Long Tail Keywords

Long Tail Keywords - Are You Ignoring Most of Your Traffic?
Long-tail search marketing presents an interesting conundrum. The long tail of search is:
Voluminous - Long-tail keywords (or less popular, less searched on keyword variations) actually represent more search volume, in aggregate, than more popular keywords.
Challenging - The search terms in question represent a lot of traffic, but that traffic is driven by a lot of keywords. Being able to research, group, and manage all those keywords is a difficult (if not impossible) task for the search marketer.
WordStream offers solutions specially tailored to enable you to capture this long-tail keywords without being mired in the potential management time-sinks normally associated with targeting the long tail of search.
This page will discuss in greater detail the challenges associated with long tail keywords, and will describe the methods WordStream employs that allow you to tame the long tail of search.
What is the long tail?
Long-tail search engine marketing refers to the practice of attempting to draw visitors who are searching on infrequent queries to a site. The long tail has a very compelling advantage: it's where most of the traffic lies.
The interesting thing about search's long tail keywords and the way that search queries work, is that the " tail" pictured above goes on indefinitely, and the sum of the frequencies of the lesser searched terms is actually greater than the sum of the frequencies of the more popular terms.
This means that a majority of keyword traffic lies in search's " long tail."
Additionally, long tail keywords are generally very specific. This can be a real advantage in search marketing, because often more specific key phrases reflect higher buying intent (if one users types " cars" into a search engine versus another who types " 2009 Mitsubishi Galant," who is more ready to purchase a car?).
The other side of the long tail story
While long tail keywords comprise most of the searches entered into Google and other search engines, the " long tail of search" offers some inherent inefficiencies when it comes to search marketing:
Too Many Keywords - One issue with search's long tail is that it's so...long. The problem with having a mass of keyword variations is that it becomes difficult to " message your way down the tail." Creating ad text, landing pages, and keyword groups to encompass all of these specific keywords is an enormous time sink.
Too Much Junk - While the long tail offers a number of developed, late in the cycle lead opportunities, it also presents a number of search queries that will be completely irrelevant to your business and to your offering.
leveraging long tail keywords
The issue, then, becomes finding a way to effectively tap into the long tail of search, without stumbling over the aforementioned pitfalls.
As we stated in the opening paragraph, WordStream's organic search engine optimization and pay-per-click software solutions are specifically designed to increase efficiency and offer sophisticated negative keyword tools that enable you to harness and monetize long-tail search traffic.
streamlining the long tail marketing process
A core challenge in creating campaigns that focus on the long tail of search in PPC is that the process includes:
Discovering Relevant Long Tail Keywords
Grouping Keywords into Several Related Ad Groups
Weeding Irrelevant Keywords from the Long Tail
Writing Targeted Text Ads and Landing Pages for each Ad Group
Fortunately for advertisers, WordStream offers specially designed long-tail marketing solutions.
Creating Long Tail Keyword Lists
Traditional keyword research tools offer only what's known as the " head" of the search marketing story. Having access to only the top 100 or so most popular keywords related to your business means the exclusion of a majority of the search traffic, and plenty of the juicier, later-in-the-buying-cycle leads present in the long tail.
WordStream offers a few means of generating extensive long-tail keyword lists:
Log Parsing
WordStream provides users with a log parser which will enable you to upload any historical log files from your website, ranging as far back as you can get a hold of:
Uploading your website's log files presents you with an exclusive database of long-tail keywords.
WordStream will parse your log files for every searched variation people have used to reach your site. This is the most comprehensive keyword list building option.
Importing Long-Tail Keywords
A second option for integrating long-tail keywords into your account is to get a hold of data from a third-party analytics service or a traditional keyword tool:
Uploading thousands of keywords in this manner can be done by cutting and pasting from Excel.
WordStream's Learning Long Tail
The difference between WordStream's interpretation of all of this data, is that the software offers Web analytics tools which record new search visits to your website.
As new visitors come to your site via search, the software's keyword suggestion tool enters them directly into your WordStream dashboard. The new keywords are even matched automatically to keyword groups.
Three key factors to note about the keyword database created by these methods is that they are:
Relevant - These words aren't coming from thin air; they are either words you are choosing and importing, or keywords that have been mined from your website's traffic data.
Perpetually Growing - Because the Web actalytics software component present in WordStream generates new keyword suggestions daily, your keyword list is constantly expanding.
Actionable - In addition to being dynamic, your keyword list isn't trapped in an Excel sheet or a static report. Your keywords are automatically introduced into your WordStream dashboard where they can be grouped, attached to ad copy, and published.
long-tail keyword grouping
WordStream offers highly sophisticated grouping tools which facilitate the grouping of thousands of keywords quickly and efficiently:
Here we see that WordStream is returning results for our " used books" in well under a second. In this instance, the keyword in question offers 437 variations.
The software has segmented the previously created keyword database so that only key phrases that include some variation of our seed keyword are included. Once we have arrived at a satisfactory segmentation, grouping keywords is simple:
Click create keyword group to have a new keyword group created for you.
You can then further segment this new grouping by clicking the segment keyword group button:
WordStream actually suggests to you keyword groupings within the parent group you've just created to further segment your keyword group into. Each potential grouping is given a relevance score based on the number of keywords and the amount of traffic represented by that potential segmentation.
You can create multiple groups based on your segmentation with a single click, as seen below:
managing long-tail ad groups
In addition to the keyword research and grouping that goes into effectively managing long tail keywords within in a PPC or affiliate marketing campaign, it is also necessary to eliminate irrelevant keywords from campaigns, and to create targeted ad text and landing pages for various keyword groups.
WordStream offers specific tools to answer each of these challenges:
Negative Keyword Guide - The WordStream Negative Keyword Guide outlines how the software provides advanced tools and methodology for negative keyword identification and filtering.
Ad Text Creation Tools - WordStream offers tools which suggest Quality Score friendly, targeted ad text. This will help to lower your costs, while improving conversion rates.
Landing Page Optimization Tools - The principle for landing pages is similar to ad text: create relevant landing pages and users will be happy (and more likely to buy) while search engines will reward you with pricing discounts. WordStream also offers various tools and numerous means of authoring more effective landing pages.
turn long-tail search terms into a viable business solution
WordStream's suite of search marketing tools are specially tailored to turn search's long tail into a traffic and business driving solution. Learn more by:
Trying WordStream Free Today
Requesting a Live Demonstration
Signing up for our Search Marketing Webinar
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Long Tail Keywords

by Internet Marketing Software - WordStream

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