Long tail keywords are becoming increasingly important for SEO success. By targeting specific, niche long-tail keywords, you can drive highly targeted organic traffic to your site. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about leveraging long-tail keywords for better search engine optimization.
Long tail keywords are more specific, niche phrases with lower search volumes. For example, "content marketing tips" would be a short-tail keyword with high competition. A long-tail version would be something like "content marketing tips for financial services".
While long tail keywords have lower search volume individually, collectively they account for around 70-80% of all searches. Targeting the right long-tail keywords allows you to access very targeted, low-competition traffic.
Long tail keywords on a search volume graph. Image credit: Pixabay
Some key characteristics of long tail keywords:
In SEO, long-tail keyword research identifies these ultra-specific search queries that perfectly match your content's topic and focus.
Optimizing for long-tail keywords can provide a number of benefits:
For almost any site, leveraging long tail keywords is an effective search optimization tactic. Doing so requires a sharp focus on creating content that aligns very closely with specific long-tail queries.
The key to long-tail SEO is identifying the right types of keywords that are:
Here is a step-by-step process for discovering and prioritizing the best long-tail keywords:
Start by coming up with a list of short-tail-based keywords that describe your overall topic and products/services. These should be 1-3 word phrases without getting too specific yet.
For example, if you sold women's shoes, some base keywords would be:
Next, leverage keyword research software to expand these base keywords into a large list of potential long tail keyword ideas. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Moz Keyword Explorer are ideal for this.
Analyze keyword search volume, optimization difficulty, and competition metrics to identify promising long tail options. Look for keywords with decent volume and low difficulty.
Google's search auto-complete feature will show you popular long-tail versions of base keywords. For example, if you start typing "women's running shoes" Google may auto-complete to:
Search auto-complete gives you real language that people are using to search. Add any relevant phrases to your keyword list.
At this point, you should have an extensive list of potential long tail keywords. The next step is to group these keywords into topics and themes.
Look at your product categories, services, and existing content to come up with topics. For a shoe site these might be:
Organize your keywords into these topics to guide your content creation. Identify topics with lots of keyword potential.
For each topic, look at keyword difficulty, search volume, and competition to choose the best keywords to target. Prioritize keywords with higher volume and lower difficulty.
Consider search intent as well. For example, informational keywords like "how to clean running shoes" may be easier to rank for than purely commercial keywords.
Long-tail keyword research is an ongoing process. Use search analytics to identify new keyword opportunities from your existing traffic. Expand on these with tools like Keyword Planner.
Stay up-to-date on trends by checking search autocomplete suggestions regularly. Adapt your approach to shifts in search behavior.
Once you've identified promising long tail keywords, use these SEO tactics to optimize your pages:
With a solid process for discovering keywords, you can continually create new optimized content to generate traffic from long-tail searches. This strategy allows you to expand your organic search visibility and traffic over time.
Dedicated keyword research tools are essential for identifying long tail keyword opportunities. Here are some top options:
Google's free Keyword Planner should be your starting point for long-tail keyword research. It integrates directly with Google search data to provide accurate volume estimates and suggestions.
Moz's paid Keyword Explorer tool lets you analyze keyword difficulty, search volume, and competition. This data helps reveal the best long tail keywords to target.
SEMrush's keyword research features generate long-tail suggestions and help you compare metrics like volume and CPC. It also analyzes the SERPs for each keyword.
UberSuggest is a free keyword tool that excels at finding autocomplete and related long-tail suggestions from Google's search data.
Searchmetrics is an enterprise-level suite that includes robust keyword research and tracking. It provides a deep analysis of keyword difficulty and search analytics.
KeywordTool is a paid tool focused specifically on long tail keyword discovery and tracking rank tracking. It integrates data from Google Autocomplete.
Search Console shows how visitors are finding your site organically. Check your top pages report for long-tail keyword opportunities.
The best approach is to leverage multiple tools to get a complete picture of keyword metrics and search behavior. Combine them with search analytics from Search Console and Google Analytics as you optimize content.
Paid keyword research tools provide helpful data, but you can still discover great long-tail keywords for free:
A: Many people only look at keyword difficulty and search volume data when researching long tail keywords. However, you also need to carefully consider relevancy and searcher intent. A long tail keyword may have decent volume but if it's not closely aligned with your content topic or has the wrong intent, targeting it won't generate quality traffic. Make sure to research keywords comprehensively and not just focus on volume and difficulty metrics.
A: The key is identifying ultra-specific, low-competition long-tail keywords that perfectly match your existing content and topics. Optimize existing pages around these terms and create new posts targeting uncovered long-tail keywords. This allows you to tap into searchers' more nuanced interests and questions. Implementing the right long-tail keyword strategy can dramatically increase qualified organic traffic in just a few weeks.
A: You don't need advanced skills to rank for long tail keywords fast as a beginner. First, research to uncover low-competition long-tail opportunities where few other sites rank. Create optimized content focused on these terms. Build some authoritative backlinks from relevant websites. Freshen up old posts with new long-tail keywords. Promote your new content. With this simple plan, even beginners can rank #1 for easy long-tail keywords in under 1 week.
Long tail keywords should be a core part of your SEO strategy. By targeting ultra-specific, low-competition keywords, you can drive highly qualified organic traffic to your site.
Conduct ongoing long-tail keyword research using both paid tools and free methods to discover new opportunities. Identify low-hanging fruit keywords as well as more competitive terms with high potential.
Create comprehensive, keyword-optimized content built around these long-tail targets. Include keywords naturally in your copy and structure.
With the right research tactics and optimization plan, you can continually tap into long-tail searches to increase your total organic search visibility, traffic, and conversions.
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