Last Updated on July 28, 2024 by Admin
When you’re working on SEO for your website, you often pick popular, short terms related to what you offer. These terms have many people searching for them, but they also have a lot of competition, making them tough to rank high for.
A good strategy is to target long-tail keywords to improve your visibility in search engine results. These are longer and more specific phrases that can attract more organic traffic and leads to your site.
What’s great is that these leads are often more likely to turn into customers!
What are Long Tail Keywords?
Long-tail keywords are more defined keywords, which visitors employ when they are nearby to converting or using voice search. These are often very specific, less frequently searched terms than the broad, shorter keywords you found in the previous category.
For example, a very common and general keyword could be “coffee”. On the other hand, other phrase like “best organic coffee beans for espresso” is a much longer and more specific phrase.
While long-tail keywords are not searched that often, they can help to result in more conversions than the other keywords. This is because the clients who type these concrete phrases are typically well-informed and prepared to buy products.
Therefore, by familiarizing yourself with what long-tail keywords are and how they operate, it will be easier for a marketer to promote the right content to his or her target market.
The Benefits of Targeting Long Tail Keywords
Targeting long-tail keywords is paramount for boosting your website’s SEO performance. These specific, less common phrases can connect you directly with users ready to engage or purchase. Here are some key benefits of focusing on long-tail keywords:
- Higher conversion rates: Since long-tail keywords are highly specific, people searching these terms on Google are often on the brink of making a purchase or completing an action.
Consider the keyword “custom yoga mats for beginners”:
A person looking up this phrase is likely very close to purchasing. If your business sells custom yoga mats and ranks well for this keyword, these searchers might buy directly from you.
Conversely, a generic keyword like “yoga” is very broad.
A searcher using this term might just be gathering basic information about yoga. They could be far from actually buying any yoga-related products.
So, even if you do rank for such a broad term, it probably won’t lead to many immediate sales.
- Less Competition: It is easier to perform on long-tail keywords . For instance, it is relatively difficult to target general keywords such as ‘coffee’ or ‘insurance,’ which are often widely used by the public.
Truthfully, even if you rank high, you still fall under general competition with mainstream brands. Such keywords produce comparatively fewer searches, and there are also less websites attempt to rank for them.
This will prove more effective than a simple linked list because it gives you a much better shot of getting to the first SERP.
For example, a small local company that sells coffee might be unable to reach the top for a broad keyword such as ‘coffee,’ yet will work well for ‘organic fair trade coffee beans in Austin.
- Better for Voice Search: When it comes to voice search SEO, it’s important to focus on long-tail keywords.
People tend to use full, conversational sentences with voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant.
For example, rather than typing just “weather,” a user might say, “What’s the weather like today in Boston?” By concentrating on these more specific queries, you can connect with a broader voice search audience.
- Rank Content Faster: Ranking for broad keywords takes a lot of time, effort, and backlinks.
However, you can usually get new pages to rank for long-tail keywords more quickly, even if your site is new or lacks domain authority.
Not all long-tail keywords are simple to rank for, but generally, they’re less competitive. Targeting these can help you gain traction faster and use this early traffic to build momentum.
How to Find Long-Tail Keywords?
Consider these steps to uncover the best long-tail keyword opportunities for you:
- Use Keyword Research Tools: Leverage keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and Ahref to find long-tail variations of primary keywords.
- Look at What Your Competitors are Doing: Check out the keywords your competitors use by visiting their websites. This can help you spot opportunities for long-tail keywords.
- Check Out Related Searches: Use search engine suggestions and related search queries to find long-tail keywords that are highly relevant. A useful place to look is the “People Also Ask” section on Google’s search results page.
- Use Location-Based Keywords: Add location details to your keywords to attract local customers and catch searches specific to an area.
- Expand on Your Main Keywords: Build on the keywords you already use by adding descriptive words, phrases, or questions to make them more specific and match what users are searching for.
- Keep Up With Search Trends: Monitor changes in what people are searching for in your industry and during different times of the year, and adjust your keyword strategy to fit these trends.
How to Use Long-Tail Keywords Effectively?
Understanding how to find long-tail keywords is just the beginning.
Once you’ve identified the right keywords, it’s important to know how to effectively use them on your page.
Hera are a few steps you can follow:
- Consider Users’ Search Intent: Understanding the user’s search intent is paramount. Simply including your keyword on the page isn’t sufficient for high rankings in Google. Your content must meet the user’s needs.
Meeting search intent involves delivering what users are seeking.
For instance, if someone searches for “easy weeknight dinners,” you could create a blog post featuring a variety of quick and simple recipes.
This approach ensures that your content directly addresses what your readers are searching for.
- Place Your Keywords Strategically: Try to put your long-tail keyword in the title and headers of your page, and also use it in the first paragraph, ideally in the first sentence.
Long-tail keywords, such as “best SEO tool for small businesses,” can be lengthy and awkward to use naturally in text.
You may need to be creative or slightly alter your keyword to fit it in smoothly.
Always prioritize making your content readable and user-friendly without over stuffing it with keywords.
- Make Topic Clusters: Topic clusters are an effective way to arrange your content so it’s easy for both search engines and people to understand.
After optimizing your pages with long-tail keywords, create topic clusters by linking these pages to your main content pages (pillar pages) that focus on broader keywords.
Ensure all linked content is related to the same topic.
This method helps visitors quickly find the information they need on your site.
It can also improve your search engine rankings, boost user engagement, and increase the time visitors spend on your site.
Wrapping Up!
Keyword research is a crucial step in any SEO promotion, especially for relatively new websites or those which have low authority. If you observe that the keywords of your choice have a high degree of competition and your website is not ranking well with them, then try concentrating on long-tail keywords. These can be more easily and conveniently used for the purpose of getting the desired exposure. Should you require help in implementing this approach, hiring an SEO agency such as AlgoSaga could be helpful due to their expertise in the field of SEO services.