How Many Keywords Make An Effective Query?
Let’s Learn About Short-Tail and Long-Tail Search String Queries
The following question always arises when new online marketing website owners are learning to implement keyword strategy, “How many keywords are best (or allowed, or OK to use, etc.) for my keyword phrases?” Two, three … five, six? Well, the fact of the matter is, nothing about keyword phrase length is set in cement!
Two and Three Word Queries are Used Most Often by Searchers
What is “set in cement” is the need to know what keywords and keyword phrases your customer base would most likely be typing into (or querying) the search engines. That’s what matters! So, first you’ve got to compile a keyword list or have one researched for you by a knowledgeable SEO consultant, such as the thorough one I offer: Keyword Research Report.
Keyword phrases that your customers are using to find you can be rather eye-opening when you start looking at the statistical information offered by your web host’s web tracker or hit-counter service. If you don’t have a means to see exactly what keyword phrases your website’s visitors are using to arrive at your website, then I highly suggest you go to StatCounter.com and take advantage of their free service.
I recommend StatCounter to many of my small business clients. They find it is pretty easy to understand and is invaluable in not only helping them to do a better job at targeting the right keywords for use in their content, but also to learn where their visitors are originating from and how many visitors are landing on their site. StatCounter does provide good statistical information.
An Interesting Break-Down of Short and Long-Tail Keyword Use
According to data collected in January 2007 from users of European Web analytics provider OneStat, most people use 2- or 3-word queries in search engines. The RankStat research was based on a sample of 2 million visitors, made up of 20,000 visitors in 100 countries each day. Here’s what they discovered:
- Two-word phrases — 28.38 percent
- Three-word phrases — 27.15 percent
- Four-word phrases — 16.42 percent
- One-word phrase — 13.48 percent
- Five-word phrases — 8.03 percent
- Six-word phrases — 3.67 percent
- Seven-word phrases — 1.63 percent
- Eight-word phrases — 0.73 percent
- Nine-word phrases — 0.34 percent
- Ten-word phrases — 0.16 percent
I find these statistics on keyword phrase length interesting. And yes, depending upon what statistical company is reporting the findings, there will be slight differences in the percentages. But even now, in 2009, these numbers are not too different as provided in reports from various statistical companies that come into my inbox.
What these stats tell us is that searchers are learning to use multi-word combinations to help zero in on what they are searching for. They’re learning that the more precise they are in providing search terms, the greater the chance they’ll get to the information they are searching for faster. This also means the information will more than likely be exactly what they want.
Long-tail keyword phrases are normally quite easily incorporated into our Title tag, Description meta tag and web page content. The better we are at narrowing our keyword terms for each page of content, the greater chance we have to not only rank higher in the search engines, but to also attract targeted traffic to our website.
Targeted Keyword Phrases = A Greater Chance for Targeted Website Traffic
Just in case you are not sure what all this means, I’ll use this example. Based on the above statistics, we’d see keywords being used such as:
- Two-word phrase — cake recipes
- Three-word phrase — chocolate cake recipe
- Four-word phrase — chocolate bundt cake recipe
- One-word phrase — recipes
- Five-word phrase — easy chocolate bundt cake recipe
I am sure this example shows how much sense the 2 or more word phrases make to your search engine optimization efforts. The more specific you are in each page of information you create, the better off you will be in all marketing and SEO respects.
For more information on researching and utilizing keywords, refer to this very informative FREE 75-page case study: Keyword Research Guide from WordTracker.
Thanks for such a concise and informative explanation. Too often these things are made too complex and confusing. So if targeting a three word phrase shouldn’t you try for the two word phrase wrapped in and what about differences between singular and plural. How do search engines handle those. Eg cake recipie vs cake recipies.
To answer your questions:
#1) “Wrapping in” a two word phrase into a three word phrase is the point – you make the search term even more specific by adding the third word. If one’s website deals with a very broad range of diversified products or services, then using very specific search terms, in ADDITION to providing content for the two word term, will allow an even greater chance that the search engines will give more pages more top ranking exposure.
#2) Singular vs. plural versions of the same root word: of course if one desires a better chance at ranking and/or being found by searchers, then targeting specific pages of content for plural keywords makes sense. Another similar example is that many people go to the lengths of writing content specifically for misspellings of their targeted keywords, if search volume warrants it.
It’s all about how much quality information you want to offer prospects once they land on your site, and how much time and effort you want to spend to build out your website.