Long tail hubs

1. 60

   Mark Ewbieposted 14 years ago

   I've read a lot about this without really understanding it. I did some research this morning (Google - 30 seconds worth) and came up with possums, rats, snakes and some species of lemur.
   
   I could probably write about possums, just love their little cute whatevers, but don't want to be wasting my time if there are longer tails available.
   
   Maybe an experienced hubber would know more about this.

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2. 68

   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   LOL! Yup. I'm sure possums would be a hit!!!
   
   possums
   possums at night
   possums at night in Europe
   possums at night in Europe that wear black sweaters
   possums at night in Europe that wear black sweaters and hats
   
   See the long tail developing? Long tail keywords are just those that are much more specific. They may not get as much traffic as, say, "possums," but you stand a better chance of ranking for them.

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      Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Ah. Explained beatifully.  I thought the long tail meant it lasted longer - I suppose it terms of being an open ended search.
      
      Anyway. Possums it is.  Now where's my Wiki link?

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         Reality Bytesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Do some old fashioned possum stew, roast and broiled hubs.
         
         Cooking and recipe hubs are popular?

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            Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Lol 2 u 2.

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   2. 84

      Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      There is also the surfer to consider.
      
      Intelligent searchers use the least words possible for their first search and then add words if they don't get the right results.  Naive searchers use long English sentences.
      
      Guess which group is more likely to click on ads?  Ayup, the English sentence people.
      
      The dumber the sentence, the more likely the click. Of course you don't want dumb sentences in your page, but the closer you can come, the better the results.  Not a politically correct statement, but it has a lot of truth in it.
      
      So, a really good long tail might be
      
      "Where can I find some cute pictures of possums wearing clothes and funny hats?"
      
      We have a winner!

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         lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Nice, PCUnix! I never really thought about that aspect of it. Thanks!

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         Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, thanks as always PC for putting it into words I can understand.

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3. 60

   JR Whiteposted 14 years ago

   A possum recipe might be another avenue of income for Hubbers because I've heard that the New Zealand government subsidizes businesses that can figure out how to reduce the possum population.

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   1. 91

      CMHypnoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You can also get gloves, hats, socks etc made from possum fur in NZ - they are really warm and cosy!

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      1. 60

         Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah guys, thanks very much, but I was thinking more of a marketing piece for selling some plush toy possums.  Not really looking to freak out the crucial child market pre Xmas with pictures of boiled possums, gloves, etc.

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         1. 91

            CMHypnoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I think that you have got the wrong idea of the possum gloves and socks Mark - they knit the fur, so they look just like fine woollen socks but are much warmer.

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            1. 75

               Karandaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               But they still have to kill the possum don't they? I was told it's not like shearing a sheep but gee, I have a possum sweater and it is the most treasured piece of clothing in my wardrobe, soft, oh so soft, light yet warm. The moths love it too, so I have to keep it protected in plastic.

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4. 68

   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   Now who could find a cute furry little possum scary?
   
   
   
   

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   1. 60

      Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh.  I've never seen a real one, I thought they were cute.  I was thinking more along the lines of this...
      
      
      
      
      
      No wonder you guys don't mind making hats out of them.  Any animal that ugly deserves to be eaten.

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      1. 61

         KristenGraceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Wow.  I think I've stumbled upon the wrong forum post...

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5. 60

   CYBERSUPEposted 14 years ago

   I think I did as well Kristen.

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   1. 61

      KristenGraceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      haha

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6. 67

   Research Analystposted 14 years ago

   Since your goal is to sell possum toys then that is where you would start with your keyword search:
   
   possum toys
   stuffed possum toy
   little possum toys
   toy possum
   possum stuffed toys
   
   
   Also it looks like the technical name is opossum, then you will also need to use that in the title as well in your content.
   
   opossum toys
   opossum toy
   opssum pictures
   opossum facts
   plush opossum
   
   
   Then you can also add the words, cheap, best value, deals, gifts to your main keyword.

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   1. 60

      Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Research Analyst.  I have to confess that wasn't my goal when I started the query this morning but it looks like it's possums (and opossums) for me from now on...

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7. 67

   Research Analystposted 14 years ago

   Also Mark it is easier if you know what your end goal is before you start your keyword research, because with possums they can be:
   
   a pet
   a toy
   a health risk
   a food item
   a piece of clothing
   or a research paper
   
   So you first want to be clear on what it is you want to accomplish:
   
   Ask yourself some questions;  are you trying to sell something, provide How-To information, or be a resource.
   
   Once this is clear you will be able to reach the "right" audience for your content.

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   1. 60

      Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Fantastic stuff Research Analyst.  I have some learning to do.
      
      I hadn't really thought this through enough. Up till now I've just thrown bits of half concocted garbage on a page to see what would stick.  I can see now there is a lot more to selling plush possums than I could have imagined.
      
      If, and it's a big if getting bigger all the time, I were to continue this possum lunacy, I was wondering if it would be better to create a new ID - perhaps a Mainey Ward from Aspen - a grandmother who has been collecting possums since she was a child and is now doing Hubpage stuff to help fund her nephew through college.  This might also tie in with the possum pie ideas - traditional recipes, and I suppose even the clothing lines.
      
      PCUnix was ight. You can get some great ideas from the forums.

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8. 67

   Research Analystposted 14 years ago

   Another thing I thought I would share is that not all hubs are created equal for instance there are:
   
   Money Hubs
   Hubs for Backlinks
   Traffic Hubs
   Hubs for Branding
   
   
   So even after you pick your niche, do your keyword research and know who your target audience will be its necessary to determine if your writing for money, backlinks, traffic or to brand yourself.
   
   
   Money hubs are ones where you optimize your content to earn from eBay, adsense, kontera, amazon etc. So you will write in a way that provides information but just enough to keep the reader wanting more so they will click thru an related ad.
   
   Hubs for backlinks are ones that you write just to get other content that you have offpage to rank, so you will use a related keyword as your anchor text to link to your website, blog, articles, or affiliate product landing page.
   
   Traffic hubs are ones where you write just to get traffic not necessarily to make any money for instance many of the hot models pics, gamer codes, famous quotes and celebrity gossip hubs will bring in lots of traffic.
   
   Hubs for branding are ones where you are a fiction writer and you want to self publish your own book for the literary world, so you will use your hubs for story telling and to let readers see your skill so as to brand yourself as a fiction author.
   
   I am sure there are many other types of hubs that can be written but these are the ones I have noticed.

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   1. 60

      Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks again!  I hope others find this as useful as I do.
      
      Irohner and PCUnix - the tail thing that you showed me.  I might want to do a hub using that stuff or similar - would it be ok?  I'd put a reference (link?) to your profiles - with the traffic I am getting (2 hits a day, 1 if you exclude my spell check revisits) that's got to be worth something.

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      1. 60

         Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Er. I did the hub anyway. Assumed it would be OK. Sue me if not.

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         1. 84

            Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, we have decided to sue.  Irohner wanted me to fly over and beat you up, which would be fine if you really look like your icon, but for all I know you are big and muscular and I'm old and not as fast as I used to be.
            
            Beside that, I don't have a passport, so that would be more darn expense which, combined with the humiliation of not being able to dominate you physically, might be too much to bear.
            
            So we are suing. Not for money. We haven't figured out for WHAT yet, but we'll let you know, OK?

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            1. 60

               Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I'm laughing. But slightly nervously.
               
               I'll change anything you want me to. I'm not a man of principles.

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               1. 84

                  Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  And you think I am???
                  
                  

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                  1. 60

                     Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     Still laughing.
                     
                     I tell you what Mr. Unix, if I get to 100 then Hubpages loses any semblance of credibility.

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                        Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        You will.
                        
                        Seriously.  Sooner than you think.

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                        1. 60

                           Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Well, it's Google hits that would really make my day.
                           
                           btw - I'm a follower now.  I know you don't like the reciprocal thing but I just like to know what you are up to.  Especially after the suing thing.

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                           1. 84

                              Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              Many people have said that I "need to be watched".
                              
                              That was long before I ever wrote stuff on-line, though.

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9. 68

   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   I'd worry more about PCUnix flying over there than getting sued, Mark. You just don't know what he's hiding under that colorful little wig.

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      Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Fair point, but he'll never get that hat through customs.

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         Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Yeah, like a short turkey and a stick man would get through security checks either.

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            lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Didn't you know? Turkeys are very popular this time of year.

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            1. 84

               Pcunixposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Yes.  I'm looking forward to Friday (we do it then - it's just easier on everybody and also avoids some husband-wife difficulties by letting them attend both sides of the family).

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            2. 60

               Mark Ewbieposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Lol guys - its bedtime over here. C'ya.

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10. 68

    lrohnerposted 14 years ago

    Night Mark.
    
    PCUnix -- I'm doing the same thing this year for the first time, only we're going to wait until Sunday so everyone has time to digest the Thursday meal. It's just SO much easier than all the kids trying to cram all family from all sides into one day.

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11. 84

    Pcunixposted 14 years ago

    By the way, just as a matter of historical interest, it was Google that made long tail search possible.
    
    Back in the day, Yahoo was THE search engine.  A few geeks like me had started using Google, but most folks used Yahoo and thought it was cool beans (they though "cool beans" was cool beans back then too).
    
    A fellow named Red had a website and he and I were talking about the value of Yahoo vs. Google.  Red was a confirmed Yahoo searcher and could not see why I thought Google was better, so I showed him.
    
    I went to his website and picked out a very short phrase from a story he had there. It was something about a drink he liked to mix up for parties and had given a special name.  The phrase was something like "Red's Romping Randy Mahito Recipe" - not that, only because I can't remember now so many years later, but like that.
    
    I had him type it into Yahoo. No results.
    
    I had him type it into Google.  One match - his website.
    
    He looked at me like I had shown him a magic trick.  In away, I had, because nobody but Google could do that kind of thing then.
    
    Of course Red became a Googler and told everybody he knew that they should dump Yahoo and use Google. All across the world, this little lesson was being repeated and eyebrows shot up and people dumped Yahoo.
    
    Long tail search really was what made Google's fortune.

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