The general school of thought when it comes to SEO efforts is to target high-volume, low-competition keywords. For those uninitiated, these are keywords that receive many searches each month but are still perceived as easy to rank for because high-authority sites do not dominate the top search results.
This is great advice, but in a competitive market (like the pet industry) and as more and more businesses begin focusing their efforts on SEO, these high-volume, low-competition search terms are becoming fewer and farther between.
So how do you gain traction in the search engine results pages (SERPs) if you can’t find these elusive search terms to rank for?
Target low-volume search terms.
Keywords with low monthly search volumes are often overlooked, but they can be a powerful asset in your pet brand’s SEO strategy when used strategically.
Creating content around low-volume keywords closely related to your niche can help you answer your audiences’ questions, build authority in the eyes of search engines, and set yourself apart from your competition.
Read on to learn more about this sneaky SEO strategy and how to use it to your advantage.
What do we mean by “low-volume”?
There’s no official definition of what constitutes a low-volume keyword, but generally, these would be any search term with less than 200 queries per month. However, your definition of high and low-traffic keywords may be different if your pet brand targets a very niche topic.
Low-volume keywords are often also long-tail keywords, a term used to describe search queries that are very specific. Not all low-volume keywords are long-tail keywords (just as not every long-tail keyword has low search volume), but many are.
For instance, “dog food” is a general keyword, whereas “dog food for small breeds” would be considered a long-tail keyword because it is much more specific. The more specific you get, the lower the search volume is likely to be.
The Benefits of Targeting Low-Volume Keywords
1. Your competitors likely overlook them
There’s a good chance your competitors aren’t bothering with low-volume keywords. These terms are often overlooked in favour of more broad queries with higher search volumes.
If you’re competing with large brands, they can probably rank for these high-volume keywords, even though they’re highly competitive. In all likelihood, they’ll spend more time going after high-volume keywords than focusing on niche keywords with low search volume.
If SEO is a new focus for your pet business, targeting low-volume keywords is an excellent way to gain traction while sidestepping your competition. Look for search terms that are highly relevant to your pet brand’s mission. This way, you’ll attract targeted audience members who are likely to buy from you.
2. It’s easier to create content that matches user intent
User intent or search intent refers to the reason behind someone’s search; what specific information are they looking for?
Search engines reward content that they deem to match the user intent most closely. This is harder to gauge when search terms are broad, but the more specific the query, the easier it is for search engines to serve up relevant content.
The same is true when it comes to creating content; if you’re targeting a broad keyword like “dog grooming,” you might struggle to decide which aspect of dog grooming to address. Where to find groomers? The tools to use? How to do it at home?
However, a long-tail search term like “how to groom a long-haired dog” has a very apparent search intent. It’s easier to conceptualize content around this search term because it is so specific.
Creating highly relevant content inevitably leads to increased click-through rates (CTRs). Assuming you’ve chosen keywords relevant to your pet brand, the visitors landing on your site will be targeted and likely to buy from you.
3. They generate more traffic than you might expect
If you are worried that creating content around topics with low search volumes won’t result in traffic, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.
Even search terms with a search volume of “0” (according to SEO tools) are highly likely to generate a few hits a month.
If you create several articles that rank well for low-traffic keywords, that small trickle of website visitors will eventually add up to a significant stream. Plus, by choosing strategic keywords, you’ll attract your ideal customers, leading to more conversions.
4. They help you build authority by using content clusters
Content clusters are a powerful way to build authority around topics that are important to your pet brand. They typically consist of a pillar page targeting a general search term that links to several other pages that address related but more specific aspects of the main topic.
Often these supporting pages target low-volume, long-tail keywords. Having several pages of content related to a particular topic lets search engines know that you’re an authority on the topic. Chances are, your pages targeting low-volume keywords will rank, which will work to boost your website’s overall authority and help your pillar page (targeting a broader, likely more competitive search term) rank too.
How to decide if a low-traffic keyword is worth your time
You don’t want to target just any low-volume keyword. Before you spend time and resources creating content, you should ensure the search term is a good fit for your pet brand’s content strategy. Ask yourself the following questions as you go about selecting keywords to target:
Is this search term relevant to my target customer? If it’s not something they would ever search for, move on to other options. Your goal is to choose keywords related to questions your ideal customer might ask.
Can I create authoritative content around this topic? If you can’t develop a piece of content that’s more compelling than what already exists for the keyword, it could be tough to rank. Prioritize topics where you feel you can genuinely add value.
Can I link this post to my existing or future content? Low-volume keywords are often an opportunity to create niche content around a broader topic, and they are powerful when used in partnership with your existing (or future content). Prioritize keywords that work well within your overall content ecosystem.
If you’re looking to boost your pet business’ SEO efforts, don’t overlook the benefits of low-volume keywords. Use this strategy to build website authority by capitalizing on keywords that are highly relevant to your niche and that your competitors might have overlooked!
