Long-Tail Keywords
A couple of weeks ago my Dental Design blog entry detailed the on-going love affair you 
should be having with your keywords. The blog concludes that in order to contribute to the return on investment from your site, you need to develop and maintain the relationship you have with your keywords.
Putting aside the analogues; this blog continues on that vain looking in detail at Long-tail keywords and how they can be prioritised and targeted to become effective drivers of traffic for both organic SEO and Pay-Per-Click Campaigns.
What is a long-tail keyword?
Long tail keywords are the longer, more specific keywords that are less common, individual but add up to account for the majority of search-driven traffic. Google reports 15% of searches they see every day they've not seen before. The long-tail keyword is the opposite of the ‘head’ terms seen at the end of the bell curve graph.
An example of a Fat head keyword would be ‘Dentist London’, the chunky middle perhaps ‘ Dental Implants in London’ and a long-tail keyword could be something like ‘What are Dental Implants cost in greater London’.
Why target the long-tail keyword?
- Often long tail keyword searches are questions. How many of us actually have a dictionary, and rely on the search engines to answer our complicated or intricate questions? For example, ‘What happens to the tooth when a dental implant is inserted’? The switched-on London (or other location) dental practice will work to garner traffic from both the long-tail and head terms and as much in between as possible.
- Trends are showing an increase in long-tail search terms, as people use Google and other major search engines like a person; asking natural questions rather than short fairly none-specific terms. And the search engines are responding, buy providing the relevant answers to these questions from sites that offer these answers or as close an answer as possible. Mobile search and voice activated search are increasing this trend too.
- The user who is searching for answers about what happens to their tooth when a dental implant is done is more likely to be further along the decision making process than someone searching for a dentist in London. You are almost always certain as to what the user wants and in this sense looking and tracking long-tail keywords is highly revealing.
- Long-tail keywords tend to be less competitive and can be highly lucrative. By focusing on the same head keywords as your competitors, you’ll be missing out on gains to be had by altering the target to those searches that are perhaps not as often searched for but can be converted into a treatment more easily.
How do you identify your Long-tail keywords?
It’s easier to find and/or guess head terms. Using tools like Google’s Adwords Keyword Tool helps identify hundreds of keywords from one term. It’s best to utilise common sense here and not willingly add all of the keywords. In organic search remember your keywords should always be focused.
There are tools out there to help you identify your long-tails. WordStream have a Keyword Tool, Google Trends lets you see popular searches at present time giving insight into search behaviour. Additionally if the site has Google Analytics then seeing search queries in Webmaster Tools will provide an insight into what searches are bringing up the site.
Optimise for Long-tail Keywords.
To identify the long-tail keyword, think of your patients and the kinds of questions they ask in consultation about a particular treatment. Ensuring content is optimised for this will answer these questions and get you ranking for them. There are many ways you content can reflect this;
1) Create a FAQ page
2) Head the question on the treatment page and answer it below with unique content
3) Create an ‘ask the dentist page’, where you can answer questions patients have actually asked via a contact form, then update if you get more queries.
4) Add a blog to your site with regular updates about various dental specific subjects
Ultimately write content with your patients in mind. They are the ones doing the searching and they are the ones looking for answers. For more information about optimising your site for Long-tail keywords and keyword strategy call Dental Design on 01202 677277
More posts from our team
Five Star
Reviewed Marketing
"Would definitely recommend to a friend"
"I cannot recommend Dental Design highly enough"
"Really great company to deal with"
"Very professional, efficient & adaptive to new situations"
"I cannot recommend them highly enough"
"Has been invaluable and gone out of her way to help us"
"We love the look of our practice website. Very professional!"
"Dental Design stood out both in their knowledge of the industry and their professionalism"
"The team and package offered at dental design was unrivalled"
"absolutely fantastic and are always on hand to help"
"Dental Design are fantastic to work with"
"always met with a swift and professional response"
