Long tail keywords present all kinds of problems for the SEO industry. One of the major problems is how little long tail keywords are understood. As the knowledge about long tail keywords grows, the strategies being developed to deal with them are increasing in complexity. A lot of common mistakes are being made along the way.

Part of the reason is because long tail keywords are so specific. While once a site may have been able to net hundreds of thousands of users by ranking highly for a single word, today’s searches are more refined. Internet users today are less likely to type in ‘dog toys’ when looking for some entertainment for their pooch. Their own experience and specific desires will come into play, resulting in a search for ‘biodegradable chewable free trade dog toys’. The more words a site can match for, the greater the chance that that user will click and buy.

The need to cover so many words as part of an SEO strategy has led to a few mistakes. Some sites have tried to cope with the need for increased page numbers by generating thousands of pages, each very briefly addressing one long tail keyword. This results in a site full of near-empty pages, which the search engines are unlikely to list very high in the rankings. As anyone with experience in the traditional methods of SEO will know, simply including a customised title and description tag, a header and product name increases the likelihood of your site being judged as poor.

Another major error some sites have been making is to simply list information provided to them about their products. For example, a pet supplies site might attempt to deal with all possible searches by simply listing each product on a separate page, pasting the manufacturer’s description as content. This results in duplicate content and can get you into trouble. This has happened with retail sites in the main, but can be true of any site.

Due to such difficulties, many sites err by ignoring long tail search completely. Unfortunately, this is a mistake that many in the SEO industry are making as well. With the need to develop even more complex techniques to address the long tail problem, it’s tempting to just do things as they have always been done. Responsible SEO companies, however, are slowly testing strategies for long tail and passing the results on to their clients.

Not every site is ready to adjust their strategy for long tail keywords, but ignoring long tail search completely is not the answer. A good middle ground is to start to prepare your site for long tail keywords, and it can help to approach your SEO consultant about how long tail affects your website. A considered plan that provides for long tail with quality content is better down the track than panicky reactions or heads embedded in the sand. You can talk to us at SEO Consult about how long tail search may affect your specific web site.

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