, while at the same time driving more qualified traffic to your site — The use of Long-Tail Keywords.

Popularized by Wired Magazine's editor Chris Anderson, Long-Tail Keywords are simply extended or natural phrases that people type into search boxes to more accurately find what they want. For example, instead of just typing "gardening", their search may look more like "growing a vegetable garden", or "landscape and gardening ideas". The more specific and detailed the search phrase, the more relevant the search results will be — And as a site owner, you should be taking advantage of this.

Long-Tail Keywords will benefit your site in several ways. Because users are typing in very specific phrases and finding exactly what they're looking for, visitors become more "qualified" and conversion rates will tend to be much higher. Search positioning will also improve dramatically since competition for these keyword-phrases is much lower than with single-keywords. Lower competition also means lower PPC costs.

The following steps will explain how to choose and implement Long-Tail Keywords:

1. Free tracking programs such as Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools will provide you with the "exact phrases" that your visitors typed into a search box to find your site, as well as your ranking position within the search results. I highly recommend both of these programs for site tracking, SEO and to begin developing your Long-Tail Keyword strategies.

2. HitTail, an advanced commercial keyword tool for Long-Tail Keywords, works by finding and suggesting the most promising keywords hidden in the Long-Tail of your site's search results. For a better understanding of how this software works (and also a great way to learn more about Long-Tail thinking), click on the HitTail Demo Video link in the resources below.

3. Aside from software, there are other options for discovering and developing keywords and phrases. Try removing yourself as "site owner" and become "site visitor". Then, in a "natural speaking" phrase, try to think of what YOU would type in to find the product or information you promote on your site. You should also closely examine your competition to see what keywords and phrases they're using. Especially those competitors that are getting top positions in search results.

4. Once you've chosen a few good Long-Tail Keywords, implementing them into your site is a fairly simple task. These specialized keywords and phrases should be worked into your Page Titles, META Keywords, META Descriptions and throughout your page copy. They should flow naturally within the text that they're placed, and be relevant to the content on those pages. These keywords and phrases should also be used in H1, H2, H3, STRONG, B, I, and EM tags wherever possible.