At it’s very core Google Search has a simple mission… Match Problem with Solution.
That’s it.
Seriously… It’s that simple.
The process of finding a solution has become more and more complex as Google continues to refine the search process by adding weight to social sharing and penalizing certain link-building tactics.
But with every algorithmic change, what Google is trying to do is more effectively match Problem with Solution.
You don’t believe me…
How Google Search Works
Forget about Panda. Forget about Social Sharing. Forget about Google+. Forget about SEO. Forget about Link-Building. Forget about all the technical crap Gurus go on and on about when it comes to ranking on the first page of Google.
Most of it is bullshit anyway…
All you need to think about is how you personally use Google Search.
Say you have a problem.
Let’s say the problem is your car is making a funny sound and your mechanical knowledge of automobiles ends at where the gas goes…
So you go to your computer, fire up the Internet and type the following into the address bar:
w-w-w-.-g-o-o-g-l-e-.-c-o-m
Up pops a screen that looks kinda like this…
No matter what you type into that little box in the middle of screen you’re expecting Google to give you the answer. You’re NOT hoping… You’re EXPECTING the answer!
…and you want the answer to be:
- Relevant
- Local
- Quality
- Active
Google Search wants that’s first organic result to be the BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION to your problem available on the Internet.
So when you have a problem with your car… You want Google to tell you the name, address and telephone number of the Best Auto Garage to fix your car. That’s what you EXPECT.
Is that always the case? Absolutely not.
But if we understand Google’s motivation when it comes to search we can build our own platforms more efficiently.
Enter Long-tail Keywords
When I started the 100 Insurance Questions Answered in 100 Days video series the whole premise was based around the idea of Long-tail Keywords.
But where we can compete… Check that… Where we can Win is with organic Google Search results.
As a small business (In my case an Insurance Agency) our Online presence can’t compete with our national competitors… At least not in dollars spent.
How?
By providing specific and unique solutions to the problems of our target audience through Online content.
If this were a live speaking presentation I would repeat that sentence for effect…
As a small business I can defeat my national competitors in Google Search results by providing specific and unique solutions to the problems of my target audience through Online content.
Think about the implications of what I just said.
YOU CAN WIN!
Your small business can be ranked first in Google Search. But you have to create content and you have to create a lot of it. I’m not saying this shit is easy.
Your Long-Tail Keyword Google Search Mission…
…is to figure out what problems your small business solves.
Not what products you sell.
What problems those products solve.
See the difference?
Here are some examples of problems from my own business:
- When should I drop collision coverage?
- What is general liability?
- How do I put in an insurance claim?
Yes, I make money by selling insurance products… But that’s not why people buy insurance from me.
People buy insurance from me because I help them solve their insurance problems…
That is a really powerful concept that I want you to wrap your brain around.
The Rub
The rub is simple… THIS STUFF WORKS!
That’s my new slogan for Blogging and Social Media BTW.
I’m going to try and copyright it but I have no idea how to do that.
Blogging and Social Media and Content Marketing and all the rest it works… If you do it right and you put just a little bit of your personal awesome into it… It Works!
There is so much more of this to come as bring together the RIDICULOUS results from our 100 Days video series… If you don’t want to miss Subscriber by Email.
Thank you,
Ryan H.
Definitely a good idea to think about what questions people type into the search box and then write blog posts that answer those. And one site that can give a you a lot of good ideas about what these might be is Quora. Linkedin Answers is another good source of often asked questions.
Matt,
EXCELLENT!
Quora and LinkedIn Answers are fantastic places to get good ideas… You can also do a social media campaign around collecting questions.
Thanks!
Ryan,
I love the way your write and the details you provide. You remind me of a certain Lion we all know and love
Craig McBreen wants you to check out… Why you must embrace that remarkable studio at your fingertips
Wow… Craig… Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words… Thanks for stopping by, I’m happy to have you hear.
Thank you for posting this. Actually when I run out of words that would exactly describe my problem, I would just enter the first few words that pop up on my mind and produces the best results. Aside from that, you can even enter mathematical problems on the Google Search bar and Google will answer it for you. Just a little trick I learned in college.
Wow… That is a great trick! Thanks for sharing John…
This is how I’m able to get to the top of Google search with most of what I write. You need to write to solve a solution people are looking for the answer to (in this case how to get onto Google’s searches using longtail keywords?) and then being very specific both in your article and keywords for what people are searching for… not search engines.
Jason Mathes wants you to check out… Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Rumors Announcement Date and More!
No doubt Jason!
You are right on the money brother. Thanks!
Thanks for the great post. When it comes to SEO, since it is so confusing, thinking of each blog post as a piece of high-quality content that focuses on one subject or keyword phrase, helps me to write a post that’s good for me and Google. That’s the way I do it… hopefully it’s working! Thanks for the great post and for simplifying things a bit more!
Meagan wants you to check out… Product Photography with Bridgett Edwards of Perideau Designs
No doubt Meagan… You’re approach is perfect. Hit one topic hard… make it specific and awesome.
That’s SEO success!
Thanks
You cannot, and have never been able to dupe Google. They are very, very good at flushing out the cheaters.
When it comes down to it, this is about simple marketing. The ONLY question you should be asking is, “What problem do I solve?” Unfortunately, so many web sites are so over SEO-driven that they forget that once readers get to them, they expect results.
Mike Garner wants you to check out… How to get your first blog post right
Right on Mike! “What problem do I solve?” Perfect.
Thanks
Would you include the question in the blog too?
Lisa wants you to check out… Do You Love Your Affiliate Products?
If you can and it makes sense yes. Many people read the headline and then forget it… If you can reiterate and drop back fantastic and then it also helps for SEO.
Thanks Lisa!
Hi Ryan,
Great post once again
That’s the core of all effective marketing: Produce exactly what your “best” potential customers want and hit them in the head with it
Peter Sandeen wants you to check out… Scared of Outsourcing Your Customer Service?
Thanks Peter!
I like the visual of smacking your clients in the head with your Product/Service… Nice!
Ryan H.
Actually it’s more effective to hit them with the problem they have, that you can solve.
In other words, lets say your potential customers have this problem: If for some reason they can’t work (they’re sick or they die), their family won’t have any other way to make money.
Smack them in the head with this problem: If you get permanently sick or you die, your family will lose their home, and they won’t have money for health care, and your kids can’t get proper education!
And they you mention how a life insurance (etc.) can take this problem away once and for all… (Yes, I bug you with insurance example whenever I can
)
People pay attention to their problems and to anyone talking (intelligently) about their problems. No one wants a life insurance, but everybody wants their family to be fine (even if they’re no longer there to provide for their family).
Peter Sandeen wants you to check out… Scared of Outsourcing Your Customer Service?
Peter… Awesome! Love it.
And insurance is a great example… haha
Ryan H.
HEhehe… love it, dude.
This stuff works! Love the new slogan.
Here’s something interesting, out of the whole post, the thing I felt most moved by and enthusiastic about IS the new slogan (no dissrespect to the awesome google/long-tail wisdom.)
To me this is an indication that people are More Open to wisdom after they’ve been fed a moving, emotional, authentic brand
Jason “J-Ryze” Fonceca wants you to check out… Rap Is The New Shakespeare
Google is like a true friend who takes your worries and solve your problems.
Asma Khan wants you to check out… keylogger
Awesome Ryan – SEO, Meta Tags, Header Tags, etc… can be so confusing but this post is so EASY and make so much sense. That is exactly how I use google, trying to find a solution or an answer. Most of my searches start with Who, Why, How, What, When, etc… If your blog answers a questions, provides a solution and your title is the question BINGO! Great advice, which I will be using for sure!
Steve Baines wants you to check out… Why Inspiration is More Effective than Motivation; What Great Leaders Know
Thanks Steve!
I’m really glad it helped… Appreciate it buddy.
Ryan H.
you make it sound so simple Ryan! What surprises me is people who use Google to solve their own problems somehow forget this basic rule when creating content for their business.
Hope you don’t mind but I’m stealing your line:
“As a small business I can defeat my national competitors in Google Search results by providing specific and unique solutions to the problems of my target audience through Online content.”
and ‘pinning’ it to my desktop (ok I use Stickies for the Mac but I thought pinning sounded much more hip).
Priya wants you to check out… Be remarkable to your current customers and get more business
Steal away Priya!!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Hi Ryan,
I personally concentrate in using long-tail keywords for every site I open as I am able to target the right people. In addition, I am able to get better traffic as I do not compete with highly competitive keywords.
Sylvia wants you to check out… Darkness Falls. Heroes Rise: The Monk (Diablo III)
Sylvia,
Your second point is very powerful… You get better traffic because those phrases are less competitive. Great stuff!
Thanks!
Ryan,
Good stuff!
My question to you is … does it matter how many search results per month there are for these long-tail keywords or does it matter?
I admit that my head is too much wrapped around the general SEO stuff (you need to have X amount of searches per month), but maybe this knowledge doesn’t apply in long-tail keywords?
Cheers,
Timo
Timo Kiander wants you to check out… PSD Video Tip #8: Effective to Do List – What Is Your Plan B?
Timo,
With Long-tail Keywords you’re focusing on phrases so you’re not going to get as many searches as your singular keywords… However what you’re going for is to be the TOP or near top search so you’re getting very targeted traffic.
Maybe you only get 100 search hits a month from your Long-Tail Keywords but those 100 hits will be very targeted and interested in what you’ve written.
Does that make sense?
Sure! Thanks
Timo Kiander wants you to check out… PSD Video Tip #8: Effective to Do List – What Is Your Plan B?
Ryan. I completely agree and great way to explain it. I’ll contribute a (hopefully) helpful nuance that I use with my clients. If you solve problems locally then make sure you use local terms on your site. That’s because when I’m looking for a barber, a photographer or a new set of tires I’ll often type something like “hair cut San Mateo”. If the world is your oyster though, then solve the problems without the location. Thanks for posting!
Tom Treanor wants you to check out… The Best Excuses We Tell Ourselves To Avoid Blogging
Tom,
Absolutely you’re correct! That is an important point… One question for you though Tom. I always thought that Google will try to find Local (by IP address) results first regardless if they have the town name. Is that true?
However putting the town name in your posts is very important.
Thanks!
Ryan. I think Google picks certain searches to be local. For example, type Pizza in your search bar and see what comes up. For those searches I’m assuming Google uses your location to pick the nearby ones. But assume you’re traveling to a town 10 minutes away. You’d search for pizza Palo Alto. Or if you have to find a radio shack, “radio shack foster city” (I just went through this). In that case, you increase your chances of being found if you list your location strategically on your pages. Most people will search for local stores in areas that they don’t normally visit. You know most of the local spots around you so you’ll specify location when you’re planning a drive or trip or when you’re on the move…
Tom Treanor wants you to check out… The Best Excuses We Tell Ourselves To Avoid Blogging
Tom,
I just slapped myself in the head and said “Duh!”
Thanks makes perfect sense.
Nice post. I am amazed that in this search thing, so many mysteries are hidden. Thanks for updating my brain
Keep up the good work 
Harneet Singh wants you to check out… 8 Tips to Increase the Returning Visitors | Post Fever
Thanks Harneet… Google keeps a lot of what they do and how search works under wraps… Gives guys like me more to write about! ha!
Hey Ryan,
I agree Google was intelligent enough and complete our sentence before end.But Still SEO and Social Media have it’s own importance for making SERP.
Rizwan Sultan wants you to check out… Crohns Blog
Rizwan,
Definitely… Social Media is very important to search for sure… You also make great relationships in Social Media!!
Thanks.
Thanks Aaron… That’s how win as small business peeps… Long-Tail Keywords!!
U hit it on the head Ryan…..having spent some time in the seo game in 2000, I agree 100%. Show someone how to solve a problem and ur good. Long key phrases and u can own in the engines…great info.