Long-tail keywords: Target lower-competition phrases and attract qualified visitors
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As a search engine user yourself, when you want to know how to do something or explore your options around a decision, chances are you’ll use a long-tail keyword.
Maybe you’ll search Google for [warm places to visit in December] when you’re planning your next getaway or [how to make strawberry shortcake] on a wet Sunday afternoon.
Congratulations! You’re using long-tail keywords to search.
Because of their specificity, long-tail keywords may have less search volume – and less competition.
It’s often easier to rank for these longer phrases. It can also be easier for someone searching to find what they want.
Does that sound like a win-win?
Good. Because it is.
Read on to learn how long-tail keywords can help with SEO and ways to identify and incorporate long-tail keywords into your content.
What are long-tail keywords?
A long-tail keyword is a phrase usually associated with lower monthly search volume and competition. Long-tail keywords typically bring more specificity to the search, meaning these keywords are more targeted than head terms.
The use of “head” “tail” and “long tail” when applied to search keywords originates from an analogy to a comet. At the head is the large bright mass, and trailing towards infinity is the long tail.
Infinity may seem exaggerated, but consider this:
- In 2007, 25% of Google queries on a daily basis had never been seen before.
- Today, despite significant changes in access to devices and faster connections, that figure is still 15%.
Why does this matter?
Knowing there’s a potentially never-ending long tail means there’s a huge opportunity to develop an effective keyword and content strategy.
Although individual long-tail keywords may generate little relative traffic, together, they make up a whopping 91.8% of Google searches.
By comparison, the most-searched keywords like “iPad” or “jobs” are at the top of the volume and frequency graph (or “head” of the comet). Some have millions of monthly searches. They’re also highly competitive, and unless they include a brand term like “Facebook,” they tend to lack context.
Medium-tail keywords are somewhere in the middle for length, popularity, and search volume. These keywords often contain a qualifier that reveals more about the search user intent.
Head and medium-tail keywords, more often than long-tail, can generate a SERP that incorporates AI results or another kind of SERP feature. For example, [weather today].
While extensive SERP snippets or AI results (AI Overviews in Google, for example) are less likely with long-tail keywords, SERP analysis is an important consideration with any keyword strategy.
Identifying great long-tail keywords with search user intent that’s relevant to your content gives you more opportunity for more SERP share of voice. Just one of the many reasons long-tail keywords are an important part of your strategy.
Why long-tail keywords matter for SEO
Long-tail keywords show us what our potential visitors or customers want. Identifying and evaluating these keywords can reveal:
- What matters in decisions (think of keywords that include “best” or “cheapest”; e.g., “best women’s hoodie”).
- Which product features might be more popular than others (think of qualifiers like color or style; e.g., “red hoodie front pocket”).
- Questions they may have before considering a solution (“Hoodie Warehouse returns policy”).
Long-tail queries are more specific than broad keywords, like “smartphone” or “coffee brands.” This means that they:
- May be less competitive.
- Allow you to reach a niche market.
- Are more likely to align with search intent and drive conversions.
- Are ideal for creating targeted content.
- Trend toward lower cost per click (CPC) for paid search campaigns.
Let’s say you sell coffee online and use your blog to drive traffic. By focusing on long-tail keywords, you have higher odds of ranking in organic search.
Short, generic keywords (e.g., “coffee”) are highly competitive and can take months or years to rank for.
“Organic coffee beans,” “best coffee for espresso,” and other long-tail keywords have fewer searches because of their specificity. Plus, consumers who use them are often closer to making a purchase because they’re more aware of what they want.
These shoppers don’t just want to know more about coffee. Instead, they’re looking for a specific type of coffee or want to find local stores offering that product (e.g., “organic coffee shops NYC”).
Optimizing your website or blog for long-tail keywords related to your product or service can boost conversions. You can more easily create content that addresses the specific needs driving your target audience to search. The more creative you get with your long-tail keywords, the wider you cast your net.
For example, you could branch out while exploring topics related to “organic coffee beans” and focus on their benefits, like “organic coffee beans benefits,” “organic mushroom coffee benefits,” “organic coffee benefits for skin,” etc. Your resulting blog content can provide people with the information they need and also lead them to engage with other related content, products, or services on your site.
As your click-through rates rise and bounce rates fall, Google will recognize how your content matches these keywords and boost your SERP rankings.
5 ways to find long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are one of the secret tools in a seasoned marketer’s toolkit. If you get good at finding new long-tail keywords, you enjoy an endless source of new audience segments and cool content ideas to connect with your audience across all channels, not just organic search.
1. Use Google Autocomplete
What better way to find search queries than by using Google itself?
Start by entering a generic keyword into Google. For example, “coffee machines.”
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