Long-tail keywords are a way to get targeted organic traffic that is easier than providing hundreds of random page views.
We are familiar with the race to the top of Google for high volume keywords, but long-tail keywords can be ignored during this race. But one thing we should pay attention that long-tail keywords make up 70% of all searches.
In this article, we will examine what you need to know about long-tail keywords and their relationship to SEO, including:
- What is a long-tail keyword?
- What are the benefits of targeting long-tail keywords?
- How to find long-tail keywords?
- How are long-tail keywords used in content?
What is a long-tail keyword?
Long-tail keywords are usually two or more search queries that narrow the focus of search results and bring more specific results.
To better understand this, let’s define the main keywords as well.
A main keyword is usually a high traffic and high difficulty term that makes up the whole topic. Although they are frequently searched for, they are not always 100% specific for what you promote with your content.
Long-tail keywords summarize your content specifically, producing results that can clarify the conversion.
What are the benefits of targeting long-tail keywords?
To understand the benefits of long-tail keywords, you need to understand the concept of intention/expectation.
Long-tail keywords match user intent
Put yourself in the place of the search query maker for a moment while thinking about the customer’s journey.
Part of it may look like this:
- Being aware of potential customer needs and searches for keywords to learn more.
- Potential customer becomes aware of an eventual solution and looks for a long-tail keyword to buy.
Basically, it is necessary to keep in mind the purpose of a keyword and the mindset of the person who will be researching the keyword.
For example, someone looking for SEO is likely looking for a broad definition, while someone searching for “SEO services” wants to click your search snippet entry and purchase your services.
Thanks to the long tail specificity of their search, they express their intention to exactly buy your product (or at least read exactly what you wrote). Therefore, it is worth using long-tail keywords. Because the traffic they bring is targeted and more likely to convert.
Main keywords’s target is lower
What is the purpose of someone searching for the word “marketing”? Who knows. It is probably about finding a definition or reading some kind of encyclopedic article. This shows why Wikipedia ranks high.
But narrowing it down and targeting “Istanbul marketing agency”. As a result, the goal is much clearer. And for that, the probability of moving up the rankings is much higher.
The biggest problem with pursuing main keywords is that you do a lot of work that is prone to getting false traffic. In addition, when you get traffic that does not stay on your page for a long time, it thinks you do not deserve to rank on Google and all your work may go to waste.
There are more long-tail keywords than the main keywords
The main keywords may run out at some point. When you go after long-tail keywords, you will need to create more pages to put optimized content on your site.
Sites with more pages are likely to appear in the rankings, especially for long-tail keywords, drive higher keyword rankings, and more traffic.
Remember that long-tail keywords make up 70% of all searches!
Increase conversions
Users who use long-tail keywords to search for something can be considered more targeted as they already put effort into making their search terms more specific.
If we’re talking about “buy” or “transaction” keywords, they are more likely to convert or execute a transaction.
Consider the example below:
“Cars” => General search
“Used cars for sale” => I’m looking for a used car
“Used cars for sale in Istanbul” => I’m looking for a used car for sale in Istanbul
“Used Ford Focus for sale in Istanbul” => I’m looking for a second hand Ford Focus car for sale in Istanbul
Long-tail keywords help build website authority and trust
Having a first page rank for any keyword is an indicator of website authority and trust.
One of the ways to get your website ready to target more important keywords is to get as many initial placements as possible for long-tail keywords. Of course, this can only work in conjunction with a solid SEO strategy.
You will get more traffic than the recommended volume
Various keyword research tools estimate the traffic you might get if you rank high for a particular keyword.
When it comes to long-tail keywords, their predictions are not 100% accurate. This is because long-tail keywords have low volume and low sampling. There are many examples of long-tail keywords that take 10 times the traffic shown by keyword tools, so don’t completely reject long-tail search words where keyword tools show traffic low.
How to find long tail keywords?
As with keyword research, it is a mix between a manual and an automated process.
Manually – Research suggested terms, read content on Quora, Reddit and forums. Putting together a list of key keywords and commonly cited phrases.
Automatically – Generate a list of semantically relevant terms and different variations from your list of different keyword research using tools like SEMRush.
How are long-tail keywords used?
Suppose you found a long-tail keyword and want to start creating content to rank for that term. The first thing to do is to choose a big goal. Below is a quick checklist to follow, tailored from On-Page SEO to include keyword placement only:
- Place the keyword at the beginning of the title (and in the title tag).
- Use only the keyword as the slug (part of the URL after the domain – com / this-is-the slug).
- Make sure your headline is on the H1 tag.
- Use the keyword in your H2 subheadings.
- Use the keyword in the first 100 words.
- Use a few keyword variations throughout the body of the article (you should get many of your research).
And of course, you should always make sure your entire site is optimized to be SEO friendly.
