SEO traffic...how targeted?

From my POV this is more of a marketing question
than a SEO question... It applies no matter
what kind of traffic you are driving.

If you hook someone based on the more popular
phrase, and then funnel them into your solution,
then that just makes good sense.

Obviously those who are already looking for that
exact solution are still going to be your hottest
leads, but you will be able to convert a percentage
of those who are looking for what they perceive
to be the "best" solution (or the best for their budget).

So, your decision on which way to market depends
only on whether or not you can take some of
the more broad market from your competitors,
how long it will take, and fast you need to get
your business to the point where it is paying for itself.


...Now specific to your niche, I remember (a long time ago)
when I was a boy, I only cared about getting rid of
acne-- I didn't care how, or what it would do to
my skin later. But, maybe you should ask the ladies
on that one, as they tend to have more foresight
in such matters.

Best wishes.

Traffic is people.

Some people looking for "how to get rid of acne" will be highly enough targeted traffic for such a site. Some won't. (Looking at it superficially, one might expect that quite a high proportion of them will be adequately targeted? That's my guess, anyway). But, collectively, those people are bound to be to some extent less highly targeted than people looking specifically for "how to get rid of acne naturally".

How big the "extent" is, you're going to know only by testing it, reliably, methodically and systematically, over statistically significant numbers of visitors.

My own guess is that it'll be worth testing, at the very least: the "extent" may not be huge?

You'll be including some people who've already been on low-dose oxytetracycline tablets and antibacterial facial scrubs for a year and still have the problem, and they'll typically respond warmly to the "natural" aspects (i.e. they'll be really good traffic for your site). You'll also be including some skepchicks who want to know whether "natural" really means "alternative" or refers to a conspicuous absence of consistent double-blind clinical trial results, in some cases because they feel that "alternative" is just another word for "unproven" (i.e. they may not be quite such good traffic for your site at all).

Only to some of them. And maybe not a high proportion?

This is a good example of exactly what WILL happen - even though you target very specific keyword phrases you will pick up traffic on more general versions of the term as well (especially over time this will occur).

On the positive side, this will substantially increase your traffic, on the downside, it will be less targeted - but I wouldn't worry too much about the exact example you gave. I would think the majority of your traffic looking for acne solutions will be open to messaging around "natural" remedies.

Still think it is better to "differentiate" your solution versus competition over trying to look like everyone else...don't worry so much about alienating some of your prospects at the expense of attracting others - that will always happen. The opposite is that you try and go so general that you don't attract anyone.

Jeff

Ok thanks...what has been said is pretty much my take on it...just wanted to clarify

This is the answer - If you could determine the conversion rates for the two different search groups that could provide an answer to your question. If the "natural cure" people bought 50% of the time while the more general group bought only 2% of the time that would tell you something. If the two groups converted at a similar rate that would tell you something else.