Comments on: Should you Ignore the Long Tail?

By: Brian Wadsworth

Brian Wadsworth — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:50:27 +0000

Great points. As SEO matures and Google et al evolve and surfers become more savvy re their search criteria then SEO traffic managers need to stay ahead of the game. The end game is always to create/capture a customer/client via the visit . Too many poorly focused visitors only create extra work and impair focus for the client. So there is a balance to be achieved around brand/image management with product/service promotion.
Fun isnt it!

By: Steven Holmes

Steven Holmes — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:22:26 +0000

I think the tendancy for bigger companies to focus on the big hitting search terms often stems from a desire to be seen in that position and, therefore, reinforce their status as industry champion.
For example, a company like Ikea would almost certainly want to be seen in the top spot for ‘furniture’ even though longer terms like ‘affordable contemporary furniture’ might bring in more relevant traffic and convert better.

By: stuartpturner

stuartpturner — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:50:11 +0000

Yep good call Matt. Long tail has always been a winner for small businesses and has often been ignored by larger ones in favour of the ‘big hitters’.

To add to your points above; when you rank well on long tail phrases you are capturing people very close to or at the point of purchase in their research cycle. Ranking on generic terms will help you here as they may have seen your brand earlier in the cycle and as a result you may increase your chances of being the person they buy from.

So I would totally agree – don’t forget long tail search!

By: Oscar Del Santo

Oscar Del Santo — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:55:53 +0000

Great post Matthew.

My experience confirms the tenets of this article. The Long Tail is where may opportunities lie hidden for savyy SEOs and SEMs. Ignore it at your peril…