When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), most people focus on short, generic keywords such as "shoes" or "books." While these keywords may drive a significant amount of traffic to your website, they are also highly competitive and can be difficult to rank for.
One effective strategy to increase your website's visibility and drive more traffic to your site is by focusing on long tail keywords. These are longer, more specific phrases that are less competitive and easier to rank for. By optimizing your website for long tail keywords, you can attract more qualified leads and increase your conversions.
What are Long Tail Keywords?
Long tail keywords are longer phrases (typically three or more words) that are highly specific to the products or services that you offer. For example, instead of just using the keyword "shoes," a long tail keyword might be "men's size 12 running shoes." This phrase is much more specific, and therefore, less competitive.
Long tail keywords are often used by people who are further along in the buying process and know exactly what they are looking for. For example, someone searching for "men's size 12 running shoes" is likely closer to making a purchase than someone searching for just "shoes."
Benefits of Long Tail Keywords
There are several benefits to optimizing your website for long tail keywords, including:
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Increased traffic: Long tail keywords tend to have lower search volume than short, generic keywords, but they can still drive a significant amount of traffic to your website. For example, while the keyword "shoes" might have thousands of searches per month, a long tail keyword like "men's size 12 running shoes" might only have a few hundred searches per month. However, the traffic that you do receive from long tail keywords will be highly targeted and more likely to convert.
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Increased conversions: As mentioned earlier, people searching for long tail keywords are often further along in the buying process and more likely to convert. By optimizing your website for long tail keywords, you can attract more qualified leads and increase your conversions.
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Better chances to rank: Long tail keywords tend to be less competitive than short, generic keywords, so it is easier to rank for them. This means that even if you don't have a large budget for paid advertising, you can still drive significant traffic to your website by optimizing for long tail keywords.
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Better user experience: Focusing on long tail keywords can also improve the user experience on your website. By using long tail keywords in your content, you can create more relevant and useful information for your visitors. This can increase their engagement and reduce the bounce rate on your site.
How to Find Long Tail Keywords
Finding long tail keywords to optimize your website for can be a bit of a challenge. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
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Use keyword research tools: There are several tools available that can help you find long tail keywords, such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Ahrefs. These tools will give you an idea of the search volume and competition for different keywords, which can help you identify long tail keywords that are less competitive and easier to rank for.
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Look at your competition: Take a look at your competitors' websites and see what keywords they are targeting. This can give you an idea of what keywords are working well inyour industry and help you identify long tail keywords that you might not have thought of on your own.
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Look at customer feedback and reviews: Pay attention to the language that your customers are using when they give feedback or leave reviews about your products or services. This can give you an idea of the long tail keywords that they are using and help you identify new keywords to target.
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Use your own knowledge: As the owner of your business or website, you likely have a good understanding of your products or services and the language that your customers use when they search for them. Use this knowledge to identify long tail keywords that you can target.
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Use long-tail keyword research tools like LSI Graph, Keyword Tool.
Once you've identified some long tail keywords to target, it's important to incorporate them into your website's content and meta tags. This includes:
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Page titles: Use your main long tail keyword in the title of each page on your website.
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Meta descriptions: Include your main long tail keyword in the meta description of each page on your website.
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Headings: Use your main long tail keyword in the headings of your content to make it clear what the page is about.
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Body content: Use your long tail keywords throughout the body content of your website. Be sure to use them in a natural way and avoid keyword stuffing.
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URLs: Use long tail keywords in your URLs. It makes it more relevant and search engine friendly.
It's also important to note that optimizing for long tail keywords is not a one-time task. You should constantly monitor your website's performance and adjust your strategy as necessary. Use web analytics tools like Google Analytics and to track the performance of your long tail keywords and make adjustments as needed.
Sure, here is a comparison table between long tail keywords and short tail keywords:
| Long Tail Keywords | Short Tail Keywords |
|---|---|
| More specific and descriptive | More general and broad |
| Lower search volume, but higher conversion rate | Higher search volume, but lower conversion rate |
| Less competitive and easier to rank for | More competitive and harder to rank for |
| Attracts more qualified leads | Attracts a wider audience |
| Can improve user experience on your website | Can improve brand awareness |
| Gives more insights for content creation | Gives broad insights for general marketing |
It's important to note that both long tail keywords and short tail keywords have their own set of advantages, and that a combination of both can be an effective strategy for SEO. Long tail keywords are effective for driving targeted traffic and increasing conversions, while short tail keywords can help increase brand awareness and improve your overall search engine rankings. By using a combination of both, you can maximize your website's visibility and drive more traffic to your site.
best tools for long tail keyword ideas
There are several tools available that can help you find long tail keywords, here are some of the most popular ones:
Google Keyword Planner:
A free tool offered by Google that allows you to see the search volume, competition and CPC of keywords. It also offers keyword ideas, It's a good starting point to see what are the most common long tail keywords in your industry.
SEMrush:
A paid tool that offers a wide range of features for keyword research, including long tail keywords suggestion, keyword competitiveness, and organic search data. It also offers a feature that allows you to see the keywords that your competitors are ranking for.
R-SEO Keyword Toolbox :
R-seo keyword toolbox is a powerful tool designed to help you generate a large number of keyword ideas for your website's search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. It is specifically tailored for finding long-tail keywords, which are longer, highly specific phrases that are less competitive and easier to rank for.
Ahrefs:
A paid tool that offers a wide range of features for keyword research, including long tail keywords suggestion, keyword competitiveness, and organic search data. It also offers a feature that allows you to see the keywords that your competitors are ranking for.
Long Tail Pro:
A keyword research tool specifically designed for finding long tail keywords. It offers a keyword competitiveness metric, it helps you to analyze the competitiveness of each keyword.
Keywords Everywhere:
A free browser extension that shows you search volume, CPC, and competition data for keywords on multiple websites. It also offers a feature that shows you related keywords and suggestions for long-tail keywords as you search.
AnswerThePublic:
a free tool that helps you to see what questions people are asking in relation to a specific topic, which can be useful in coming up with long-tail keyword ideas.
All these tools have their own advantages and disadvantages, it would be best to experiment with them to see which one works best for your needs. Some of them are free and some are paid, keep that in mind, also with paid ones, you can test them with free trials.
In summary, long tail keywords are an effective way to drive targeted traffic to your website and increase conversions. By focusing on these longer, more specific phrases, you can outsmart your competition and achieve better results with your SEO efforts. However, always keep in mind, long tail keywords alone can't make your website rank higher, it's a combination of many other SEO factors, try to optimize your website using both short and long tail keywords, along with other on-page and off-page optimization techniques.