Long Tail -
Generally, refers to search queries that are less common and not targeted by your Web page. These together make up
the bulk of search engine queries and often make up the bulk of your traffic. 1. Longer and more specific search
queries ("Keywords) that are often less targeted than briefer phrases because they are less common. For example a
search for “widget” might be very broad while “left handed antique widgets" would be a long tail search. A large
proportion of all searches are long tail searches rather than searches for single word or two word phrases. 2. Any
searches for various words or phrases that are incidentally in a page, but for which that page might not be
optimized. For example, a page may contain single occurrences of unique spellings of various foreign words. Searches
for each such word may be very rare, but searches for all of them may total into an important part of search engine
traffic.
The term "Long Tail" probably comes from the "long tail" of a probability or frequency distribution.
Site statistics show some of the keywords for which your site is targeted. You may be number one in search engine
results for keyword "Widgets" which is what you targeted, but you also may be number one for some uncommon spellings or
spelling errors that appear in your pages or for the names of relatively obscure inventors. For example, you may have
written somewhere: "Whereas most people believe that Thomas Edison invented the Widget, the first practical widget was
designed by the Chinese Emperor Zi Shou about 1000 BCE." If there are not a lot of Web pages for Zi Shou, you might get
a lot of traffic from searchers looking for any information there is about him. There might be 20,000 searches a
month for keyword widgets, but each of a large number of much rarer words or phrases on your page might get 10 searches
on average. If there are 10,000 words on the page, these "long tail" queries might account for many more visitors.
Ami Isseroff
October 2, 2008
Note - Definitions of Search Engine
Optimization terms are based on inferences from common usage and definitions given by other sources. Conclusions about
search engine behavior are based on understanding of the behavior of the most popular search engines. Both are subject
to error or may change. Search engine company management may define or use a term or set or change any policy in any way
they see fit, and may make these definitions and specifications public or not. These decisions and definitions are
beyond our control. Notice: Copyright
All materials are copyright 2008 by Ami Isseroff. All rights reserved. These pages may not be reproduced in any
form in electronic or printed media without express written permission from the author.
SEO Glossary
