Using Keywords On Websites: Using Long Tail Keyword Phrases

If you have been reading along with the posts at WBOBR.com, you will know by now that part of search engine optimization (SEO), is the process of using keywords on websites to draw targeted traffic to your business.

Up until now we have focused mainly on keywords, but what about using long tail keyword phrases? Can they be used as well to effectively increase the targeted traffic you need?

Most of us are aware that a keyword represents a single word that we expect people will type into a search engine when they are looking for information. We are able to identify these keywords, and by using these keywords on websites, optimize our content and pages with them so that the search engines bots and spiders will find them when they are checking out what we have to offer. By using targeted words your customer is most likely to use, you increase your chances of showing up in the top results when that customer is searching online.

But what about using long tail keyword phrases? Are you optimizing for those as well? While it is true that people will type in a specific word when they are searching, they seldom type in just one word. Whenever someone types multiple words into the search engine, they are submitting a keyword phrase. Simply put, a keyword phrase is a search term that includes two or more words combined.

Going back to our example of dog training from an earlier post, if someone was to type in just the word “dog” or the word “training,” they would end up with huge list of results that most likely will have nothing to do with dog training specifically.

This is the downside of using singular keywords for both the person searching and also for the online marketer trying to reach a targeted audience. The results from singular keywords are just too broad. So, in the case of the searcher, they give it another try.

This time they are more specific and they type in a long tail keyword phrase like “dog training”. Any time more than one word is used for a search, you have what is called a long tail keyword phrase. The results the search engine will show them this time are probably a lot closer to what they were looking for.

It depends of course whether they were looking for general information or if they had something more specific in mind. If their real goal was to find a dog training facility in San Diego, these results would probably still not give them what they are looking for. So, once again they try a new keyword phrase.

If they were to type in a long tail keyword phrase like “dog training san diego,” the chances are pretty good that they will find the specific information that they are looking for. The results the search engine will return will be focused on websites and ads that are targeted to the keyword phrase “dog training san diego.”

We can see that the searcher is finding the targeted results he or she is looking for by using long tail keyword phrases, and because of this, we also know that we can use this to our advantage and target long tail keyword phrases that our intended audience and traffic are looking for.

When you use a keyword tool to research a keyword, the results returned include long tail keyword phrases along with the results for the initial keyword. Because of the make up of some of the phrases that are returned, it is harder to use them in a natural manner in your content.

They may, however, work well in page titles, anchor text, image tags and headlines. Or you may want to create a unique page for the long tail keyword phrase of your choice and use anchor text to connect it to your other related content. The “KEY” so to speak to using long tail keyword phrases effectively is to ensure that they are placed in such a manner that they appear to be a natural addition.

Using keywords on websites is not an option and neither is using long tail keyword phrases. Find, use, and target long tail keyword phrases that your intended audience might use to find what you are selling. This will help people find you quicker and improve your search engine ranking.

As a bonus, not only do long tail keyword phrases zero in on your targeted audience more effectively, but they also tend to be less costly if you are using them in conjunction with a PPC campaign.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com