Using the Long Tail to Market Your Junk Removal Business

Are you targeting the right keywords for your junk removal business?

After re-launching JunkTrashRemoval.com last week, we have been working aggressively on signing up new junk removers throughout Florida. This week, over 24 junk removal listings in Florida have been secured. While talking to many haulers about search engine optimization (SEO), I’ve noticed a few misconceptions about what junk removal SEO is and how it can improve customer conversions.

Many of the conversations I have had this week go something like this:

Me: Hello, this is Damien from JunkTrashRemoval.com in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Junk Remover: How can I help you?

Me: We're working on creating an independent junk removal business directory, where the junk removers are manually verified, insured and licensed. We also provide a search engine optimized page with your direct phone number, a customer feedback form and an expertly managed PPC campaign. Would you be interested in having your business listed on an exclusive city page of your choice?

Junk Remover: Sure, but do you rank for junk removal (insert city here)?

Me: Well sometimes, it depends on how you’re searching for junk removal.

At which point, I go on to explain the long tail of search and why focusing on one key phase is the wrong way to go about marketing their junk removal business online.

What is the Long Tail of search engine marketing?

The long tail is a term famously coined by Chris Anderson, the author of the Long Tail, The, Revised and Updated Edition: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More.

Simply put, the total amount of low volume search terms exceeds the amount of high volume search terms. Long tail search terms are usually four, five, or six keywords in length and users who type these terms in typically are deeper in the buying funnel, thus more likely to book your junk removal service.

An example better illustrates this point.

Say you type in the term “junk removal Orlando”. This head term receives about 300-400 search queries per month. Search for this term and you will see that we do not rank highly on the search engines - yet. Last check, we were in position number 10. On the other hand, if you type in the term “junk trash removal pricing Orlando FL”, there we are in position number 4 just below the 1-800 company. This is a perfect example of a long tail search term, and unbelievably, there are 10 to 100 times more long tail search phases used each month, than what we call, the head terms (i.e. “Junk Removal”).

Amazing right? I know.

So how long is the long tail?

LONG.

Over the past few months, JunkTrashRemoval.com has received only 472 visits from head term searches such as:

• Junk Removal
• Trash Removal
• Debris Removal
• Junk Trash Removal

But, over 3000 visits from the long tail. Whoa! Do I have your attention now?

Long tail-search query examples include:

• Junk removal company South Florida
• Junk removal / cleanouts Palm Beach gardens Florida
• Can I transport household hazardous waste in Hialeah Florida for my neighbor?
• Companies that pick up old furniture in Orlando, FL

So how do you take advantage of the long tail?

It takes time, effort and a lot of well-researched writing. Other than writing content for your site, there is no easy way to create long tail search saturation, but listing your business on our Junk Trash Removal network is a start. Once you are done there, you can start thinking about a content strategy and begin posting informative content to your blog, site, or social media channel.

• So now that you know about the long tail, how are you going to use it?
• Will you work on optimizing your junk removal website?
• Have you worked on optimizing your website before? How did it go?
• Do you regularly mine your Google Analytics data?
• Are you really focusing on the keywords that convert?
• Are you using another strategy for marketing your junk removal business?

Let us know, and we’ll continue to post useful junk removal marketing information on this blog. If you have a specific question about SEO, PPC or Google Analytics feel free to leave a question below, and we’ll do our best to answer them next week.

Thanks for reading and have fun riding the long tail.