By admin
There are many traffic generation methods you can use to drive targeted traffic to your websites. In this article, I want to show you how to attract FREE targeted traffic from search engines using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to target long-tail keywords.
Once you have identified long-tail keywords, you can use them in your own website content, or write articles based on them and submit the articles to EzineArticles.com to gain more traffic.
What is a long-tail keyword?
A long-tail keyword refers to a niche keyword that is targeted and specific.
The term ‘long tail’ was coined by Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired Magazine, when he released his ground-breaking book, The Long Tail.
Here’s my personal definition of ‘long-tail’ keyword:
 A long-tail keyword is a micro-niche comprising low-volume keywords (three or more words in length) AND low-volume competition  |
“A long-tail keyword is a micro-niche comprising low-volume keywords (three or more words in length) AND low-volume competition.”
Take for example the popular niche “web hosting”.
Most marketers target this niche by focusing their SEO efforts on the key phrase “web hosting”.
And they usually achieve zero results.
Why?
Simply because almost EVERY other marketer is ALSO targeting the same key phrase!
Here’s a look at the search volume for “web hosting” (see diagram below) I extracted using the Free Wordtracker Online Tool.
Notice the term “web hosting” attracts 5400 searches each day.
A huge market for sure, but is it also a competitive market?
Let’s find out…
When assessing competition, I like to use the Google allintitle: operator – because it tells me how many web pages are competing for a top ranking for the keyword.
What is AlIInTitle:?
Allintitle: is a Google operator that indicates the number of web pages in Google’s index that have the targeted keyword phrase between the <title> </title> tags of their web pages.
This is useful information because when performing basic on-page SEO, we always place our targeted keyword phrase in the title tag of our web page. Hence, the presence of a keyword phrase in the title tag suggests a web page is also competing for a top ranking.
To determine the allintitle: competition, all you need to do is type ‘allintitle: your keyword’ in the Google search box (see diagram below):
What does the above snapshot tell me?
It tells me there are over 9 million web pages competing for a top 10 ranking in Google for the keyword “web hosting”.
That’s a heck a lot of competitors if you asked me!
No wonder you’ll get nowhere if you target “web hosting” and hope to get free traffic from the search engines!
So rather than target “web hosting”, focus instead on numerous long-tail keywords related to “web hosting”.
How To Locate Long-Tail Keywords?
A great technique is to start at the bottom of the Free Wordtracker Tool results (see diagram below)
Consider the long-tail keyword “low cost web hosting services” with 58 searches a day (not bad a search volume for a long-tail keyword!)
Let’s take a look at the allintitle: competition for “low cost web hosting services” (see diagram below)
This long-tail keyword has over 4,000 competing allintitle: web pages. Based on my SEO experience, any intermediate SEO-trained marketer would be able to achieve a top 10 ranking for this keyword phrase, because he/she only needs to compete with 4,000 other webmasters.
Would you rather face 4,000 or 9 million competitors? Go figure!
I did say you’ll probably require intermediate SEO knowledge to gain a Top 10 ranking for a keyword with an allintitle: of 4,000.
So, are beginner internet marketers doomed?
Certainly not!
If you are an internet marketing newbie, I strongly suggest you target ultra-low allintitle: keywords.
To locate ultra-low allintitle: competing keywords, you may need to ‘dig deeper’ by drilling down on a keyword using Free Wordtracker Tool.
I’ve drilled-down on the keyword “low cost web hosting services” (see diagram below).
Ok, so the search volume for “california low cost web hosting services” is not great at all, with just 3 searches a day.
But then again, a top ranked web page for this search term can drive 3 x 30 = 90 visitors to your website in one month, or 1095 vistors a year!
Not bad, considering you didn’t spend a penny for these visitors!
What about the competition?
There are literally no web pages in Google competing for a Top 10 ranking for the keyword “california low cost web hosting services”!
Woohoo!
Great news, because this means almost anyone with basic SEO knowledge should be able to achieve a Top 10 ranking for the key phrase “california low cost web hosting services”.
So if you want to attract targeted traffic to your website but are new to the SEO game, start by targeting free traffic to your website using ultra-low volume long-tail keywords – and I guarantee you’ll be making money online in no time!
The Bottom Line: Where You Lack in Knowledge and Experience You Make Up by Sheer Numbers!