Google Adwords Made Simple: A Step-By-Step Guide: Fill & Download for Free

Here are a few useful guides which will help you get started-AdWords Step by Step Starter Guide (Official Guide From Google)Google AdWords Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide (A detailed guide from Neil Patel )AdWords (Series for video guides from Google)All the best!—ThanksRatan Jha

I’ve utilized 11 different marketing strategies for each of my businesses, and I know that each of them will still be relevant from 2018 and onwards. This answer is quite long, so I’ve also included a TL;DR, that way you can pick what you want to read more about.Most of these marketing strategies will create viable growth for any organization, and are worth trying for at least a month.However, before I list them, I feel the need to make one thing abundantly clear:No matter what anyone tells you, there is no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy. You will have to experiment (it’s called A/B Testing) for as long as you want to remain relevant and profitable.So the secret isn’t SEO (search engine optimization). It’s not traditional “business card” networking. It’s not even Facebook Ads. The secret is whatever works for your business, and it’s 100% unique.TL;DR:Advertising on FacebookMaking a Google My Business ListingUsing Google AdwordsPutting Greater Emphasis on Content MarketingCouponsCreating eMail Marketing FunnelsWebinarsFree Offers / ConsultationsGuest Blogging and Writing ColumnsCreating PartnershipsKeynote Speeches1. Advertising on FacebookTwo million small to medium sized businesses like yours are currently advertising on Facebook. It’s cheap and effective so it only makes sense.As far as targeting goes, Facebook Ads are ridiculously good. They allow you to target a specific audience based on location, interests, age, sex, online behavior, and many other factors that no other platform can quite get down.The best part about creating Facebook Ads is how easy it is! You simply need to have an eye catching image or video and accompanying header. If you’re not sure what constitutes “eye catching” in your niche, you can use the Facebook Ads Manager and test multiple ads for one product — eventually going with the one that generates the most amount of money for you.Doing this will not automatically guarantee returns, but thankfully, there are plenty of 3rd party tools to use, AdEspresso by Hootsuite is the first one that comes to mind!Use it to run your campaigns and speed up your journey to positive ROI.NOTE:If your business is largely visual, don’t just use Facebook. Use its sister-company, Instagram as well. Instagram Ads allows you to benefit from having the same data base and targeting options as Facebook, while simultaneously allowing you to connect with an audience that is better primed for visual sales.Is this your ideal solution? Check outFacebook Advertising Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide by Neil PatelHow to Run App Install Ads On Facebook by Aki Merced2. Making a Google My Business Listing (and Ranking)A Google My Business (GMB) listing is the smartest thing that you can do for your business.Think about it; Google is the biggest search engine in the world, and if anyone searches for a particular product/service, you’ve pretty much got first dibs!Most search results on Google first include a paid ad, and if someone is looking for a service, the next results are typically GMB listings. Ranking your business in the top 3 search results will bring in ROI like you’ve never seen before.What exactly is Google My Business?If it’s your first time hearing about GMB, it can probably sound a little intimidating. GMB simply combines variously Google platforms and puts them in one place, i.e your business’ Google+profile, your Google Reviews, Google Maps, and gives you access to data like Google Analytics and Google Insights.Since typing this answer, Google is probably working on plenty more offerings…One thing is for sure, from the minute you list your business on GMB and get it ranking, you’ll immediately get the credibility and visibility (of course) that you’ve been looking for.If your small business is local, this is a must-do!If you’re ready to get started, read this:How to optimize your Google My Business listing: expert tips by Graham Charlton7 SEO Mistakes That Leak Money From Local Businesses by Jacob McMillen3. Using Google AdwordsJust like I said in the above strategy, no other platform gives you the type of exposure as Google. At least not in modern history.If online marketing is a baby, then Google Adwords is its godfather.Since Google Adwords has been around for so long, it’s really competitive and pretty expensive if I may say so myself — however, it works extremely well.Here’s the thing; while Adwords is expensive, it’s also really effective if you’ve already utilized on-page SEO, so start there first. SEO makes Adwords a whole lot cheaper!How does SEO make Google Adwords cheaper?For every single ad on the search engine, Google gives them a quality score based on its CTR (click-through-rate), the landing page that the ad sends traffic to, and ad relevance. The quality score also factors in the bid rate that you will need in order for your ad to be displayed. The higher the quality score, the lower the bid cost.Adwords aren’t a zero-sum game, though. You can pair your Google Adwords strategy with another strategy on this list and create a killer campaign!If that’s exciting for you, check these links out for further reading:The Complete Google AdWords Tutorial by Jerry BanfieldThe Iceberg Effect: How Your AdWords Strategy Is Slowly Drowning by Johnathan Dane4. Putting Greater Emphasis on Content Marketing18% of marketers say that content marketing has the greatest commercial impact on their business of any channel in 2016.What exactly is Content Marketing?It’s actually a process of creating and then distributing content that is high value, relevant and consistent with your brand in order to attract a clearly defined audience. You can think of answering Quora questions as a form of content marketing. Sort of.The whole point of content marketing is to focus on long-term results, instead of short-term ROI. While the initial content marketing payoff is very low compared to using Facebook Ads, for instance, in the long-term you create a reputation for your business and that in turn generates sustainable growth in visitors, leads and customers.It’s not easy, though. You still have have have the right mix of:High-quality contentPick relevant topicsOptimize your content with SEOBe consistentMind you, a lot of people automatically think of BLOGS when thinking about content, however, this is 2017 — content ranges from videos, podcasts, online courses, slides and many other ways that people prefer to consume information.To know which content works with your business, you’ll have to do some A/B Testing. There will be a format that eventually sticks.You can read some more here:Getting Started With Content Marketing by Content Marketing InstituteWhy You Need a Growth Model For Your Blog (And How to Create One) by Devesh Khanal5. CouponsBear with me here, I know this one is a bit of an unconventional suggestion, but if you sell a product or offer a service, you can use sites like Groupon as means of promotion for your business.Before anyone checks out of an online store these days, they always search for coupons, and when they’re scrolling through, they’re bound to see your offer as well.Your products will receive mass exposure, and you’ll also get targeted local advertising, increased brand awareness and a slew of new converts — even if they’re only there for the coupon, they’re still spending money.WARNING:If your deal goes viral and becomes extremely popular, you might find yourself a little overwhelmed and unable to handle the new customers, so just make sure that you the math properly.Remember, you want to attract customers with a coupon, but the proposition on your site should keep them there.Sound confusing? Here’s some additional readingDoing The Math On A Groupon Deal by Jay GoltzThe Real Cost of Groupon and What it Means to Your Marketing Planning by Mana Ionescu6. Creating eMail Marketing FunnelsIn 2018 why will this still be relevant? Good question. Simply because of this one reason: Many of the people that visit your site are not going to immediately be convinced by your value proposition. They will need some finessing.Getting their contact information allows you to send them additional marketing materials until they’re completely convinced that spending their hard earned money on your business is worth their time. And also, email is still the most high converting marketing channel — ever!How do you take advantage of this?Simple. You start with something called a “lead magnet”. It would be an offering that compels your website’s visitors to give you their email address — in exchange for something that they would view as valuable, i.e a free service trial, a free digital download, early access to a webinar, a coupon, anything.The point is to get someone to subscribe to your email list and once they do that, you will be able to display your credibility by giving them valuable content.Other benefits of email marketing include:Low costGlobal reachEasy to automateEasy to segmentImmediate communicationEasy to setup and runEasy to track and optimizeTo be quite honest, if you are a complete newbie to marketing, you’ll notice that a lot of marketing channels are super hard to start. Email marketing is one of the strategies that are relatively simple to start.Read these two pieces to learn some more:21 Powerful Ways to Quickly Grow Your Email List by Jacob McMillenHow to Build Your Email List: The (Better Than) Ultimate Guide by Aaron Orendorff7. WebinarsIf you’re serious about your business, then you’ve probably woken up or stayed up till 2 AM at some point — to catch a webinar. If not, then you’ve got a long way to go (just kidding)!What exactly is a webinar?It’s a seminar that takes place on the web — hence the name, “webinar”. And it can honestly range from being a presentation, to a demonstration to a discussion. It doesn’t always have to be one thing.A webinar actually goes hand in hand with email marketing, because if you pick your topic correctly, you can drive a slew of subscribers into your email list and build some credibility for your business.The great thing about webinars is that they can be pre-recorded and made into standalone products (or even a series of products), which makes them a great platform for training — live and recorded.Before you maybe conflate the two, it bears mentioning that webinars and video tutorials are two completely different things. A webinar tends to have a start time and has live Q&As between yourself and your audience, so it’s far more interactive than a typical video or livestream.You will need webinar software to run a webinar that utilizes the following functions:2-Way Audio – the presenter speaks while the viewers are muted, but the presenter can “turn on” individual viewers so everyone can hear their questionScreenshare – the presenter can share their screen or switch to video for whiteboard teaching or live demonstrationPolls – the presenter can invite viewers to take a poll or provide feedback in other waysCaveat: Webinars do not work for all niches. You’ll really need to think carefully about whether your customers will benefit from a webinar and if not, there are plenty of other strategies that you can always go with.Do webinars fit with your niche? Great!Here’s some additional reading:Webinar Marketing: 15 Steps to Revenue Generating Webinars by Georgiana LaudiHow to grow your business with webinar marketing by Ross Beard8. Free Offers / ConsultationsPut yourself in your customers’ shoes for a second; I’m sure that when it comes to any kind of professional services, you want to have access to expertise, right?That’s why it’s important to position yourself as an expert or an authority figure in whatever your small business’ niche is. By promoting a free consultation, you can generate new leads.Here’s the thing, you shouldn’t even worry yourself about whether you’re disclosing too much free information in the consultation, because if your customers feel that your service is worth the money — they’ll stick around.Okay, it’s true that there are going to be a lot of freeloaders looking for something that they can quickly grab, exploit and go, but to be honest, those customers were never going to buy. Why stress yourself over them?If you can provide a high-quality consultation for free in 30 minutes, a real customer will think, “imagine what they can do in an hour…” and sign up.Advertising a free consultation can be done both online and via pamphlets, newspapers, signs or through word-of-mouth, and hey who’s to say that you can’t put a free consultation front and center on your website or on your social media?Which businesses does this strategy work for? ALL of them. Seriously.Here are some reading essentials:Should You Offer Free Consultations? by Courtney Johnston6 Ways To Make Free Consults Work For You by Laura Simms9. Guest Blogging and Writing ColumnsAny fairly decent writer can share their opinion through weekly or monthly write-ups and watch as this endeavor does wonders for their brand.While you won’t get paid for your efforts, what you will receive however is an opportunity to make consistent contact with an audience and potentially build a relationship with its readers. Then, that audience will immediately think of you when they encounter a certain situation, or other experts in your field.Start out with local newspapers and non-profit magazines, because they’re typically always looking for high-quality contributors who won’t seek a fee, then move on to the more exclusive publications like Forbes, Inc, Fast Company etc once you’ve got your skin in the game.Again, you’re not going to make any money from guest blogging or writing columns, but you will make bank in other ways (i.e. speaking engagements) by being able to say that “you’ve been published in such and such”.The aim of successful guest blogging is to make your brand/business/name valuable to your target audience in a not-so subtle way. Guest blogging and writing columns is an opportunity for you to build trust with your customers, even though someone else already did the hard work of building this audience.How do you get started?Write how-to guidesComment on current eventsPublish interviews with other interesting peopleCreate list-articles (listicles)Report on trends or eventsHere are some additional ideas to get the cogs turning in your brainHow to Secure Guest Posts on Big Publications (WSJ, Forbes & HuffPo) by Sujan PatelHow I Wrote for Fast Company, Copyblogger,& Entrepreneur by Aaron Orendorff10. Partner With Other BusinessesTeamwork is always more effective than singular effort, and combining resources with another business can help you do things you could never accomplish on your own.It’s typically best to target companies in your local area, even if your clientele isn’t local. Your goal is to work out a complementary arrangement that provides mutual benefit for both businesses.Some joint venture examples include:A PPC agency could partner with a CRO agency to refer clients to each other.A coffee shop could offer free coffee vouchers to a plumbing company’s customers.A marketing company could partner with an accounting firm to recommend each other’s services during new client onboarding.A beauty therapist could offer free manicures for a hair stylist’s clients.There is really no limit to what’s possible. Simply identify crossover in your audience and a non-competitor’s audience and then find a way to tap into that crossover in a mutually beneficial way.Sound interesting? Good! Check these additional links outWhy Small Businesses Should Partner Up With Other Brands by Web Smith5 Tips To Partnering Alongside A Business For The First Time by Deborah Sweeney11. Speak At EventsIn terms of branding and establishing yourself as an authority, few things are more impactful than being a speaker at popular events in your niche.While invitations to speak at larger events are often extended as a result of accomplishments or visible influence, you can also work your way into these opportunities by becoming a talented speaker and delivering great talks at smaller events.Or you can simply use it as another marketing channel, by speaking at some of these types of events:Local clubs – think Rotary, Lion’s, Chamber of Commerce.Business networking groups.Specific interest clubs (photography, hiking, sewing, etc.)Browse local events on Eventbrite and We are what we do | Meetup.Schools.Churches.Check events in your local newspaper and magazines.Big companies and their employees.Be prepared, and treat every event like a big deal.And finally, the last couple of additional reading linksHow To Start Speaking At Events by Chris BroganWhy I Get Invited to Speak at Events (And How You Can Too) by Rohit BhargavaAt the end of the day, what’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander — you’ll need to do a proper business audit (based on your customer demographics) to determine whether any of these suggestions will be a fit for your business, but my guess is yes.Your answers from your evaluation should lead you to at least 4 of the strategies mentioned in this answer.Good luck!

There are many different strategies to drive traffic to a blog or website. One that I prefer is by focusing on keywords. By doing so, you can attract the right kind of traffic, the kind that sticks around. And even better, the kind that can become paying customers.Search engines aren’t the only source of targeted visitors, but effectively targeting long tail keywords in your content can greatly increase your monthly search visitors.I’ve generated 173,336 qualified visitors from long-tail keyword phrases in the past year - a 91% increase.Your long-tail keywords may not rank in Google’s top 10 results and it’s true that 60% of all organic clicks go to the top 3 search results, but that still leaves 40% up for grabs.If you consistently publish in-depth content around long tail keywords, you’ll see an increase in search traffic, attract paying customers and grow your brand.Now that you know the potential impact of long-tail key phrases on your site growth, let’s dive in and learn how to sustain that organic traffic.I would like to cover the following four topics in my response:How to research long-tail keywordsCase studies on long-tail keywordsRanking elements for long-tail keywordsTools to help you pick the right long-tail keywords1. How to research long-tail keywordsMany people think that keyword research is no longer important. But, that’s not true; keyword tools are essential. In fact, research - particularly of long-tail keywords - can help you craft the kind of content that engages and inspires readers.A research study by Statista shows that successful on-page optimization requires 50% of your focus to be on long-tail keywords. This is because readers conduct a long tail search when serious about a topic.One of the questions I get asked weekly is: “How long should a long-tail keyword be?” And, my answer has always been “four keywords or more.” The longer the keyword, the easier it is for you to rank well for that keyword.Here are some examples of good long-tail keywords in the fitness niche:To research your own long-tail keywords, follow these simple steps:Step #1: Start with seed keywords. Let’s assume that you want to target the keyword “copywriting.” To find long-tail variations on that seed keyword, go to the Google Keyword Planner and type in copywriting. Then, scroll down and click “Get ideas.”Step #2: Click on the keywords tab to show all of the keywords related to copywriting.Step #3: Look for the most relevant in-demand keywords. Make sure that the keyword you selected is relevant, because you’ll be expanding on it for longer variations.Step #4: Copy one of the keywords highlighted in red above and plug it into the search box for long-tail variations.Note: To generate up to 50 long-tail versions, follow these three simple steps:Step one: Visit 7search and click on the Advertisers tab.Step two: Click the “enter your keywords” tab to continue.Step three: Enter your keywords - e.g., SEO tips - then click the green button.Step four: Identify long tail keywords.seo tip important page top titleseo tip important page topseo tip important pageNote: To use these keywords for a piece of content, write a single piece and use each long tail keyword for your subtitle and bullet points.Understand long-tail keyword intent: The intent behind any particular keyword is much more important than the keyword itself. According to Tom Fanelli, “when you think about intent, good keywords will follow.” Your content will improve as a result.Long-tail keywords that address the need of the searcher or solve a definite problem will most likely rank well on Google, compared to similar head keywords.When you use a keyword strategy, don’t be perturbed by Google’s algorithm changes. Focus on what really matters and you’re golden, says Search Engine Land.Customers who type descriptive key phrases (long-tail) are generally more qualified than those who type head keywords or short tail phrases. As a result, the conversion rates are higher for long-tail keywords, as compared to head keywords.But, most customers aren’t ready to buy yet. Some prefer to browse, while others want to learn about the product before placing their order. What buying cycle does your keyword fall into?If consumers haven’t made up their mind to purchase, they’ll probably search for “informational keywords.”Examples:how to lose weight workoutssearch engine optimization tipsmake money online with no moneymake money on the internet freefree ebook downloadtop 10 free plugins for WordPressHowever, when searchers are ready to buy, they use keywords displaying commercial intent.Examples:survival knife reviewbuy fire TVweight loss programsCommercial keywords usually contain certain prefixes (words that appear before) or suffixes (words that appear after), which modify or qualify the long tail keywords. Small business owners would do well to learn the buy words. Here are some of the popular ones:BuyReviewPurchaseDiscountCouponDealShippingOrderYou’ll usually find both informational and commercial intent keywords in your research. With consistency, you can improve your search ranking by targeting the keywords with useful and detailed content. Here’s an example:2. Long-tail Keywords Case StudiesSo many bloggers and website owners are now taking full advantage of long-tail key phrases as their foremost keyword tool, because these search terms are low hanging fruit - easier to reach and pick. Long-tail SEO is all about filling a void, answering a question and helping search users save time.Case study #1: In 2013, Michael Aagaard wrote a detailed post about call-to-action examples.Within a short time, that page started ranking in the #2 position in Google SERPs. The page continues to get over 1,000 visitors per month from the search engine.The screenshot below shows the monthly traffic from a single long-tail search term (“call to action examples”):Case study #2: Tresnic Media increased their website traffic by almost 438% and then by 1,000%, in eight weeks, through blogging.They published 50 highly valuable blog posts, each targeting a long-tail search query. Google recognized and rewarded them with high rankings and improved search traffic.Case study #3: Tamal Anwar also increased his search rankings and daily traffic by targeting longer variations of certain keywords.He now generates 80-90% of his monthly visitors from search engines, as a direct result of writing highly useful content on trending topics.Case study #4: Marcus Sheridan, founder of River Pools and Spas, wrote an in-depth blog post targeting the keyword “problems with fiberglass pools.”Even though he’s not ranking #1 for the head keyword (fiberglass pools), this single web page ranks #1 in Google for the long-tail keyword. It also generated over 5,000 views when it was published.Currently, my goal is to build this blog to 100,000 monthly visitors. In February, this blog generated 46,134 visitors and I know it’ll definitely increase in March.Some of the in-depth articles that I wrote in the last four months rank highly in Google results. For example, I targeted a long-tail search term (how to write email subject lines) in October. Check out my current search ranking position:Some of the benefits of targeting visitors using a long tail search are:1). Boost your search rankings: On average, Google’s top result gets 36.4% of the clicks. But, that leaves a lot of traffic up for grabs.Spend your time crafting the best content possible for your target audience, then promote it to the right people. You can even repurpose your content, so that people will continue to benefit from it. This is a good small business time management strategy since the content already exists and search engines give it positive results.If you’re struggling to achieve good rankings in search results, there could be any one of 13 reasons why that’s happening. One of the most common reasons is duplicate content on your site. To resolve that problem, either remove the duplicate content or make it unique.Once that has been done, focus on your audience. Write content that solves their problems and optimize it properly for search. Instead of focusing on long-tail key phrases just for the fun of it, focus on user intent.On-page keyword usage is still one of the major ranking factors for content and it can’t be ignored in today’s SEO.That’s where easy rankings lie. It doesn’t matter how competitive a long-tail keyword is; if users are happy after reading your content, watching your video or listening to your podcast, they’ll be happy to share it.Get more search visitors: At the end of February 2014, I was surprised to learn that my blog had attracted 238,195 search visitors. 100% of them came from long-tail keywords.Since user intent is more important than the keyword itself, Google will reward you with more search volume, as long as your content is helpful. For example, let’s say the long-tail keyword you’re targeting is:weight loss guides for beginnersAs you write and publish detailed articles of at least 2,000 words, you’ll gradually start showing up in Google for related long-tail search terms, such as:best weight loss guides for beginnersbeginners weight loss guidesfree weight loss guides for beginnersdownload weight loss guidesAnd so on…So, to reiterate: when you start ranking for several related long-tail key terms, your search traffic will increase.Ogio Golf Bags gets lots of organic search volume from more than 50 search queries. But, the author (a friend of mine) targets less than ten long-tail keywords.Some of the long-tail keywords that are performing well for him are:3). Improved conversion rate: SEO and CRO play well together. When you target that low-hanging fruit, your conversion rate will definitely improve.Everything has to work together. That includes your content, site load time, call-to-action etc. Everything is important, because on-site conversion begins from site design.Search users usually convert across different industries. But, as Marketing Sherpa noted, you have to focus on the most effective keywords for each stage of the buying cycle.In other words, make sure that your landing page is designed with the user in mind. Otherwise, nothing else will matter - not even your content.G3 Group increased their conversion rate by 14%. They used a blend of SEO and PPC and they now average about 5-10 qualified requests per day. This shows that targeting longer variations of profitable keywords on both free and paid search increases your conversion rate.Alex Cooper was faced with the challenge of attracting a national audience to its shopping site. Of course, if you only ship goods within your own country, there is no need to target a global audience.But, as soon as Alex Cooper researched long-tail key phrases and created useful content around them, the site began getting more traffic from over 500 keywords. Most importantly, the company reduced its PPC spending by 50%.Take Me Fishing focused on content optimization, which increased their traffic by almost 1,000%. The site began ranking #1 in Google for a profitable and in-demand keyword, “best fishing spots.” They also reduced the site’s bounce rate and enjoyed an increase of 946% in organic traffic, year over year.Long-tail keywords myth: Since the release of Google Hummingbird, many people have been laboring under misconceptions about keywords. Some even advised against keyword research.I’ve shared several success stories from individuals and corporate sites that increased their search rankings and traffic, simply by focusing on long-tail key phrases.However, there are still some SEO myths that you should ignore:i). Myth 1: Target long-tail keywords only. A typical keyword that your target audience is searching for usually comes in two variations: short tail and long tail keywords.If you over-optimize for either of these keywords, you risk getting penalized by Google. Next thing you know, your traffic trend starts looking like this:Another problem is the excessive use of either type of keyword as anchor text. Focusing on just the longer keyword variations in your content is an SEO myth.Of course, if you include content built on long-tail keywords, based on user intent and designed to help your reader instead of on manipulating your rankings, you won’t have to worry about Google Panda or Penguin updates.The major reason why you should target short tail keywords, in addition to long-tail key phrases, is because the longer the keywords, the lower the search volume. Especially for a small business, search volume is branding and good content will bring those visitors back when they are ready with a long tail search phrase.This also means that it’s going to take a lot of time before you see significant results in both traffic and rankings.ii). Myth 2: Always use the exact long-tail keywords in your headline - This advice may seem harmless, but it’s not the best approach. Sure, there are several benefits to targeting this type of key term, but there are also drawbacks.Be exceedingly mindful of what you add to your headlines. They’re the first thing that users see and they’re what motivate or discourage clicks.The rule of thumb is this: If you research and discover a keyword that flows smoothly and naturally when you read it, then feel free to use it in your headline. Otherwise, it can result in keyword stuffing and a low-quality content penalty.For example, these keywords flow smoothly:buy kindle fire hdaffordable NY SEO expertYou can use these keywords in your headlines. For instance:Buy a Kindle Fire HD: 5 Things You Should KnowWhere To Buy a Kindle Fire HD and Get Free ShippingHow To Find An Affordable NY SEO ExpertHow to Hire an Affordable NY SEO Expert In Your CityIn contrast, the keywords below look spammy and should not be used in your headlines:Kindle fire hd buy free shippingSEO expert NY affordableThe above keywords have commercial intent, but they don’t look or sound natural at all. If you add them exactly as they appear in your headline, you’ll confuse users and chase them away. You could even get a Google penalty.iii). Myth 3: Long-tail key phrases are less expensive - Most PPC advertisers think this is true, but it’s not necessarily so. Dig deeper and you might find some expensive long-tail phrases.Even SEO experts know that most keywords and search phrase that fall into this category are expensive and take time to improve your organic rankings.In the same way, the suggested bid on most long-tail search queries is very high, because of the perceived value, demand and intent behind the search.Bottom line: SEO is a long-term practice for small business. Don’t expect sudden overnight increases in rankings and organic traffic. However, it's possible to achieve tremendous search results in a matter of weeks.For example, Brian Dean increased his search traffic by 110% in just 14 days. Of course, social sharing, trusted inbound links and editorial citations contributed to this huge success. But, the most important factor was the quality of his content.iv). Myth 4: You should aim to be on the first page of Google results. Even though SEOs, bloggers, website owners and content marketers want that #1 Google ranking for their most profitable keywords, that’s just not a good goal to adopt. It’s not an actionable metric.In fact, in today’s SEO, it’s possible to grab that #1 position and still not generate enough clicks, leads and sales.There is really just one reason why most headlines aren’t clicked: the headline doesn’t inspire searchers to click.Headlines not clickable: Getting users to click your link on those result pages is crucial. If your headline doesn’t inspire search users to click it and visit your site, you’re doomed.Headlines that begin with “How to” or that contain a number tend to get more clicks, all things being equal (assuming the link is on the first page of search results).For example, let’s review two headlines. Both target the same users. And, they are currently sitting in the #1 and #2 positions, respectively.Be honest: if you knew someone suffering from arthritis in the hand and you wanted to help them find the right solution, which of these headlines would you click?The first search result isn’t clickable - but the second is. Optimizing your content to captivate people and appeal to their emotions is the best SEO approach regardless of a short tail or long tail search.When your headlines don’t inspire, people won’t click. Or, sometimes they might decide to click, but quickly click the back button, in order to check out the catchy headline that’s attracting them.When that happens, your rankings will gradually drop, because Google will conclude that users aren’t satisfied with your content.Note: A great headline catches people’s attention, but it can also motivate you to write in-depth content. It can even give you ideas for subtitles, bullet points and calls-to-action that are great for any long tail search.Finally, write your headlines in sentence case. Don’t capitalize every word and don’t write in lower case. Research shows that 64% of search users will respond to relevant headlines that are written in sentence case.Sentence case doesn't look like this:It looks like this:3. Long-tail Ranking ElementsIn this section, we’ll discover the important elements that will give your long-tail keywords a boost in the search engines.When users type a particular keyword or search phrase into the box, Google uses up to 200 factors to determine how relevant, useful and authoritative your content page is for the given term, before ranking it.According to Inforza, “93% of online experiences begin with a search engine.” This means that even before your users get fully involved with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, they’ll use a search engine first.Let’s review some of the core elements that will get you top rankings when you target long-tail keywords:Keyword-rich HeadlinesInternal LinkingTrusted LinksSocial Engagement1). Keyword-rich headlines: Front-load your headline with relevant keywords. Most people scan the first two words of your headline to determine whether or not it’s relevant to what they’re looking for.For example, the most shared content relating to the keyword “monetize a blog,” had the keyword or a variation of it before any other significant word.I write keyword-rich headlines and this has contributed to over 100,000 monthly visitors to all of my blogs. I also grew the KISSmetrics blog from 0 to 350,000 blog readers per month with this strategy.Let’s write some clickable and keyword-rich headlines, using some of the long-tail key phrases below:The search terms are:Making money from homeStay at home jobsHow to make extra moneya). Headlines for making money from home:Making Money From Home: 5 Steps You Should TakeHow Making Money From Home Is Possible in 3 Steps7 Tips For Making Money From Home That Workb). Headlines for stay at home jobs:The Top 5 Stay at Home Jobs That PayStay at Home Jobs: How to Get Started in 15 Minutes10 Stay at Home Jobs That Pay Every Weekc). Headlines for how to make extra money:How to Make Extra Money With Affiliate MarketingHow to Make Extra Money to Pay Your Monthly BillsAnother approach is to find a very popular article with thousands of social shares and improve it by making it your own.This is how to do it:Step #1: Go to Buzzsumo. Type in the keyword (e.g., social media strategies) that you want to use for your headline. Then click “Go.”Step #2: Analyze your results and pick headlines that you can improve.The headlines that we want to make keyword-rich are:The Top 15 Social Media Marketing Strategy Mistakes to AvoidHow to Build a Content Strategy Using a Social Media AuditFrom the main keyword (social media strategies), you can tell that neither headline above is really targeting it.More so, the user intent isn’t accounted for. People who are searching for the given keyword are probably looking for ways to promote their online business through social media marketing. They don’t want to audit their site or discover social media mistakes.So, let’s make the headlines keyword-rich, relevant, clickable and sharable. Remember our target keyword is: social media strategies.Original headline: The Top 15 Social Media Marketing Strategy Mistakes to AvoidFresh headlines:Social Media Strategies: How to Attract Buyers Through Social Media MarketingTop 10 Social Media Strategies For Lead Generation That WorkThe Exact Social Media Strategies I Used to Increase Conversion Rate By 382%Original headline: How to Build a Content Strategy Using a Social Media AuditJust-created headlines:How to Use My Proven Social Media Strategies to Improve Your SalesSocial Media Strategies: My Foolproof Twitter Marketing TechniquesCaution: Avoid keyword stuffing. How? When you use a keyword in your headline, make sure that you limit its usage in the body. Your keyword density should be less than 1%. Focus on helping people, not manipulating search rankings.2). Internal linking: The second element that will help you succeed at long tail keyword targeting is internal linking. Internal links are usually hyperlinks that point to web pages on the same domain.Pay attention to what’s happening within your site, because that’s something that you can completely control. That’s also why Google looks seriously at the links pointing to your internal and archive pages.What makes Wikipedia the #1 content site in the world? It’s diligent about linking to internal pages, no matter what the subject.The above article on Wikipedia links to over 50 other pages. Linking to important pages on the same domain heats up the page and passes more juice or value to it.When you consistently link to internal pages in your content, Google will assume that you care about user experience. That’s important, because there is virtually no single piece of content that will address every question your user is asking related to one initial search phrase.By linking to your already-published articles, you’re meeting your user’s expectations and engaging them. And, the more links they click, the more time they’ll spend on your site - thus increasing the authority of your site.In summary, here’s how to do internal linking:Link to other relevant content pages. For example, if your new article is about Twitter marketing, you could link to previous articles on Facebook marketing or articles related to social media tools.Add breadcrumbs to make navigating your internal links easier for your user.Make sure the pages you’re linking to are unique and helpful. This is really important. Google hates duplicate content.Link to the entire web page, not just an image to increase search volume. If you want to use an image or a screenshot that you’ve used before, don’t just link to the image URL. Rather, use the page’s URL.Vary your anchor text. Excessive use of exact match anchor text could get you into trouble. So, if you were to link to an internal page that has a particular keyword (e.g., starting a blog) in the title and URL, you don’t have to use that key term as your anchor text.Suggestions for anchor text for links to your web page on “starting a blog” are:benefits of bloggingstart a blog with WordPresshow to start a business blogblogblog installationFurther study:The Seven Commandments of Internal Linking to Improve SEOThe Epic Guide to Anchor Text9 Best Practices for SEO and Internal Links3). Trusted links: Links are still the currency of the web. Of course, it’s possible to increase your search traffic and rankings without building links, but you have to be patient and your content has to be high quality, trending and helpful.In today’s SEO, there are two factors that you should look out for, when building links: Domain Authority and Page Authority.Here are simple steps to determine both for any site:Step #1: Download the Mozbar add-on and install it. It works well on both Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers.Step #2: Activate your MozBar (just click the “M” icon at the top right hand side) and go to Google.Note: Once you click the “M” icon, it changes from gray to blue.Step #3: Type your headline into the search box. Check the DA and PA of the top ranking web pages..These web pages have trusted links, because the DA and PA are very high. If you still want to compete against these authority web pages, you could work to get natural links from the sites that gave them their trusted links. The best strategy is guest blogging and blogger outreach.So, how can you pinpoint the sites that they generated their links from?Follow these simple steps:Step one: Click on one of the search results.Step two: Copy the URL as it appears in the browser.Step three: Visit Moz Open Site Explorer. Paste the URL that you copied into the search box. Click search.Step four: Identify the linking domains and their domain authority.There are several sites that accept guest posts, but consider their authority in the search engines, too. Personally, I wouldn’t guest blog on any blog that doesn’t rank pretty highly for my target or long-tail keywords.Further study:How I Became the #23 of Guest BloggingHow to Find Authority Websites and Get Links From Them4). Social engagement: More than ever before, social signals are important SEO factors. Your target audience usually spends more time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest than they do on other sites. So, you have to involve them in your content to increase search volume.Social signals don’t improve your search rankings directly, but they do lead to engagement which helps your rankings. They also reduce bounce rate, send quality links back to your internal web pages and pass link juice to your pages.When Moz published their Beginner’s Guide to SEO, Smashing Magazine tweeted it out to over 160,000 followers.Within a short time, both rankings and organic traffic improved. In fact, the keyword “Beginner’s guide” started showing up on the first page of Google results.Since your headline usually appears above-the-fold, remember to use long-tail keywords in your headline. Also, use strong call-to-action instructions below-the-fold, because that’s where 65.7% of engagement happens.Further study:26 Ways To Create Social Engagement With Your ContentHow Big Brands Build Social Engagements4. Long-tail Keyword Research ToolsManual SEO is a waste of time. You don’t have to build links with fancy tools, but you can research keywords and track ranking positions with helpful SEO tools.There are 4 important metrics that you should track with SEO software tools:Since our goal is to generate more monthly search visitors through long-tail traffic, we need tools that will make the work easier.Some of the tools that you can use to research long-tail keywords very quickly are:i). Ubersuggest: This simple keyword tool will hack different suggestion services and deliver easy-to-rank key phrases and headline ideas. If you’re stuck on what to write about or the exact key phrase to target, Ubersuggest can help.Just type your seed keyword (e.g., small business growth) into the search box and click “select.”ii). Keyword Tool: 750+ Google Keyword Suggestions for Free. Use 192 Google Domains & 83 Languages: You can get up to 750 long-tail variations of your keywords for free with this SEO tool. Just visit the homepage, input your primary keyword (e.g., car spray paint) and click the orange search button.Here are the results that you’ll get:iii). Google Adwords Keyword Planner: Google’s own tool is reliable and has close to a 68% market share. This means that more searches are conducted on their search engine and stored in a secure database. It's hard to argue against the master's keyword tool; they have the search data.I recently discovered a simple way to use Google's keyword planner to generate longer keyword variations. The trick is to type in a question-based keyword.For example, if you want to rank your web pages for profitable keywords related to marketing automation, type “what is the best marketing automation software” in Google’s keyword planner.Here are the long tail keywords that you can target in your content:iv). Google related & auto-suggest: I’ve used auto-suggest as a rudimentary keyword tool to find keywords that helped me gain 200,000 monthly visitors. As simple as it is, it works effectively.Another option, besides the above tools, is to use regular Google search as a keyword tool. Just type in your keyword and you’ll get relevant and less competitive long-tail keywords:Also, scroll down the search results page to find any related search phrase at the bottom.Note: Hittail is another premium keyword tool that I use frequently to research short tail and long tail keywords.. But, if you want to gauge your results first, without making an investment, then the free research tools above will do.ConclusionSome SEOs claim that there are under-the-radar secrets for improving your search rankings and traffic.But, I’ve been targeting long-tail keywords in my blog posts, video courses and advanced guides. This search phrase strategy works.Always remember that the main reason to conduct keyword research isn’t to manipulate search engines into ranking your web page. Instead, you want to understand what your target audience is looking for, what questions keep them up at night and what they’re thinking when they use Google search.It all boils down to creating useful content for your users, so that they’ll be satisfied and share it with others. That’s how SEO and social shares work together to increase your sales through long-tail traffic.