July 7, 2016: As marketers, we’d love our content to get tons of traffic, jump to the top of the SERPs, and be widely shared on Twitter, Facebook et al.
But experienced content marketers know that most of the best-written, best researched articles they create don’t make much of a wave on the web. Instead of going viral they scroll off the web’s stream of consciousness and disappear into “the long tail” – a place where, even after being indexed by Google, they’ll likely receive only one or two accesses a month (if that).
Isn’t long-tail content “failed” content?
Sure, everybody likes “hits,” and by this standard content that scrolls into the long tail without being recognized or retweeted is a failure. At the same time, however, focusing too narrowly on “hits” may lead to us underestimating the value of long-tail content whose benefit, over time, adds up and compounds over time.
Seth Godin – who knows a thing or two about marketing, had this to say about what he calls “drip” content (content whose primary purpose is to disseminate ideas – on a one to one basis – to people who matter to the marketer):
The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have enough to play with. Ignore your investors that want proven tactics and predictable instant results. Listen instead to your real customers, to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that’s how long it’s going to take, guys.
Most of us will never be as active as Godin (who’s authored thousands of posts on his blog over nearly a decade). Nor do many of us enjoy the luxury of being able to ignore the investors, bosses, and review committees responsible for paying – or not paying – our salaries. The metrics by which our efforts will be judged are short-term and unforgiving, we strive for hits, and are disappointed when our content doesn’t immediately connect with its proper audiences.
Why long-tail content matters
But “long tail content” can deliver for the marketer, although in a far less spectacular way than a viral hit. Here’s why:
1. Long-tail searches matter. It’s no secret that competition for organic real estate has grown steeper as this real estate has been reduced over time. For certain commercial key phrases, organic content might be said to begin on page 2 of the Google SERP. Articles that could have become “hits” a few years back through rapid link acquisition are more likely destined for the long tail today. But for a specialized business – say a B2B – there may be nothing wrong with having a listing on Page 2 or even beyond, because the kind of searcher this marketer is trying to attract is a “due diligence searcher:” one taking the time and care to thoroughly research a high-consideration purchase. Crafting “evergreen” articles catering to this kind of long-tail search behavior can provide a steady flow of relevant, targeted traffic over time.
2. Long-tail content can be revived. A lot of content created by marketers is concerned with best practices that do not change a lot as time passes. An article on, say, multi-channel strategy will be just as current in 2016 as it was in 2014 (although the channels may have shifted). A good article that has filed to gain wide readership with its target audience is best regarded as an opportunity for revival, often at minimal editorial cost. Such an article will be “new” to those who didn’t read it on its first go round. Unlike printed content, web-based content is designed to be revised!
3. Long-tail content creates cross-link opportunities. Having an inventory of relevant articles in your content library lets you link internally, rather than send PageRank outside your domain. For example, if you’ve written an article on RankBrain, and you mention “Rankbrain” in one of your posts, link to your own stuff instead of Wikipedia or a 3rd party site. Cross-linking is a safe, SEO-effective tactic that’s enabled by long-tail content.
4. Even with the best personas, one never truly knows what will become popular. Even with the best planning, it’s impossible to predict the exact response an article will get and from whom. We’ve been surprised at Didit a few times by the content that – for reasons we never anticipated – became popular over time with an audience we hadn’t known even existed. While this audience only partially overlapped with our main personas, it was quality traffic that was worth having.
So yes, we all want our articles to connect, find their ideal audiences, and to be accepted and loved. When this fails to happen, we mourn, but shouldn’t wallow in sorrow. Because one never knows when one of those long-forgotten articles – like a forgotten tripwire left in the forest – delivers exactly the right person with exactly the right problem that can be solved by the marketer.
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