In a previous post, I described the shape of search. We performed an initial analysis on the 20 million searches captured in data released by AOL and concluded that a small percentage of searches accounted for most search volume.
Remarkably, you can capture the dynamics of all 20 million searches with a simple observation – things happen in threes.
- The top 1% most frequently sought phrases accounts for 35% of all searches performed (slightly more than one-third of the total search volume)
- The next 24% most frequently sought phrases account for 34% of all searches performed.
- The remaining searches accounted for the final third of search volume. And each of these phrases was only sought once!
Another way of viewing the data is to consider the shape of search graph we presented in an earlier post. In the following graph, searches in the red section equate to 35% of all volume; searches in the blue section equate to 34% of search volume; and all of the searches in the green section only took place once in the three month period.
How does this search behaviour relate to SEO?
We take two lessons from this data for companies hoping to increase the placement of their websites on search engines like Google:
- There are almost certainly a small number of home run search terms for your organization. Lots of people search for these. If your site shows up as number one, you will receive lots of traffic.
- There are a whole lot of search terms and phrases for which you cannot optimize. One third of searches were only sought once in the three month sample. That’s a lot of searchers. But you can’t afford to undertake SEO activities on a term that only one person looks for every quarter. (Or can you? See the upcoming post on web content management, search engine optimization, and the shape of search).
Mike
July 5, 2007
@ 11:49 am
The “Long Tail” theory that you allude to is a prime example of the importance of SEO, and how vital it is to make sure that a web site includes the vital keywords that people are likely to search in order to drive traffic.
The same can be said for PPC ads, but done effectively, SEO can be a lot more affordable, though not necessarily quicker or easier to implement. A good balance is needed to keep traffic coming.
Good post and I look forward to your follow up post!
Bill Hartzer
July 5, 2007
@ 3:51 pm
I find this point very interesting: “The remaining searches accounted for the final third of search volume”. This definitely goes to show that you need to pay attention to the “long tail” of search, as it could potentially bring in more traffic to your site than focusing on just a few top keyword phrases, especially when you’re optimizing a site.
There are actually a few “home run” keyword phrases for most sites, and you’re right–there are definitely a lot of phrases (perhaps thousands of related phrases) that you cannot possibly “optimize for”. So, I would say that it’s better to focus on adding more content to your site because it will bring in a lot more traffic over the long haul.
Jim Keayes
July 13, 2007
@ 1:27 pm
Wow:
This is a very sophisticated study.
You have me totally revising how I do my SEO
Thanks
Jim
Cyrus
February 9, 2009
@ 1:50 pm
Thank you very much for the info, it seems like the circle looks like 80/20 rule to me, which the top 20% will of the clicks will account for the sale.