The ‘long-tail’ theory (author Chris Anderson’s view that best selling items that shift quickly make up the ‘head’ of the retail industry while the slower-moving niche products make up the ‘tail’) also relates to online marketing.  Consider the use of pay-per-click marketing and the charges your business will incur for using it.

If you’re selling kitchen equipment, a keyword such as ‘juicer’ is a wide-ranging term from the head of the market.  It’s more expensive as pay-per-click and the user who searches on such a broad term may only be at the stage of doing their research, comparing and contrasting models, so the conversion rates are usually lower, and those clicks can get expensive for your business.

If the keyword for your business is a more specific one – ‘centrifugal juice extractor’ – or even a model number, you’re further down the marketing ‘tail’.  Specialised keywords may not generate as many click-throughs but those that are generated come from a potential customer base that is better targeted; as a result, the conversion rate may be better.  The user who searches for the detail is closer to making a purchase.

Long-tail keywords work for natural search results as well.  Fewer people are optimizing their sites around these words, so high search rankings are easier to achieve.  Once again, there may be less traffic but it will be better quality and more targeted to your specialised product.  It’s all about finding a balance: the point on the tail where your competition is manageable but customers are still searching for the product as you advertise it.