What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

long tail keywords
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Long-tail keywords are the backbone of any SEO strategy. They allow you to target the specific search terms that people use when they want to find something online. In this guide, we’ll cover what long-tail keywords are and how to use them in your own marketing strategies. We’ll also show you how to find them and use them in your content marketing efforts.

What are long-tail keywords?

Long-tail keywords are phrases that people use to search for a specific product or service. These can be more specific than broad keywords and allow you to target your offer more accurately.

For example, let’s say you’re selling a book on how to make money as a blogger. A broad keyword phrase would be “how to make money as a blogger.” A long-tail keyword is something like “how do I start making money with my blog?”

If someone searches for the more specific long-tail version of this question, they’re more likely to be interested in buying from you because they know exactly what they’re looking for and have already done some research about it! Keep this in mind when doing your keyword research.

How to find long-tail keywords

Finding long-tail keywords can be done in a few ways.

  • Use Google’s Keyword Planner. This tool is the easiest and fastest way to find keywords for your next PPC campaign, but it does require you to have a Google account. However, if you’re planning on doing SEO or content marketing, then this is an invaluable tool that should be in every marketer’s arsenal.
  • Use Ahrefs’ Keyword Explorer tool (formerly known as Site Explorer). This tool gives access to data from across their database of backlinks (including search results), giving insight into what people are searching for when visiting websites like yours or even competitors’. It also allows users access to advanced keyword metrics such as competition score and traffic estimates. You do have to sign up for this tool, but its a good investment for your SEO strategy.

After you find your long-tail keyword, then what?

Now that you know what long-tail keywords are, it’s time to start digging into the specifics of what to do with them. Here are some steps you can take:

  • Create a content strategy. This will help guide your SEO efforts moving forward and make sure that any content you create is optimized for search engines as well as humans.
  • Create a keyword map (or “wheel”). A keyword map is an easy way to visually lay out how related keywords fit together and how they relate back to each other in order to optimize their usage throughout your site. It’s also helpful because it forces you to think about all of the ways people might search for information on related topics, which will help generate new ideas for long-tail keywords later on in this process—and ultimately increase traffic from Google searches!
  • Build out a list of potential long-tail keywords using long-tail keyword tools to help you find more suitable options.

seo strategySEO is constantly evolving

Google, the most popular search engine in the world, is constantly changing its algorithm. Its goal is to reward quality content and provide users with a great user experience. This means it has to go through thousands of websites every single day to determine what’s relevant to its users’ needs.

Google updates their algorithm about 500 times per year, which makes it difficult for marketers (and even SEO experts) to stay on top of all these changes and understand how they affect their website’s rankings in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

But there are certain rules that always stay constant: Google wants you to create valuable content. To provide users with the best possible experience, they make sure that anyone searching for something finds what they’re looking for as quickly as possible.

Long-tail keywords can help you rank for your target audience’s search terms

Long-tail keywords are simply longer, more specific variations of your target keyword. They’re used to target very specific groups of people and help you understand what kind of content they’re looking for.

For example, let’s say you run an online store that sells sunglasses. If your target keyword is “sunglasses,” then long-tail keywords might include:

  • “black aviator sunglasses”
  • “cheap polarized sunglasses”
  • “kids’ blue mirrored aviator sunglasses”

Now that we know our audience’s search behaviour, we can create more targeted content around each type of search term.

google search rankings

Long-tail keywords are less competitive

They are more specific and less competitive than short, generic search terms. For example, when someone searches for “keyboard” they’re looking for a device that allows them to type (which is pretty general). However, if someone searches for “best mechanical keyboards under R700” they’re probably more interested in buying a keyboard than just searching around. The more specific the keyword gets, the less competitive it becomes.

How long-tail keywords are the road to SEO success

  • Long-tail keywords are easier to rank for. The more specific you can get with your queries, the better your chances of ranking higher in search results. Longer phrases tend to have less competition because there are fewer people who are searching for them—which means that you have a better chance of getting a click from an organic result.
  • They help you better target your audience. When someone searches using a long tail keyword, it means that they’re looking for something specific (or at least pretty specific). That means that when someone does find what they’re looking for via Google, it’s likely that they will be very happy with what they find on your site and stick around longer than usual—and maybe even make purchases!

Conclusion

Long-tail keywords are a valuable tool in your SEO arsenal. They can help you rank for a specific keyword phrase, which is great if your target audience searches for that term. But they also have other benefits like helping you understand what people want to find when they search online. This makes it easier to get in front of those people with a message that’s relevant to them—allowing them to convert into customers.

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