Making sense of my Google traffic

Last month, Google users found http://pokercopilot.com/ through 237 unique search phrases. After removing the ones that directly specify “Poker Copilot” in a range of spellings, there are about 230 phrases. The top phrase – “poker tracking software mac” – sent me only 2.5% of my Google traffic.

Which makes me think that the conventional approach to search engine optimisation is flawed. That approach is to choose a few highly relevant keywords, and do everything possible to rank highly for them. But it ignores the reality: that websites receive Google traffic through an ever-changing, highly varied long list of keywords.

What are the ramifications of this?

• Forget about trying to “own” specific search phrases on Google.
• Ensure that your site meets Google’s own suggestions for good indexing.
• Aim to use many specific “target” words in your website copy, but don’t focus on using the same phrase repeatedly.
• Aim to get lots of in-bound links, but not through nefarious means.

It’s well-known that search traffic follows a “long-tail” distribution. Amazingly, once I remove the top phrases, all of which directly specify “Poker Copilot”, what I’m left with also follows the long-tail distribution.

For Google Analytics users, Juice Analytics have produced Concentrate, a tool to help make sense of the long-tail of Google keywords.