Longtail Keywords: How Do They Work?

You will agree that focusing on longtail keywords is a great SEO tactic. Such keywords or key phrases are more specific – and usually longer – than most commonly used keywords.

It is true that these keywords get less search traffic but will usually have a higher conversion value. The reason being they are more specific. In the long run, these keywords – gradually help you get more traffic to your website. They also help you get new and motivating audiences.

What Do You Understand By Longtail Keywords?

These are more specific and less common than other keywords. Meaning they focus more on a niche. Do you know that the term long-tail keyword comes from the book The Long Tail by Chris Anderson?

In the book, Chris Anderson shows that one can find a market for virtually any product. And although the market is small in some cases, the internet’s vastness makes your niche product or blog profitable.

You need to know that longtail keywords are essential for your business. Understanding it better will help you focus on your mission and product, thus helping to set up a longtail keyword strategy.

It is much easier to rank for such keywords than for more common keywords because fewer websites compete for high rankings in the results pages of Google. The longer and more specific your search terms are – the easier it is to rank for the term. With such long-tail keywords, finding your audience for your particular niche is easier. Focusing on a group of such keywords can result in significant traffic.

Another benefit is that these keywords are used less in searches. Note that the visitor that finds your website using them is more likely to buy your product and service.

An Example

Take this example. If you are a company that sells classic furniture, then the chances are that your page will never appear near the top of an organic search for the keyword “furniture”. There is too much competition, especially if you are a small company or a startup.

In contrast, if you specialize in contemporary art-deco furniture, keywords like “contemporary art deco-influenced semi-circle lounge” will indeed find those consumers looking precisely for that product.

In simple terms, it means using such keywords. You will attract exactly the audience you are looking for. The best part is that these audiences will be far closer to point-of-purchase. But visitors who are attracted by medium tail keywords are the less-savvy competitors.

Less Competition = Lower Costs

Longtail keywords are precious for businesses who want their content to rank in organic Google searches. But these keywords are even more valuable for advertisers running paid search marketing campaigns.

Do you know that when you bid on long-tailed keywords – the cost per click is inevitably lower? The reason being there is less competition for these keywords.

Note that if you target more extended, specific long-tail keywords in your AdWords campaigns, you can quickly get higher ad rankings. You will have a higher ranking on relevant searches without paying a premium for every click.

So the fundamental trick is to search for a reliable, renewable source of longtail keywords. Keywords that are suitable for you and for your niche. Surprisingly, most keyword suggestion tools neglect this category. They focus only on the head.

Here we discuss both types:

1. Supporting long-tail keywords

WLet us understand with the help of an example. “Best healthy treats for dogs” – is a long-tail keyword that gets just 100 searches per month. If you search this keyword in Google, you will discover the same pages are ranking at the top.

Google is smart enough to understand – that different people often phrase their searches differently. But they look for the same thing. Therefore, Google ranks the same set of pages for all these different keyword variations.

Once you start to rank for a popular search query like “healthy dog treats,” which has 6.8k searches. Then it will automatically rank all the queries having such long-tail variations. As a result, you do not need to create individual pages for each longtail keyword variation you want to rank for. Instead, you should target all such keywords with a single page.

So the next question is, how do you know if a longtail keyword you are looking at is a part of a broader topic? Well, Ahrefs have a unique feature just for that. It is called Parent Topic.

2. Topical long-tail keywords

This is the next type of longtail keyword for example “fly bites on dogs ears.”
The parent topic is the same as the original keyword. This means the keyword is actually the most popular one. And you can safely target this longtail keyword with a dedicated page. And once you manage to rank for this topical keyword, you will automatically start to rank for all the less popular ones.

Finally, you must look for ways to insert this content into your existing web pages. If this content already exists on your site, you should be able to insert these long tails into your copy naturally. If not, you should have ideas of what your following pieces of content should focus on.

Do not forget about internal links when you publish new content using these keywords. These are some of the best places to include some of the long-tail terms you researched.

1 Use Keywords Naturally

Long-tail keywords may sometimes be long and clunky. So they are not always easy to use naturally in a sentence or para. The beat you can do is to get creative or adjust your keyword a little. But make sure you are not forcing your keyword on your web page. Usability and readability always come first.

2 Place Your Keywords Strategically

Try to include your long-tail keyword in your page’s title, headers, and subheaders as much as possible. Also, use it in your first paragraph, preferably in your first sentence. These small tips can be handy.

3 Consider a User’s Search Intent

Adding your keyword to your page is not always enough. For your page to rank high in Google, your content should match that keyword’s search intent. Semrush has features that make it easy to find a keyword’s search intent.

Final Thoughts

Now you know how to discover longtail keywords. You can use them to your advantage. But remember targeting long-tail keywords is as strong as your content.

If you are not recognized as an authority in your niche – it is time for you to start creating high-value assets and blogs about your industry. You can rewrite your web copy to communicate your unique value proposition (UVP) to your potential customers.

At the same time, you should create new content and optimize your pages to include new long-tail keywords. Also, do not forget to measure your traffic and rankings.

As you keep doing so, you can discover even more keyword phrases you can target. This process will help you continue to build your reputation and, at the same time, improve your on-page SEO.

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