What are Long Tail Keywords?
Long tail keywords are search phrases that have longer word counts. Their length makes them more specific and useful than a shorter generic keyword because they can be used in as many different searches with the same words, but still, yield new results each time you type it!
Because they are so specific, they may not have a lot of competition. It can be easier to rank high in search engine results pages (SERP) for them.
That said, long tail keywords can also be very profitable because of the targeted traffic they generate. If you can rank well for a long tail keyword. You can expect that website visitors may be looking for a solution to a problem. Therefore more likely to convert into a lead of paying customers!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss what long tail keywords are and how you can use them to your advantage in your marketing campaigns.
Example of a Long Tail Keyword
So, what exactly is a long tail keyword. The phrase “creating a monthly marketing report” (5 words) is an example of a long tail keyword.
Marketers generally start counting phrases with 3 or 4 words as long tail keywords. The longer a keyword is, the better it will be for ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Individual short tail keywords are searched more often than individual long tail keywords, but highly specific phrases make up the vast majority of search volume.
For context, an example of a short tail keyword would be “marketing” (1 word).
The Long Tail
The definition “long tail” is a concept in statistics that describes a distribution of data that has significant results away from the “head.” In the chart below the head is in green, and the tail is in yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
One of the most impactful books on popularizing “long tail” was written by Chris Anderson. He helped lay out this concept, which signifies many different things for groups with niche interests or shorter tails — like blogs about cats!
The graph below shows how the long tail of search terms influences Google’s ranking system. The number on x-axis represents word count and volume, while y reflects pops in searches over time.
Short tail keywords appear within the “fat head” part of this chart.
Source: Rank By Focus
Short-tail keywords are more competitive because they’re easier to rank for. In other words, many advertisers want their ads on the top search result pages of Google when people enter a shorter or less common phrase into Google search bar — which means there’s even greater demand!
Long tail keywords are the key to success when it comes down to how many people will see your ad and be interested in what you have for sale. Pinning advertising on these phrases can lead not only an increased ROI but also better overall performance across all channels of marketing with less waste — because one or two highly competitive words aren’t worth spending money emotionlessly!
Long Tail Keyword Marketing Strategies
Keyword research is an essential part of any successful marketing strategy, and it just got easier with the invention of Google Ads. By targeting long tail keywords around your niche you can be sure to rank high on search engines like Bing or Yahoo!
Be specific when using these types of words in ad campaigns because they will give advertisers more bang-for their buck by giving them higher positions within SERPs (search engine results pages). Researching popular topics helps too; this means studying what other brands are doing so that viewers see relevant ads instead of being shown irrelevant ones
Long tail keywords are much better at getting your website’s content indexed by search engines because they’re more specific, which means that searchers will be looking for exactly what you have available.
Tailored phrases like these help people find just the right products faster than if their searches were done using a general phrase such as “dog collar.”
Running Ads
This is true across the board when looking at online advertising, with long-tail keywords being less competitive than shorter and more popular ones. This results in higher numbers on SERPs because there’s always room for infinitesimal market share while still getting good visibility — especially if you’re targeting an underutilized niche!
When you pin your advertising to long tail keywords, it can be a better bet. You’ll see higher results from bidding on many phrases rather than wasting precious dollars targeting one or two highly competitive terms that are sure not going anywhere anytime soon with Google’s algorithm updates!
Long Tail Keywords Search Volume
With the information you now have about relevant search terms and their corresponding volumes, it is time to start looking at your competitors. By figuring out how people might be searching for these same topics differently depending on season or location; we can get even more creative with our strategies!
Keywords by competitor
You’ll likely compile a lot of keywords. How do you know which to tackle first? It could be a good idea to prioritize high-volume keywords that your competitors are not currently ranking for. On the flip side, you could also see which keywords from your list your competitors are already ranking for and prioritize those. The former is great when you want to take advantage of your competitors’ missed opportunities, while the latter is an aggressive strategy that sets you up to compete for keywords your competitors are already performing well for.
Keywords by season
Knowing about seasonal trends can be advantageous in setting a content strategy. For example, if you know that “christmas box” starts to spike in October through December in the United Kingdom, you can prepare content months in advance and give it a big push around those months.
Keywords by region
You can more strategically target a specific location by narrowing down your keyword research to specific towns, counties, or states in the Google Keyword Planner, or evaluate “interest by subregion” in Google Trends. Geo-specific research can help make your content more relevant to your target audience. For example, you might find out that in Texas, the preferred term for a large truck is “big rig,” while in New York, “tractor trailer” is the preferred terminology.
Tools To Determine the Value of a Long Tail Keyword
How much value would a keyword add to your website? These tools can help you answer that question, so they’d make great additions to your keyword research arsenal:
- Moz Keyword Explorer — Input a keyword in Keyword Explorer and get information like monthly search volume and SERP features (like local packs or featured snippets) that are ranking for that term. The tool extracts accurate search volume data by using live clickstream data.
- Google Keyword Planner — Google’s AdWords Keyword Planner has historically been the most common starting point for SEO keyword research. However, Keyword Planner does restrict search volume data by lumping keywords together into large search volume range buckets. To learn more, check out Google Keyword Planner’s Dirty Secrets.
- Google Trends — Google’s keyword trend tool is great for finding seasonal keyword fluctuations. For example, “funny halloween costume ideas” will peak in the weeks before Halloween.
- AnswerThePublic — This free tool populates commonly searched for questions around a specific keyword. Bonus! You can use this tool in tandem with another free tool, Keywords Everywhere, to prioritize ATP’s suggestions by search volume.
- SpyFu Keyword Research Tool — Provides some really neat competitive keyword data.
Conclusion
Long Tail keywords are a great way to increase your search engine ranking without having to spend as much time and money on SEO. These keywords have low competition, but high value because they will help you rank for long-tail phrases that people use when searching the internet.
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