Long Tail Keywords: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

Did you know that the click-through rate for long-tail keywords is 3 to 5 percent higher than the rate for generic searches?

Are you looking for better results from your SEO (search engine optimization) and keyword optimization strategies? If so, you should definitely start using more long-tail keywords.

Read on to learn more about these kinds of keywords, why they matter, and the best way to use them when trying to figure out how to improve SEO.

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

A long-tail keyword is a keyword phrase that, as the name suggests, is longer and also more specific than other types of keywords. These keyword phrases tend to have lower search volumes compared to their shorter counterparts.

Need an example? Let’s say you run a furniture company.

Trying to rank organically for the keyword “furniture” sounds like a pretty challenging battle, doesn’t it? This is especially true if you’re a small or new (or both) business.

In this case, instead of fighting to rank for such a popular short keyword, your time might be better spent trying to rank for a long-tail keyword like “contemporary furniture” or “rustic wood furniture.”

Why Do Long-Tail Keywords Matter?

Including more long-tail keywords in your content and refocusing your SEO strategy on them offers a lot of great benefits. The following are some of the most noteworthy ones to keep in mind:

• Less competition
• Better conversion rate
• Increased content visibility
• Increase page ranking faster
• More personalized and unique content
• Work better for voice search
• Less expensive to bid on

Long-tail keywords can also help you rank higher for short keywords.

Using the furniture example above, even though “furniture” is not your primary keyword, it’s still included in the long-tail keywords “art-deco furniture” or “rustic wood furniture.” As a result, you’re still boosting your ranking for “furniture” without making it your sole purpose. 

How to Choose SEO Keywords

At this point, you might be more interested in using long-tail keywords. However, you might also be wondering how you can choose the best ones for your content.

If you’re not sure where to start when brainstorming long-tail keywords, try these tips:

• Use Google suggest (type in your primary keyword, then look at the results that auto-populate)
• Check Google’s related searches
• Review analytics and learn more about search terms visitors are already using
• Scroll through Q&A sites (Quora, eHow, Yahoo Answers, etc.)

Need more help beyond this? Consider reaching out to an SEO agency. Partnering with experts in search engine optimization speeds up the process and gives you access to tried and true keyword research tools.

Level Up Your SEO Keyword Research Today

Now that you know more about the importance of long-tail keywords and how to choose keywords for your website, are you ready to take your SEO strategy to the next level? Follow the steps discussed above and you’ll start seeing results before you know it.

Want to learn more about how you can improve your SEO tactics? From creating better content to finding the best keywords for SEO, the Business section of our site has tons of great resources. Check them out today!