If you’re looking for ways to do your keyword research then maybe it’s time to look at how the ancient Romans would do it. Let’s do a quick comparison between the Romans and their adversaries.
The Roman legions moved slowly into battle, shields interlocked with their swords ready for combat. On contact with the enemy, they would raise their shields to form a turtle-like structure and then stab at exposed areas such as the upper legs and groin. The obvious advantage the legions had was a disciplined approach to warfare: a rigourous fitness regime combined with constant training in combat produced an Empire that covered most of the known world of the time.
Compare this to the average barbarian. Before going into battle, the barbarians normally massed together, got really drunk then charged the enemy – it probably looked like a parody of the Anthill Mob! Most of the barbarian tribesmen carried huge axes or long swords which were ideal if you were going one to one with Mr Germanic lunatic from another tribe but was useless against the Romans.
The two ‘doctrines’ were polar opposites: the Romans primary aim was to incapacitate the enemy and mop up afterwards. The barbarians simply wanted to cut your head off, pickle it and talk to it on long, lonely winter nights (I made this bit up).
I know you’re wondering where this all fits in with your keyword research, right? We’re going to emulate how a Roman would probably approach the research.
Aim Low, Not High
Remember how the Romans aimed for the lower, unprotected regions of the body? We need to do the same with our keywords. Most of the short tail phrases are intensely competitive so we need to be stabbing the giants in the groin rather than slashing wildly at his neck. Like the Romans, we’re aiming to chip away at the edges until we can deliver the killer blow. Once we dominate the long tails in our niche then we can move forward to the big stuff.
Training
Train yourself. There’s no need to march 20 miles a day but you do need to teach yourself the ins and outs of keyword research. Dig deep into the longtail phrases and find the words people are searching for. Once you’ve identified your markets, bring your copywriting up to speed – you’re going to need content that, like the Gladius, stabs at the ‘low hanging fruit’ (that made my eyes water) with the specific aim of incapacitating your opponent.
The Keyword Shield
Interlocking shields protected the Roman legionnaires from enemy spears, swords and axes. Build yourself a shield with your long tail phrases and the interlock them by linking between your pages. Like the Romans formations, your website will be reinforced with (link) strength flowing between your interlinked pages.
So, give me your thoughts. Can you go one better than keyword research, Roman style?