Why Your Long Tail Keyword Strategy is Still Failing!
The release of the infamous panda and penguin update transmuted how SEO experts do link building. You can no longer stuff the unneeded SEO-centric clutter within your content. To make a dent in the digital world, you have to stand out in the crowd while staying aloof from blind keyword optimization.
As the semantic search capabilities of Google’s current algorithms made the old keyword optimization strategies nearly obsolete, the long tail keywords came to the rescue, and marketers are attracting thousands of visitors with their help. Not just that, the odds of missing out on much search traffic are higher for bloggers, too, if the content isn’t created around longer search queries.
Is Everyone Using Long-Tail Keywords Effectively?
A success story that pops up with the mention of “Long Tail Keywords” is that of “Amazon”. Amazon saw the potential in longer keywords and focused on utilizing them optimally. For now, Amazon is making over 57% of its sales through longer keyword variations. While the experts are making millions from the longer keywords, there remains a long list of marketers that are toiling to use them effectively, despite their strenuous efforts.
If you are sitting there and wondering, ‘what is it that your long-tail keywords are lacking?’ this post will give you an insight on how to cure your long-tail keyword strategy.
You need to be using Long Tail Keywords correctly.
Today, the power to rank your page lies majorly with its content. Your long tail keywords strategy would only be effective if it’s backed up by kickass headlines, natural linking and in-depth content that serve user intent. Buck up if your content is still thin. Avoid forcing long-tail keywords within your content in any manner. You mustn’t put keywords that appear unnatural or irrelevant to the reader. Google is more concerned about the relevancy of the links and is blatantly punishing the artificial pages that solely rely on the keywords they are using.
Key Takeaway – Don’t try to fix the link where it doesn’t belong.
You haven’t figured out your Buyers well.
Google’s algorithms have left no stone unturned in making the user experience the first priority. To stay in the digital empire, you have to serve the traffic precisely with the information that serves its intent. Understanding your target audience and creating buyer personas make strategizing long-tail keywords easier. Buyer personas help you to understand your visitors and enhance your search traffic by making your longer keyword variations more specific. Creating a buyer persona is to extract as many details as possible about your target audience. Clear information about your audience, psychographics, demographics, and preferences help you avoid creating keywords targeting the wrong audience.
Key Takeaway – Nothing outdoes the deep understanding of your target.
You haven’t found the right Long-Tail Keywords.
This is the most critical mistake most marketers make while optimizing their long-tail keyword strategy. Most marketers not extracting the optimum from their SEO efforts and fail to pick the right keywords. They optimize their content around the highly competitive head keywords and then wonder why their traffic rate could be more active or decrease. Longer keywords are low in search volumes; however, the well-planned keywords that are user-oriented can narrow down your competition and help you rank higher on the organic searches. To find a lucrative extended version of your keyword, go to the Google AdWords keyword planner, input your head keyword and get an idea for your long-tail keyword from the results.
Key Takeaway – Keyword selection is crucial; belittling the user will take you nowhere.
Your Headlines aren’t keyword-rich.
To make the most of your long tail keyword strategy, focus on creating engaging headlines with your head keyword placed aptly in it. Google crawlers are fond of title tags; if your title boasts the keyword, you are aiming for, the probability of its ranking higher increases. Don’t forget to keep your primary keyword in the headline. As crafting one of the most shared headlines isn’t easy, you can take the help of resources like Buzzsumo, Buzzfeed, and John Morrow’s Headline Hacks to find the most shared headlines related to any generic keyword from your niche. There are no rules for integrating long-tail keywords in your headlines; however, Google will love it if your keyword flows naturally in your content.
Key Takeaway – The number of shares is directly proportional to the quality of the headlines.
You are not tracking and making improvements.
Remember one thing; today’s link building has gone beyond ‘picking a few letters and adorning text around it’. To excel at your long keyword strategy, you must continually track the performance of your keywords. This is where the Google Keyword Planner will be of great use. It will show whether your keywords effectively increase your page’s visibility. Not just that, there will be a constant need to figure out the pain points your customers are combating; by doing that, you will be able to craft content with keywords that specifically target the needs of your audience. An average business can generate over 20,000 by implementing its long-tail keyword strategy. However, it would be a farfetched dream if you don’t keep a constant check and make improvisations as soon as possible.
Key Takeaway – Monitor the performance of your keywords and make prompt improvisations.
The penguin, panda, and hummingbird algorithms of Google have appointed “User” as the king of the digital world. And anyone who fails to serve the king right is penalized straight away. Always remember, the main objective of placing keywords isn’t to manipulate the search engines to rank you higher. If you seek to make it big, you have to understand what your target audience wants. Focus on creating helpful content for users with relevant long-tail keywords that flow through it naturally.