[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #341: Heads or tails

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4cast #341: Heads or tails
July 3rd, 2013

heads-tailsPeople who use Internet searches to place products in front 
of potential buyers pay a lot of attention to how the rest of us use 
search engines. These marketers often refer to two types of searches: 
Head searches that are general keyword searches of less than three 
words; and long tail searches using a specific phrase or several words. 
How website developers handle head and/or long tail searches will affect 
the placement of their websites in search engine results. While 
libraries may not be as interested as marketers are in landing their 
websites high in a list of search results, the whole head-tail 
discussion of Internet searching illuminates one way search results can 
be manipulated.

  * The resurgence of long-tail keywords in SEO
    <http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2255280/The-Resurgence-of-Long-Tail-Keywords-in-SEO>
    (Search Engine Watch/Jayson DeMers) "Essentially, long-tail keywords
    are less popular keywords because they have less search volume and
    less competition to rank for. Consider the following two examples:
    'home remedies for bed bugs' or 'how to get rid of depression.'
    These are each considered long-tail keywords as compared to trying
    to rank for the much more competitive search terms 'bed bugs' or
    'depression'."
  * Long-tail keywords: The power of small volume search phrases
    <http://blog.mainstreethost.com/long-tail-keywords-the-power-of-small-volume-search-phrases>
    (Mainstreethost/Kris Dietz) "Targeting these lesser-searched
    long-tail phrases can be a huge advantage. Start targeting phrases
    that see a smaller volume of searches. Low-volume long-tail phrases
    are far easier to rank in since the larger websites don't focus
    their attention on them. Take the search phrase 'where to get used
    books' for example. It was only searched a handful of times, so
    ranking high on that phrase is a viable and realistic strategy."
  * The hidden value of long tail keywords for SEO
    <http://smallbiztrends.com/2013/01/long-tail-keywords-seo-infographic.html>
    (Small Business Trends/David Wallace) "Seeing that over 70% of all
    search queries are for these long tail key phrases, there can be
    incredible value in having great visibility for the phrases that are
    relevant to your business model. Targeting long tail keyword phrases
    in your SEO strategy can be an incredibly powerful technique for
    building up ones organic search engine traffic. Research suggests
    that long tail keywords are easier to rank for, bring in more
    combined traffic, and convert more visitors to customers than the
    more popular 'generic' keywords."
  * Google has a problem with "long-tail" searches, and it needs Quora
    to help fix it
    <http://gigaom.com/2013/02/23/google-has-a-problem-with-long-tail-searches-and-it-needs-quora-to-help-fix-it/>
    (GigaOM/Narendra Reddy) "Unlike Wikipedia, which is best at
    answering head queries, Quora is all about long tail. So integrating
    Quora with search would provide Google's users more reliable and
    useful results for long tail queries. It would also contribute to a
    virtuous cycle by allowing users to help produce reliable content,
    too, as searches prompt further contextual content that may need
    answering. This will help Google get knowledge from content sources
    (such as those who contribute to Wikipedia) who do not own a website
    but have valuable knowledge."

*/Conversion fact:/*

While about 1 out of every 10 head searches results 
<http://www.conductor.com/resource-center/research/long-tail-search> in 
a conversion - the searcher visits the website and takes some action 
beyond a casual view - about 1 out of 4 long tail searches results in a 
conversion.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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