Every marketer and website, blog, or online store owner strives to develop a better search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to optimally reach their target audience through search engines and during the digital or online marketing campaign for their website and products. But the question is, how?
Leveraging targeted long-tail keywords is one way you can gain a higher ranking on the search engine results page ( SERP ) and reach the right audience. And, as an expert tip, competition for long-tail keywords is often lower than for short-tail keywords.
So in this article, we’ll focus on how to manage long-tail keywords for the best search engine results and show you some very important tips and tools you need to make SEO work for you. So keep reading to learn what long-tail keywords are, what they mean, how to use them, why using them correctly can significantly increase traffic to your website, blog, or store, and how to identify the best keywords to generate the best results.
What are Long-Tail Keywords?
Let’s start from the beginning. Long-tail keywords are specific (often longer) keywords that have lower search volume and less competition than common keywords.
Long-tail keywords are the best way to reach searchers who are typically ready to take action on a product or service or are looking for a source of information or news, a key advantage for marketers. Essentially, they allow you to rank highly for relevant keywords and potentially drive incredibly high-impact traffic to your site by focusing on how your target audience searches. The key here is quality, not quantity.
At this point, you may be wondering why they’re called long-tail keywords. A common misconception is that the name stems from the length of the keywords, but in reality, it’s because they’re less common terms that fall at the end of the search query curve. I’ll let my furry friend and his long tail show you what that means in the following image.
The two main types of long-tail keywords
Not all long-tail keywords are created equal. There are two main types: supporting and thematic.
Long-tail supporting keywords.
Long-tail keywords illustrate general topics and are difficult to rank for, even if they are still technically considered long-tail. This is because Google is smart, and for these words, it takes into account popular keywords and includes them in the rankings. This also means the opposite; if you rank for a general term, you’ll also rank for long-tail keywords.
Long tail keywords.
Long-tail topic keywords are specific, topic-based keywords that are less competitive and easier to rank for. These keywords focus specifically on your product or topic and are not based on a general primary keyword.
The importance of searching for long-tail keywords
It may seem easier to focus on short, high-volume, and popular keywords, but proper long-tail keyword research allows you to focus on keywords that are more likely to generate high-quality traffic from search engines. Although long-tail queries have low search volume, don’t let that scare you. Remember, it’s the quality of your traffic that matters most.
The most important advantages of using long-tail keywords are as follows:
1. Rank higher with long-tail keywords
Simply put, the more you compete for a less popular keyword, the easier it will be for you to grab the top spot on the first page of search engines. While these keywords may have fewer monthly searches, your click-through rate (CTR) is likely to be higher than it would be for popular, short-tail keywords.
2. Long-tail keywords have a more targeted intent.
There are three main types of search engine purposes: informational, transactional, and navigational. As mentioned earlier, specific, long-tail keywords are typically used by searchers who are ready to take action, such as purchasing, fully understanding, or accessing specific information, which translates to higher-quality visitors and audiences.
It can be a bit confusing, so think of it this way: If someone wants to go on vacation to Istanbul, they can search for either “best hotels in Istanbul at low prices” or “vacation in Istanbul.” Which search seems more like a purchase, and which search is just for knowledge or research?
Transactional intent keywords enable you to drive highly relevant traffic to your product or business that is close to purchase, achieving a high ROI and conversion rate
3. Match how real people search
Long-tail keywords are much more than “real-life.” For example, most people would search for something like “best places to travel in winter” when visiting Google, not “travel.” Using long-tail keywords will help you find potential customers based on their real-life search habits.
4. Condense your conversion path
Long-tail keywords have the potential to boost your conversion path by attracting highly relevant leads and driving them toward your store or website’s conversion path. High-intent searches allow you to fine-tune the content in your digital marketing funnel to increase your chances of closing a sale on your product or service.
5. Boost your ranking for short-tail keywords
Don’t let long-tail keywords do all the work. Pairing them with short-tail, high-volume keywords is a great way to boost your SEO rankings and enhance your digital marketing efforts for your business and products. This way, your website will appear more credible to Google search engines, and you’ll rank higher by using both short-tail and long-tail keywords together.
Free tools to find long-tail keywords
Long-tail keyword research is a little different from typical keyword research. The possibilities are vast, so it’s important to focus on your niche and the search terms that are closely related to it.
Consider how your customers are searching.
When you go online to search for something, what do you typically type into the Google search box? Let’s look at examples of long-tail keywords. While “tourism in Dubai” might be a common search query, you’re more likely to type “best family-friendly attractions to visit in Dubai” because it more closely matches your specific needs. A good long-tail keyword phrase can speak your customers’ language.
Take advantage of Google’s autofill feature.
Use Google as your assistant to find long-tail keyword ideas. Start searching for a search term and see how Google’s autocomplete assistant completes your phrase. This can point you to potential long-tail keywords you hadn’t thought of before or other related searches closely related to your product.
Take advantage of relevant Google searches.
You might think it’s a mistake that I mentioned Google twice on this list. No, that’s not a mistake. Google’s “People Ask” and “Related Search” features are invaluable resources. They show you the questions people are asking about your topic and other related searches. This tool provides insight into their interests and the intent of their search.
The insights Google provides can help you understand what your target audience is actually searching for.
Conclusion
A long-tail keyword research strategy is crucial to any search engine optimization (SEO) plan. For most businesses, stores, and service sites, incorporating long-tail keywords can boost marketing efforts and attract high-quality traffic from visitors ready to click that buy button.
In my view, since search behavior varies greatly across industries and domains, each industry and domain is different. Therefore, while there are general rules of best practice, it is essential to evaluate the best practices for each domain individually.
