In the last segment, we talked about what long tail keywords are and ended by asking why people type them into a search engine.

In this segment we’ll see what motivates people to type in those long tail keyword phrases.

For this illustration I’m going to use the search term “dog training” because that’s a term that just about every internet marketing instruction uses as their illustration and I don’t want to break the tradition.

Let’s say you go to your favorite search engine and type in dog training.

I just typed that term into Google and at the time of this writing, there are 39,700,000 results for that term.

As you scan down the page you see every kind of dog training you can imagine from books, to tips, to videos, puppy training, etc.   After you scan the next couple of pages and still don’t see what you’re looking for, you realize that you need to refine your search a bit to get the results you want.

You own a german shepherd and you want to get training so you do another search for german shepherd training.  This narrows the search to around 1,500,000 results which is definitely better than 39 + million.

However, as you scan down the page, you notice that you still aren’t getting the results you want so you do a search for german shepherd attack training and you see the results are 49,500.  That’s more like it, right?

The only problem is, you wanted to take your dog to a local school right in your area and all these results seem to be videos, books and how to stuff.

You decide to do another search for german shepherd attack training reno nv which now has taken you from a two word search, in the beginning, to a six word search.  Ahh, there it is, only 7,500 results and there are several on the first page in Reno, NV.

That’s a great long tail keyword phrase and I’ll shed more light on why it is in our next post.

Long tail keywords, for the sake of you who are newer to internet marketing, are typically 4-5 word phrases, that are typed into a search engine by someone looking for specific information on a topic.

I’m going to be talking about how to use those phrases to dominate a niche using SEO tactics. In a future series I’ll go into how you can do it with Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising.

Almost every knowledgeable internet marketer would agree that dominating a niche by using long tail keyword phrases is a reasonable strategy.

One reason for this is that long tail keywords aren’t typed into search engines nearly as often as short phrases so there isn’t as much competition for those keywords.

If you’re using PPC marketing this isn’t nearly as important as when you’re using SEO to try and rank in the generic (free) search engine results. When competing for those precious few slots on the first page of search engines, it’s only sensible to go after the less competitive search terms at first so you can more easily bump someone off the slot you want.

Another thing that makes these phrases so desirable is the traffic you get from these people is much higher in quality. Higher quality means better lead to conversion ratios. Obviously, higher conversion ratios means more money to your bottom line and that’s what you’re in business for isn’t it?

Just what makes people type in a long tail keyword phrase?

I’ll discuss what causes that to happen in the next segment. Long Tail Keywords II.

Do-It-Yourself - Template Options
In the first segment, we discussed various software for building your small business website.

Another consideration, if you wish to use a design program, is a template. Website templates are usually complete websites, with graphics and placeholder text, that can be modified using most of the web design software. Templates provide you with a design ’shortcut’, allowing you to move directly into adding content to your already existing website.

Remember that most templates require a bit of HTML skill or knowledge of a design program in order to use effectively.  You may also need a graphical editing program if you wish to change any graphic elements.

The most common and widely used editor is Adobe Photoshop. It’s considered by most designers to be the “industry standard” in graphic editing. Though templates can be a short cut to designing a website, they are more a short cut for intermediate to advanced users who can effectively use them.

Do-It-Yourself - Online Site Builder Options

If you’re looking for an alternative to this method of design, on a local machine, and then uploading it to the web server, you may want to consider an online website building program.

These programs are generally provided by your hosting company and viewed through your web browser.  You won’t have to have any information to be installed on your home computer. Everything they do is handled remotely, through your browser, so your site can be created then updated in “real time.”

Website builders share a few commonalities.

They’ll all be template based, not the same type of advanced template discussed above, but a general color and layout that you select from in the initial stages of the site builder’s setup. The bonus to online site builder templates is that you can change your template selection and have your entire site change on auto pilot immediately, without losing any of the information you have uploaded up to that point.

Second, you’ll have some kind of editing screen into which you’ll type your content.

The way you do this can vary from person to personal based on preference. In all cases you’ll be able to add and delete paragraphs.

More advanced site builders allow you to add items like additional graphics and tables.

Of course, there will always be various “extras” and “features” you can add to your site.

Again, what these features will be will vary according to the specific features available in the site builder you decide on using. They can include everything from rotating text to full shopping carts. If you want to use a site builder, contact the web hosting company you’ve selected and ask them if they have demo or free trial of the site builder theyoffer.

Most site builders have online demos to allow users to test drive the product before use.

Professional Design Solutions

If you’re unwilling or unable to learn either HTML or design software You might want to consider a professional design company.

Just like the vast selection of design software, there is an even greater assortment of design firms ready and willing to help you take your business online. Even someone experienced in web design may know when their current project outstrips their personal skills and calls in some additional help.

Many types of websites lend themselves to a team aproach rather than a single designer. Very large ecommerce sites are one such example.

At  web designers reno, we can split our resources among coding the site, setting up the shopping cart, and entering the products. By having our professional team working on your website, the site can be completed faster and more efficiently than by a single individual.

Give us a call 775-832-2528 for a chat and an in depth look at what your web needs might be.

Thinking of building your own small business website?

If you’re a novice, first time builder, you’ll have a number of options available.

Website hosting is another matter entirely. It is really best, if you don’t already have your site complete, have a very good idea of what the finished site will be before shopping for hosting.

In this article, I’ll focus on the various ways you can create a web site.  Here are a few of the most common aids you may find useful or interesting.

Do-It-Yourself - Website Design Software

There are 2 kinds of “do-it-yourself” options, design programs and online site builders. Design programs vary widely in both scope and complexity.For a simple, static site, an easy-to-use editor with a limited feature set might be best to begin with.

More complicated sites may require more complex,  more expensive solutions. Personal preference is the most common factor in choosing a web design program, so it’s difficult to say that there’s an industry standard design package. You’ll have software that will help you  design websites,  including Dreamweaver from Macromedia/Adobe, and FrontPage, from Microsoft.

Dreamweaver is a powerful, complex software with a pretty steep learning curve.  FrontPage is more of a beginner level design software, but it  compromises a great deal of quality. codewise, to keep it simple.

Also, quite a number of web design programs can be found on the web as “freeware” and “shareware”.

Search through the various file repositories such as “download.com” and you’ll find a wealth of alternate choices, far too many to list here. If possible, test them out first before buying, because you may find one you enjoy using and are more comfortable using.

If you’d like to go the extra mile and learn HTML code, your design software options may include something simple like a text editor. You can use programs like Notepad to design your websites.

Learning HTML may be a bit more daunting than learning a simple web design program, but the benefitsare huge, even if you still choose to use a more advanced, graphical editor. Having an understanding of basic html will make your design work much easier.

Many small businesses miss a fantastic opportunity to market their products and services because they don’t understand and utilize on of the least expensive and most powerful marketing tools available to them.

That tool is emai marketing.

If you think email marketing is in any way related to those thousands of annoying spam emails you get in your inbox everyday, you need some educating.

Email marketing is often referred to as permission based email marketing so that it is automatically distanced from spam.  If someone gives you permission to contact them via email, that’s not spam.

Because most small businesses never consider email marketing it is even more effective for those who utilize it.

Most email marketing could be put into play in your business by simply contacting all your past clients and prospects, for which you have records, and asking permission to contact them with future information on discounts, specials or just information of interest.

When someone agrees to let you contact them via email, that’s considered an “opt-in” or in other words, they’ve opted to allow you to contact them.

Most of the time, you’ll have to offer an incentive to get them to do this.  You can offer something of value that costs you little or nothing but that has high perceived value.

The most usual offering consists of some kind of information that they want and are willing to give you their email address to receive it.

Now that we’ve laid the ground work, we’ll tackle the nuts and bolts in a later post.