Long Tail Keywords and Low Hanging Fruit

Michael Buczek - June 6, 2008

When the Search Engine Optimization process begins, keyword research is the first thing that happens. Many people will go after the very obvious keywords. They take the logical approach to finding keywords that fit their products and services. Guess what? So does the competition. The competition will use the same logic and will turn up the same busy keywords that you will be optimizing for. You now have my permission to think illogically.

Illogical thinking can turn up some interesting long-tail keywords, or as we call it in the industry, low hanging fruit. Try to look at your products or services from a different point of view to discover some keywords that you previously haven’t thought of. What do your customers call your services? Is there another name for your product? Research those types of phrases and see what you can come up with.

Low hanging fruit often times has low search traffic volume, but the positive side is that it is not as competitive. If you can harness these long tail keywords and optimize some of your interior pages for them, you will be surprised at how your conversions can increase.

Some ways to harness this low hanging fruit include optimizing for very specific product names and longer versions of your main keyword phrases. You can also think about the market you are trying to reach. Is your service area all across the United States, or do you only do business in Bangor, Maine? If you only do business in Bangor Maine, Optimize your page for Bangor Maine Lawn Service instead of Lawn Service. The search volume won’t be as high, but it is very specific and highly targeted to your target audience. Optimizing for a specific product type can be as easy as adding the color, model number or both. When you do this you are catering to a very specific crowd and when they find exactly what they are looking for, they are more likely to buy from you.

Practice this technique and you will be on your way to having a more optimized website.