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Long-tail keyword searches increase in 2009

November 27, 2009 by John Dilbeck
Filed under: Advertising and Marketing 

I’ve been seeing a trend of longer keyword searches in my sites’ statistics this year.

While most of the keyword searches that find something I write still are mostly 3 to 4 words long, I’m seeing lots more this year that are five or more words long.

I have been noticing this trend for a few months and wondered if it was due to the increasing sophistication of the people who normally read what I write or if it was a sign of average Internet users learning how to use the search engines more effectively.

Today, I found confirmation of this trend in an article on MarketingCharts.com:

Longer Searches Increase 3% in October 2009

At the end of the brief article, they bring up the possibility that longer search phrases may now be required to find what the searcher is looking for amid all the web clutter.

I hadn’t thought of that possibility.

I don’t have any facts to back it up, but I think that more people are learning that they can find what they want by using longer search phrases and that’s something we should think about when we’re doing our keyword research and writing our blogs, websites, articles, and anything else.

What do you think?

Have you noticed this trend in your site’s statistics?

Act on your dream!

JD

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9 Comments on Long-tail keyword searches increase in 2009

  1. Ravi Kuwadia on Wed, 2nd Dec 2009 1:31 am

    2. I think that your answer’s probably a combination of two of the suggestions you make about why searches are getting longer. It seems to me like internet users are getting far more skilled at using search engines, and that in doing this they’ve learnt to make use of longer keyword searches to get more accurate and precise results for their searches. When I search I tend to enter as many words as I know are relevant, and often place my searhc within quotation marks. I wonder what the statistics are on that?
    Ravi Kuwadia´s last blog ..How I Got 700 Unique Visitors Last Month? My ComLuv Profile

  2. Mitch on Mon, 7th Dec 2009 1:27 am

    3. According to Analytics, this is true, but in general, my mind sees the article as a major “duh” moment. I mean, people are learning that one word isn’t going to get it done, maybe 3 or 4 words are better, but if they can throw in as many pertinent words as possible then things will be even better. Yeah, there are some folks who still haven’t mastered search, but those in the know get it.
    Mitch´s last blog ..What’s Up With Broken Link Checker? My ComLuv Profile

  3. Melissa Ricks on Mon, 7th Dec 2009 11:18 am

    4. i tried Affiliate Marketing using amazon, clickbank and others. so far i earn a decent amount of money from them. the secret to earning money on affiliate marketing is none other than lots of website traffic.

  4. John Dilbeck on Tue, 8th Dec 2009 9:48 am

    5. Good morning, Ravi.

    Yes, I think some Internet users are getting more skilled at using the search engines, but I think they’re still in the minority.

    Most of the searches I see in my stats are for three words or less. While the long-tail searches are more than they used to be, they comprise only a small fraction of the total searches that find my sites.

    I think we know a lot more about search engines and using them effectively because we study them and try to find ways to rank highly on them. That leads to better skills on our parts, I believe.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  5. John Dilbeck on Tue, 8th Dec 2009 9:54 am

    6. Good morning, Mitch.

    I disagree with you about it being a “duh” moment.

    Yes, this is old news for many of us, but we’ve spent years trying to learn how to please the search engines through basic SEO techniques and that leads to better skills on our part when using the search engines.

    For many people, finding something is still a mystery. They use search terms that I would never think of, unless I used tools that helped me see what they were really searching for.

    With Google’s introduction of personal search results, I don’t know how that’s going to affect those of us who publish and advertise, and I’m not sure how it’s really going to affect those who are basically searching and reading.

    It’s going to be an interesting change and I may blog about it later today.

    Still, I agree with you that people will find that using more terms will result in finding what you want more reliably, so most Internet users will be using longer search terms in the future.

    It’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen this echoed in my own stats for more than a few searches.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  6. John Dilbeck on Tue, 8th Dec 2009 9:57 am

    7. Good morning, Melissa.

    Welcome to our discussion.

    I agree that more website traffic is an important aspect for success in affiliate marketing, but I don’t think it’s the secret.

    Getting targeted visitors who are interested in buying what you offer is more important than just more traffic.

    What do you think?

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  7. Bill on Sun, 20th Dec 2009 10:44 am

    8. I came to the same conclusion regarding long tailed keyword searches as well. Comparing some of the long tail keywords to their most suited single keyword, I found that the general keyword searches were going down while many of the long tailed keyword searches were seeing increased search activity. Google Trends is wonderful for comparing this.

  8. John Dilbeck on Mon, 21st Dec 2009 6:21 am

    9. Good morning, Bill.

    Welcome to our discussions.

    I don’t know much about Google Trends, but I’ve verified the same results in Google Analytics and other stats programs I use on my sites.

    The use of long tail searches is definitely on the rise.

    Act on your dream!

    JD

  9. dmm on Wed, 17th Mar 2010 11:05 am

    10. 21st Century Affiliate Marketing…

    [...] [...]…

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