The long tail of Search

The long tail of search

A long tail keyword is one which has several words in it. So for example, instead of targeting "tourism" (and competing with the global market) you could target "eco tourism in Cape Town" and compete in a much smaller market. Of course long tail keywords are going to bring in less traffic than a shorter phrase because they are more specific and fewer people are going to search for them. Long tail keywords are however easier to convert into sales and far easier to obtain rankings for.

Benefits of long tail search engine optimization

There are several reasons that building an SEO strategy around long tail optimization is effective:

• It is easier to rank for long tail keywords
• You will be writing specific content pages, which makes it easier to convert visitors to sales leads because visitors find exactly what they're looking for
• Remember the mantra "content is king". Google loves content. If you're adding specific, valuable content, you will be rewarded
• As your site develops status you will find it easier to rank for those highly competitive shorter keywords