WordPress SEO in 5 Minutes-What are Long-tail Keywords?
Keywords are the will-o’-wisps that lead visitors to your website. They are crucial to ranking in the SERPs and driving traffic to your sites. It can, however, be hard rank high when you have a lot of competition. This is where long-tail keywords can help you. You must have come across the term long-tail keywords while doing your SEO. They are an integral part of an effective SEO keyword strategy. In our latest from the SEO team in Perth, we help you understand what long-tail keywords are and why are they so important.
What are Long-tail Keywords?
For a keyword or key phrase to be considered long-tail it has to be very specific. They can be a single keyword or a key phrase, but tend to be more than a single word. A keyword will be a general search term, whereas a long-tail keyword will be niche. Let us try to understand this with an example.
If you are trying to rank for ‘coding services’, it will be challenging to get your page into the top ranks. It is a very general term. But let’s say you optimise for ‘coding services for healthcare providers in Perth’; that’s a very specific term, and that is your long-tail keyword.
Short-tail Keywords Vs Long-tail Keywords
Let’s understand what’s the difference between these two are
| Short-tail | Long-tail |
|---|---|
| Definition | |
| Only have one or two words | Have more than three words (more of a niche) |
| Intent | |
| Generalised and not defined, e.g. Web development | Specified and focused on particular search intent, e.g. Web development agency in Perth |
| Competition | |
| High level of competition | Low competition |
| Search Volume | |
| Since these words are short and general, they have a high search volume | Lower search volume compared to short-tail words since they are niche |
| Conversion Rate | |
| Conversion rate is low | Higher conversion rate |
| Cost | |
| More costly due to high competition | Less costly due to less competition |
Want to know more about keywords? Read our complete guide on keywords.
Why are Long-tail Keywords Important?
Lesser Competition
They have fewer websites trying to rank for. The more specific or niche your keyword is, the lesser the competition. Fewer people will be using the search term, and the chances of them visiting your site significantly increase.
Higher Conversion Rates
The people who search using long-tail keywords are usually near to making a purchase decision. So, they have higher conversion rates and excellent ROI.
Suitable for PPC
Biding on long-tail keywords helps you attract your targeted audiences and avoid ill-targeted traffic that would have been drawn if you used a short-tail instead. This makes it cost-effective and perfect for PPC.
Favoured by Google
Google is always trying to find the right pages for the user’s intent. Optimised long-tail keywords are similar to the user search queries and more specified, helping Google easily narrow down the pages that match the user’s intent.
Help in Ranking for Your Primary Keyword
Using long-tail keywords is like feeding 2 birds with one scone. Since most of them contain the main keyword, it will also appear for general search results.
How to Find and Build on Your Long-tail Keyword Strategy
Understand What Makes Your Product or Service Unique
The first step is to understand how your service or product will solve a customer’s requirement. What makes your offer unique? Your long-tail terms should be in sync with your service or products.
Do Keyword Research
Research what long-tail keywords your competitors are ranking for. Find out which are the more competitive ones, which have higher conversion rates, and which are the most suitable ones that you can target.
Note Down Autocomplete and Related Search Suggestions
Type your focus keywords into search engines and note down the autocomplete suggestions. Also, scroll to the SERPs and note the related search suggestions. This will give you a better idea of how your audiences search for your products and services.
Write Amazing Content
Once you decide on the keywords you want to rank for, go ahead and create amazing content. Your content should be optimised for your chosen keyword.
Which tools can I use to find good Long Tail Keywords?
Long tail keywords are an essential part of SEO and can help you target a specific audience more effectively. Finding the right long-tail keywords to use on your website can be tricky, but it’s important to have the right tools at your disposal. Fortunately, there are several great tools available that can make keyword research easier and help you find the perfect long-tail keywords for your website.
One popular tool is Google Trends. This tool allows you to compare search terms over time, helping you uncover valuable insights into trends and potential opportunities in certain topics or industries. It also lets you see related queries that people have searched for in relation to your main keyword, which can provide some inspiration when brainstorming new content ideas.
Another great tool for finding long-tail keywords is the Keyword Explorer from Moz. This comprehensive keyword research platform helps you to find relevant, high-volume search terms that are related to your main topic or keyword. It also offers data on each keyword’s difficulty and potential click volume, giving you valuable insights into how competitive a certain term might be.
Ahrefs is yet another great tool for finding long-tail keywords. This powerful keyword research platform can help you uncover valuable search terms that are related to your main keyword and even shows you how competitive those terms are. Ahrefs also provides data on backlinks, which can give you a better understanding of how likely your content will rank well in search results if you use certain keywords.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one keyword research solution, SEMrush is a great option. This comprehensive platform provides insights into what people are searching for online, as well as data on search volume and competition level for each term. It also includes helpful filters that allow you to find the most relevant long-tail keywords quickly.
These are just a few of the tools available to help you find the right long-tail keywords for your website. With the right resources and research, you can ensure that your content is optimized for search engines and helps attract more visitors to your site.
Now that you know what are long-tail keywords you can easily bring organic traffic to your site. Finding the right keywords is the key. And that is what our SEO and Branding Services team in Perth have been doing for years. Contact us or email at sales@computingaustralia.group to find how we can help you do the same.
Jargon Buster
Key phrase– A search term consisting of more than one word.
Conversion rates – Here, the number of visitors to your website who take a desired action (mostly make a purchase).
ROI– Return On Investment. Here, the quantity of sales that you make against the cost of implementing an SEO strategy of long-tail keywords.
PPC– Pay-Per-Click – An online advertising model where advertisers pay every time a user clicks on one of their online ads
User Intent – A term used to define the purpose behind a user’s search query.
SERPs – Search Engine Results Pages – Search engine’s response to a user’s search query. It usually includes organic results, paid Google Ads results, Knowledge Graphs etc.
Article originally published on 26/08/2020
Revised on 06/04/2021
Added new section: Short-tail Keywords Vs Long-tail Keywords
Added new points to How to find and build on your long-tail keyword strategy
Added new points to Why are long-tail keywords important?
Added new terms to Jargon Buster
Revised on 23/01/2023
Added a selection of Long Tail Keyword tools
by The Computing Australia Group