Find and Use Long-Tail Keywords for SEO

Long-tail keywords are the SEO’s underdog. Because of the low search volumes, no one wants to use them, yet they have a lot of power. Long-tail keywords can help you bypass tough competition, get featured snippets, and provide not just traffic but actual paying customers with the appropriate approach. Here’s how it’s done.

What do you mean by long-tail keywords?

Long-tail keywords are search phrases that are longer than three words and have an exact search intent. These keywords have lower search numbers because they are more unique. These keywords have excellent conversion rates since they are more focused.

The search word length is, of course, only a guideline. Long-tail keywords are so termed because they start in the search volume curve’s long tail, not because they are long.

A limited number of terms with a high search volume make up the short tail. Many keywords with low search volume make up the long tail. Although long-tail keywords are typically longer than short-tail keywords, the actual differentiator is search volume, not keyword length.

What is the prevalence of long-tail keywords?

We analyzed 24 million phrases from our database to understand more about the role of long-tail keywords in search.

The keyword variety was the first item we looked at. One- and two-word queries account for only a quarter of our database, while three-, four-, and five-word inquiries account for the majority:

When we look at search volumes, though, the reality is drastically different. One- and two-word keywords account for more than 65 percent of total search volume. As keywords become longer, the search volume declines dramatically:

Finally, we looked at the keyword distribution based on the number of searches. According to the data over 80% of searches are searched less than 10 times per month.

Why are long-tail keywords important?

If long-tail keywords have poor search numbers, why utilize them? Because, contrary to popular opinion, keyword quality is not determined by search traffic. When conducting keyword research, other elements such as purpose and competitiveness should be taken into account.

Use long-tail keywords on your website for the following reasons:

The competition for long-tail keywords is lower.

Everyone wants a piece of the high-traffic SERPs, thus short-tail keywords are highly competitive. However, due to the high level of competition, only the most authoritative websites can rank on page one. We’re talking about essential participants in the sector.

Competing for short-tail keywords may be a waste of time if you are not a significant industry leader. Yes, your keywords are searched hundreds of times per month, but what good if all of that traffic is sent to your competitors?

I ran a short-tail, a mid-tail, and a long-tail keyword through the Rank Tracker tool to get some keyword numbers to demonstrate the idea. As you can see in the screenshot below, the difficulty of keywords decreases considerably as they become longer. This implies that top-ranking websites have fewer backlinks, less-optimized content, and other authority signals:

Keyword difficulty vs. keyword length.

Long-tail keywords also frequently refer to a narrower range of items and services, making it easier for you to compete.

Every bike shop, for example, sells bikes, but not all of them sell gravel bikes, and only a few stores sell titanium gravel bikes among those that do.

This should be the first term you optimize for if you sell titanium gravel bikes. Although it is only searched 1,000 times a month, there is a good chance you will rank on page one and receive some of this traffic.

Long-tail keywords convert at a higher rate.

Users who use more precise terms are further along in the purchasing process than those who utilize generic queries. Long-tail keywords typically convert at 2.5 times the rate of short-tail keywords.

This is quite reasonable. Someone looking for the best bikes is generally just doing some research. However, someone looking for the finest gravel bikes under $1000 has a considerably higher buy intent and is likely only a few steps away from making a purchase.

Short-tail keywords are part of long-tail keywords.

Long-tail keyword optimization does not come at the expense of short-tail keyword optimization. It’s not an either/or scenario here. The long-tail term in the example below contains two shorter keywords that could be a signal for more generic searches as well. You can effectively kill two birds with one stone in this manner.

Long-tail keywords are ideal for PPC campaigns.

According to internet marketers, PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising should mostly be long-tail. And this is why: You pay for each click on your ad when using PPC. If you bid on broad, non-specific terms, you’ll likely get many clicks but fewer conversions. As a result, much money will be wasted on ill-targeted traffic that will not result in actual customers.

However, suppose you bid on more particular long-tail search phrases that better define what you sell or offer. In that case, your PPC campaign will likely attract the proper visitors and pay off sooner. Finally, a better specific match to enquiries will reduce the cost of advertising.

Google is looking for long-tail keywords.

You’ve probably seen that Google can now satisfy particular search intents. It can display a short video segment as a separate search result, index passages, and do a lot with highlighted snippets and other SERP upgrades. Long-tail keywords are used in all of these aspects.

Essentially, Google requires bite-sized chunks of content designed for long-tail queries. This allows it to swiftly and effectively satisfy specific search intents:

We have no choice except to accommodate Google as content creators. Consider it this way: Create an article where each segment is optimized for a specific long-tail keyword, rather than having an essay that is weakly optimized for one keyword and a few variations.

To illustrate what I mean, consider the following passage from this article:

Definition of long-tail keywords

The H2 heading for this section is a natural language query-like keyword. The first sentence following the headline also begins with a keyword. The entire paragraph is under 40 words, which is the ideal length for a highlighted excerpt.

Why use the second long-tail?

And it’s the same. The H2 heading is a long-tail term, and the paragraph is a straightforward 40-word response. Now, I fully expect both segments to qualify for a highlighted snippet anytime these same search queries are used.

Where can I look for long-tail keywords?

Google is the quickest way to turn a short-tail term into a long-tail keyword. Then you can use Google’s keyword suggestion algorithm to find other keyword variations.

Google autocomplete is the first place to look. Start entering your phrase and Google will propose a dozen different ways to complete it – they are your main long-tail keywords:

You can explore around for more keyword recommendations once you’ve arrived at the search results page. There will usually be a People also ask section at the top of the page with a few common questions related to your query:

In the People Also Asked box, look for long-tail phrases.

At the bottom of the page, you’ll discover a Related searches section with a few options for fine-tuning your query:

You might also use a tool to get this data for you. AnswerThePublic.com is a popular choice for getting a list of relevant questions based on your seed query:

Of course, if you want to conduct long-tail keyword research on a large scale, such as for your entire website, you’ll need to use specialized keyword research software.

Conclusion 

These are the fundamentals of a good long-tail keyword strategy for converting traffic. If you use the long-tail keywords strategy correctly on your pages, your site will gain visibility and reach a wider, more converted audience. Now it’s your turn.

 Long-tail keywords are a great way to improve your SEO. Using specific and relevant keywords can attract more qualified traffic to your website. 

D’Marketing Agency can help you find the right long-tail keywords for your business and optimize your website for better search engine ranking. 

Contact  D’Marketing Agency today to learn more about how we can help improve your SEO strategy!