Yesterday Google introduced a slightly larger search box with a bigger font. The reason for the change is to put search in focus and make it easier for the user to perform more advanced search queries. This announcement lead me to think about the evolution of search behaviour and the topic of short tail versus long tail paid search.
As people get savvier using search engines, they are moving away from relying on simple short tail keywords, e.g. “cheap ipod“, and instead being more specific about what they ultimately want, e.g. “cheap ipod with next day delivery“. According to Hitwise, at the beginning of this year over 45% of tracked searches consisted of 3 – 5 word phrases.
So what are the benefits of a long tail PPC strategy compared to a short tail approach which is reliant on broad and phrase match to capture more specific searches? Here’s five benefits that first spring to mind, please add any other in the comments below:
1) Better Conversion Rate
In the example above, the short tail “cheap ipod” does indeed tell you that the user is price sensitive but if “cheap ipod” is a broad or phrase match in your PPC campaign that gets triggered by the longer search query, then you miss the crucial aspect of “next day delivery” which might be a deal breaker. The long tail provides insights which should be used to make sure that ad copy and landing page better matches the users expectations and guides them towards desired action. The user is telling you what they want so act on it!
2) Higher Quality Score
By having a very tight campaign structure that matches each long tail phrase with a specific ad copy, your Relevance and CTR will be higher compared to a short tail campaign. This will lead to a higher quality score.
3) Lower CPC
…as per above improved Quality Score you will be awarded by having to pay less for your click.
4) Improved Control
A short tail broad and phrase match may trigger an infinite number of related keywords, variations and extensions. To avoid showing for irrelevant searches you need very exhaustive and frequently updated negative keyword lists. At the same time, the risk with growing these too big and broad is that you inadvertently don’t show for certain relevant keywords.
5) More Accountable
For a short tail phrase and broad campaign; although you can still analyse your search query and conversion reports to see what the actual search query was (as typed in the search engine) and what ultimately converted, you don’t know how much you paid for that specific long tail search phrase as it will vary depending on the specifics of the PPC auctions at that point in time. In contrast, with a long tail exact match keyword you know precisely the price and return per actual search query.
In summary: The above benefits of a long tail approach will make you more competitive in the search space to go after previously unattainable positions and keywords for volume, revenue and share of voice, and better margin for improved campaign ROI.
A long tail approach is of course not suitable for all campaigns and sectors but retail and travel is typically a good match.
And if you haven’t noticed the latest Google changes, here’s a before and after screenshot.
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Excellent article confirming my recent results and testing.