How to Get Ahead in SEO Using Long-tail Keywords

Frequent algorithm updates send experts scrambling, and they complicate existing strategies. 

One thing to note is the Top 3 URLs on the SERPs get 75.1% of user clicks. 

If your site doesn’t appear on the first page of search engine results pages (SERP), the chances of people finding it are slim to none. 

One solution is using long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords change how search engines like Google respond.  

Below, we’ll look at how long-tail keywords work and why they are important to your SEO. Lastly, how you should use them in your content marketing for excellent results. 

Let’s get started!

What Are Long-tail Keywords, and Why are They Important for SEO?

Long-tail Keywords are exact search terms and rank better and bring in more combined traffic. 

They attract quality leads and generate a higher conversion rate than short-tail keywords. Searchers use them to get more specific results. 

Plus, they often have a very attractive (i.e., low) search volume.

So, what exactly are long-tail keywords, and how do they improve search volume? 

Generally speaking, long-tail keywords are specific phrases of 3 or more words relevant to certain niches. 

Here are some examples:

• Stainless steel, double-wide toaster for bagels
• Running shoes for people with wide feet
• SEO services for start-up organizations

Long-tail keywords have lower competition

Long-tail keywords are typically easier to target due to less competition. 

For example, long-tail search terms usually have lower traffic volume potential. This can lead to higher search volume and conversion rates from your content marketing and search terms.

By targeting long-tail keywords, you’ll rank faster. Also, you’ll see similar total traffic levels as head keywords.

Long-tail keywords drive overall traffic to a website, landing page, or other online content. They also have a higher conversion rate than other search terms.

For example, long-tail keywords achieve up to 2.5 times higher conversion rates than short-tail keywords.

Long-tail keywords increase the effectiveness of your blogging strategy. 

They improve the SEO of your content marketing and help your rank high on search engine results. 

How? 

By adding relevance and context to your content. They also help you get closer to that all-important first page on Google with every piece of content you publish.

Plus, long-tail keywords appeal to voice-assisted searches. 

This search type is becoming more popular thanks to voice-assisted devices like Siri and Alexa.

In short, long-tail keywords are a significant traffic source when doing keyword research. Plus, searchers now use voice assist, increasing the use of long-tail keywords significantly. 

Why not make long-tail keywords work harder for you? 

Here’s how:

How to Find Long-tail Keywords

Keyword tools are fantastic for finding long-tail keywords in bulk and optimizing your content and search volume. 

If you need quick data on potential keywords for content and search volume, go straight to the source: Google. 

Using Google’s auto-suggest features, you can uncover some incredible data.

Start with a list of “seed keywords.” These search terms reflect how your competitors and customers talk about your products or services. 

The HOTH’s free tool keyword extraction checker can help you gather a list of different keywords used by your competitors.

Next, type each seed keyword into the Google search box and note the automated suggestions. 

These will show the most popular terms that use the beginning parts of the phrase you entered.

Then, for each search, scroll to the bottom of the search results and take note of related search suggestions. You can add these to your long-tail keywords list while doing your keyword research.

Here’s a great tip; plug these new long-tail phrases into a keyword tool to double-check keyword data for more specific traffic metrics. 

Alternatively, you can use Google Keyword Planner on AdWords. 

Use Keyword Research Tools to Find the Long-tail Keywords that Work Best

If you want to take your keyword research a step further, use keyword research tools. These include Ubersuggest, Keyword Tool, and Answer the Public. 

All provide additional ideas and search queries. Keyword research tools are an excellent way to perform keyword research on different keyword phrases. 

They can positively affect your SEO, conversion rates, and every piece of content you create. Additionally, they boost your search traffic, conversation rates, and overall user experience. 

Answer the Public, and Ubersuggest can also help generate topic ideas. If you don’t have pages that correspond to existing keywords, you can use these new keywords to generate more content.

With Answer the Public, you can discover challenging variations of your keywords. That includes both short-tail keywords and long-tail keywords. 

Using visualization for data, you can see common questions related to your topic that you can address with blog content, optimizing the SEO on every piece of content you create.

You can also get ahead of your digital marketing competition by keeping an eye on up-and-coming keywords that reflect trends in your industry. 

Use keyword research tools like Google Trends to spot trending topics. 

Then, create content or offers before others by comparing search trends, predicting seasonal peaks, and identifying opportunities for reactive content.

Google Trends is key for tapping into more viral topics and connecting them to your niche. It’s a great tool for improving search volume and bringing more online searchers to your virtual door.

How To Incorporate Long tail Keywords into Your Content Strategy

Instead of jamming every long-tail keyword into a limited number of web pages, you can use this list of keywords to increase your content marketing strategy.

Publishing new content marketing keeps your website and landing pages on search engine radar. 

Each unique piece of content allows you to rank for a specific long-tail keyword.

Don’t look at long-tail keywords as more work. 

Think of them as more opportunities. Searchers on Google will help your conversion rates and get you closer to Google’s first page. 

Related keywords in every piece of content will help your SEO strategy. (Even if they aren’t super competitive keywords.)

Here’s how to integrate long-tail keywords into your content strategy:

1. Clearly state your objectives and goals

Clarifying the goal for each piece of content you publish will help you determine the search intent (more on that below). 

Also, the correct long-tail keyword to rank for.

The objective of every piece of content should align with your organizational and marketing goals. That will provide the best results on Google search and other search engines. 

Here are some excellent examples: 

• Educate searchers about their challenges and how to overcome them.
• Attract searchers with usable, real-world information that helps solve an issue or challenge.
• Drive high-quality leads to your website with search terms that align with searchers‘ needs, wants, and desires.
• Move searchers through the sales funnel with engaging, persuasive content geared towards their ultimate goal.

Each piece of content should serve a direct purpose and influence your SERP. Content creation for the sake of content creation is worthless. 

When the searcher is finished, they haven’t gained anything of value.

2. Align your long-tail keywords with search intent

The search intent behind any particular long-tail or short-tail keyword is just as important as the keyword itself. 

The keywords should appear in a context that addresses your visitors’ needs, wants, or desires. 

When they do, the page is more likely to rank high on search engines and improve your SEO and SERP.

Intent-based optimization identifies topics and questions your customers want to know about. 

They will search using a specific long-tail keyword. This fact helps you create content that meets their needs, which is what every searcher is looking for.

There are several types of search intent, including informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial. 

Your landing page’s objective should match the keywords’ search intent to drive traffic. Start with your top landing pages to get a good grasp of your visitors’ search intent.

Find out why searchers landed on a page, what they were searching for, and what answers they hoped to find.

Time on-site is a great metric to see if your content matches your intent. This analysis assesses the relevance of your long-tail keywords. A longer time on-site indicates you’re keeping searchers interested.

Next, identify keywords you should optimize to provide useful content and increase conversion rates. You’ll deliver a relevant user experience with every piece of content you create.

If you’re struggling with search intent, simply Google the corresponding keywords to those you’re targeting. Then, scan the top related searches. 

Look closely at the big-name brands targeting these queries to get ideas about intent.

How to Use Long-tail Keywords for E-commerce

SEO for e-commerce websites presents more opportunities. The objective is to drive quality traffic. Plus, find searchers ready to make a purchase and take advantage of how your target prospects are searching.

Here’s how long-tail keywords can help improve your e-commerce SEO:

1. Descriptive Phrases

Searchers looking for a specific item are more likely to make a purchase. They use longer and more descriptive long-tail keywords, like “green running shoes for women.”

The depth of their search terms shows that they aren’t new to this research. These searchers are, in many cases, much further along the buyer’s journey than someone searching for a basic term like “workout shoes.”

That’s precisely why descriptive long-tail keywords capture high-quality traffic better than short-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords better describe your products or services.

That takes us to another keyword research tool; surveys and social listening. Using both, you can get direct insight into consumers’ exact searches rather than generic keyword ideas and search terms.

Here’s how; The on-site search terms report in Google Analytics. These on-site terms provide easy wins when suggesting products that users commonly search for and the search terms they use to find them.

You’ll discover long-tail keywords and search terms you haven’t been using in your pieces of content. Start using them to improve your SEO and conversion rates and reach the first page on search engines.

2. Commercial Intent

Search engine algorithms take intent into account. Because of this, you want to inform visitors they can purchase products or services from your website.

Focus on using keywords with commercial intent on your e-commerce product pages, such as:

• “Buy now” keywords (e.g., coupon, discount, deals)
• Product keywords (e.g., review, best, specific product, or brand name)
• Informational keywords (e.g., how to, ways to, when to, etc.)
• Tire kicker keywords (e.g., free, no charge, BOGO)

3. Landing Pages

It pays to consider the entire customer journey. An incohesive user experience can increase your bounce rate and hurt your SEO and search volume. 

Create content or product pages around long-tail keywords and phrases. 

Select a landing page with the most relevant product or content your keywords are ranking for. 

Your content marketing will deliver a coherent user experience and increase your conversion rate.

Give the searcher precisely what they ask for, always. They will reward you with sales, loyalty, and repeat sales.

What are the Benefits of long-tail Keywords in SEO?

As mentioned, long-tail keywords are composed of many words, which generally makes them more specific keywords to search results. Instead of heavily saturated popular keywords, use more targeted phrases to find the right people. 

This means that both you and your audience generally get a better experience. Your brand gets traffic from the right audience, and your target audience is happy because they found what they’re looking for. 

This also improves the ability to effectively bring new customers into each stage of the buyer’s journey. 

There are several benefits to using long-keyword suggestions:

• They’re more specific, although they usually have fewer monthly searches.
• They have lower search volume and competition.
• They increase your rank on SERPs.
• They have higher conversion rates.
• They improve the visibility of your online content,
• They can improve the ranking on your pages quickly.
• They can optimize your SEO and blog strategy.
• They allow for more personalized content with higher intent.
• They help your organization prepare for future trends.
• They’re more popular using AI-assisted voice search.

Let’s Wrap it Up!

It’s not impossible to rank high on search engines, find excellent search terms and improve the SEO and results of your content marketing.

With the correct long-tail keyword strategy, you can improve your SEO, help searchers find you, and move closer to that all-powerful first page. 

Visit The HOTH and schedule a talk with an SEO expert today! 

Our SEO specialists can provide up-to-date, actionable advice on finding, using, and profiting from long-tail keywords.