How to rank for many keywords

[Kibin]

OK, so I've been diving into SEO pretty hard lately and learning everything I can. Something I'm not quite understanding is how to rank for a lot of different keywords.

We're in the proofreading and editing space which can be broken down into many categories:

• general proofreading & editing

• essay editing

• book editing

• etc.

If I consider the "essay editing" category, the main keyword I want to target is, in fact, "essay editing".  However, I'd also want to target:

essay editing service, edit my essay, fix my essay, revise my essay, etc.

Basically, a lot of modifiers.

I can easily target our main page for essay editing and essay editing service keywords, but how do I start ranking for those longer tail keywords?

Is it simply building content that includes them? Is it getting links utilizing anchor text? Or is there something I'm missing?

I don't see the point in building separate service pages for those other keywords; I think that's a waste and bad site architecture practices.

I'm just looking for my "aha" moment on these longer-tail rankings.

Thanks!

[Kibin]

EGOL,

Firstly, I want to state what a truly great answer this is. Since most people are not playing in this niche, they may not appreciate the insights you've pointed out in such little time.

Content is going to be a large part of our strategy.  While others have done this to an extent, you'll notice the same bland, boring stuff recycled over and over.  There's a huge opportunity in this space to take content to a new level and create truly great stuff.  That's what we're planning on doing.

Regarding creating multiple service pages for these specific keywords... I think you're absolutely correct.  When I can't figure things out, I tend to think obsessively about them until I believe I have an answer.  Last night, before heading to a friend's birthday party (and before you answered this question), I reconsidered my standpoint (also after I poured through some Adwords search and conversion data for our site.

I decided that the best approach would be to create a general "essay editing" page with footer links to pages like "fix my essay", "revise my essay", etc.  Like you, I realized that there actually is different intent for these search terms than there is for "essay editing service" and I greatly appreciate your answer in helping confirm my hunch.

The one place I do believe you're not quite spot on is where you say, _"This is not an easy business niche.   Your competitors have been around long enough that they will not be defeated quickly or with little effort." _  This niche has not been disrupted like many niches have in the recent years.  The players, in my opinion, have become complacent and nobody has been attempting to become an industry leader here (I believe there's definitely an opportunity to do so).  The guys ranking toward the top of the SERPS do not have very impressive link profiles, they don't create good content (if any), their user experiences and design of their websites are awful.

I'm not saying it won't take effort and time to surpass them, but I do believe it's one of the more "doable" niches out there.

Again, thanks for the great answer.  If you've got any more insights, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers!

[EGOL]

There are some smart competitors in this space and they have no problem generating special pages of content for the various terms that might be search terms for their services.

"Is it simply building content that includes them?"

If I was entering this market I would have a site with lots of "service" pages, each with generous content.  I would also have a blog that gives lots of free tips for producing a great essay and editing it yourself - before turning it over to a professional for final review.

I would also offer a "writer development" service where you not only edit their essay but you review the edits with them by phone so that the client can gain an understanding of how to write better in the future.

Is it getting links utilizing anchor text?

This is not an easy business niche.   Your competitors have been around long enough that they will not be defeated quickly or with little effort.  I think that you will need great content that teachers and professors will link to as examples of how to improve student writing.  Lots of this has been done before.  You will have to do it better and attract attention of the people who will want to share what you have created with students.

I don't see the point in building separate service pages for those other keywords; I think that's a waste and bad site architecture practices.

If you were in a niche with a few naive competitors then you could get by with just a few service pages.

I think that those separate service keywords are typed into search boxes by people with a different mentality.   The "fix my essay" guy has a crappy essay that he hopes you will turn into Sterling by 7:30 AM and he gets in touch with you at 6:00 AM.   The "essay editing service" guy probably has an essay that needs a lot less attention and is not on such tight deadlines.

But, since you are offering an essay editing service writing generous amounts of interesting service pages along with a great blog shouldn't be as tough for you as a guy who sells hydraulic jacks.

[David_H]

Kibin, what I'd do is work to make sure my home page is nicely optimized for the search phrase I think is the most important (I'd use Google's keyword tool to get a feel for which is the most likely one) and then be sure to add a blog to the site.

In the blog articles, I'd make sure that I cover the different search phrases that I think my potential visitors are going to be searching for. Over time with a portfolio of blog stories that provide useful content for your potential clients, you'll see good results - share your content on the social media sites too.