Long-Tail Keywords and Their Importance to SEO

What are long-tail keywords, what are their importance, and how do I use them?

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

A long-tail keyword is a targeted search phrase that contains three or more words. They have a lower search volume and less competition than broader keyword phrases.

Long-Tail Keyword Examples:

Let's say you are searching for the broad term "earbuds." Long-tail keyword examples for that term may include:

  • Best wireless earbuds

  • Best earbuds for running

  • Water-resistant earbuds

  • Earbuds with microphone

The keyword "earbud" is broad and has a lot of competition, and your chances of ranking on the first page of search results would be relatively low. By using long-tail keywords that are longer and more specific, you can rank better in search results because you are targeting a more specific niche.

Long-Tail Keywords Have High Conversion Rates

Long-tail keywords are more specific. Someone searching for a longer and more specific keyword phrase tends to be further along in the buying cycle compared to those searching for broad head terms. What does this mean? The website traffic you get from your long-tail keywords has a high conversion rate.

How Do I Find Long-Tail Keywords?

You can find long-tail keywords by using free online tools. Here are some tools you can use to find long-tail keywords:

  1. Ubersuggest: This website is an excellent resource for finding long-tail keywords. Just type in a keyword, and it will give you suggested keyword ideas!

  2. Keywordtool.io: This is another website you can use to find long-tail keywords. Type in your keyword, and it will give you keyword suggestions. It also provides questions that are searched for using those keywords.

  3. Google Search: This is an easy way to find what people are searching for! Just start typing in your keyword in the Google search bar, and a list of suggested things to search for will be displayed. These are long-tail keywords that are associated with your initial search. After you search for a keyword, you will see related suggestions at the bottom of the results page, which could also be your long-tail keyword!

It is important to do research when looking for long-tail keywords. After you have a few long-tail keywords to choose from, you will want to run them through a keyword research tool such as Google’s Keyword Planner. This will show you the search volume and how much competition you are facing. When looking for long-tail keywords, choosing one with low to mid search volume is best to get higher rankings with Google. It would help if you looked for keywords that have less competition but still have a good number of searches.

How Do I Use Long-Tail Keywords?

After selecting your long-tail keyword, you can use it on your webpage! You can use your long-tail keyword in your page headline, URL, image ALT text, meta description, and in the content of your page. Question-based queries make for great long-tail keywords. They can also serve as fantastic blog article titles. For example: "What do I do with my 401k after leaving my company?" When you use your long-tail keyword in your headline and your content, it makes it stand out in the search engine results. This helps to improve your rankings on search engines and can result in more website traffic!

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