What is the Long Tail of Search? - Long Tail Businesses
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Many businesses that specifically take advantage of what the Internet can do are long tail businesses. Amazon is an obvious example. So is eBay, with its assortment of niche, wacky, and one-of-a-kind items for sale. But the most obvious example of a long tail business is the company with which most SEOs seem to have a love-hate relationship.
I'm talking about Google, of course. Most of the advertising revenue that Google receives is from small retailers. In true long tail fashion, each retailer's advertising, by itself, doesn't add much to Google's revenue. But taken together, it makes the search engine a very wealthy company indeed.
But this isn't the only way the long tail plays a role in search, of course. For example, plenty of people search for "shoes" or even "boots" online. But how many search for "black leather spike heel boots"? Actually, there are two things I want you to notice about this key phrase. The obvious one is that it's not as commonly used as "shoes" or "boots." But the second point is that someone using this phrase is looking for something very specific; they know exactly what they want. And people who know exactly what they want are much more likely to convert.
Danny Sullivan made this point early last year in an article talking about the long tail of search. Obviously, you don't want to neglect the "head" - those three or four top key phrases that will draw the most traffic. But you don't want to miss the tail. "Tap into the tail," Danny explained, "and you've got sizable traffic, as well as traffic that often is reported to convert better than less general terms."
Next: Finding and Tapping the Tail >>
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