In this article, we explain what long-tail keywords are and why it is important to include them in your SEO strategy.
Find out the best way to perform long-tail keyword research and the tools you can use.
What are Long Tail Keywords?
The well-known long tail keywords are a type of keyword made up of 4 or more words and respond to a more specific search intention than the other types of keywords we know. In addition, they are generally made up of a phrase of several words.
A keyword is a query that a user makes in the search engine expecting a certain response.
These can be divided into three groups:
- Keywords head tail or short tail.
- Middle tail keywords.
- And long tail keywords.
Long Tail Examples in SEO
Taking as an example a user looking to buy a smartphone, if he/she performs a long tail search to make his/her request, examples of this query could be:
- Buy iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB Black Titanium
- Buy HONOR MagicBook X16, 12th Generation
However, if the user’s query were something like “new iPhone”, it would be considered a short tail keyword since it is made up of 2 words and responds to a very broad search intent.
Looking at another example, “buy latest smartphone” will be considered a middle tail keyword; in this case, it is made up of 3 words and responds to a more specific intention, but not as specific as the purpose of a long tail keyword would be.
Why Include a Long Tail in an SEO Strategy?
Using long-tail keywords in an SEO strategy has many advantages. Here we list the most important ones:
Less competition and easier position
Using a long tail will lower our competition and allow us to have a greater chance of appearing in better rankings.
With a very broad query, we will face both competition that is very similar to what we offer, and competition that is not so similar, since, although the intelligence of Google’s algorithm is advanced, it cannot determine very well what the search motivation is for a query of few words.
On the other hand, using a long-tail search, our competitors will be more similar to us, or at least the page of that website that appears in the results. This will make the comparisons we make with them more accurate.
And above all, being smaller in quantity, we will have more possibilities to improve what they offer, thanks to the fact that we are not competing against such an immense quantity.
Voice search and long tail
In recent years, we have seen the growth of mobile searches and voice searches, which will undoubtedly continue to increase in the future.
This change, among other SEO implications, will lead to an increase in the use of this type of query.
As you can imagine, it takes less effort for users to perform a longer query by voice than by typing it.
Another reason is that it is more natural to use complex searches such as “what is the best shopping mall near my city?” or “is there a cooking class for beginners with no experience?”
More qualified traffic
When more generic keywords are used, the consumer’s target can be very broad.
When looking at the example query: “cooking course”, the user may be interested in:
- Information about a cooking course for chefs.
- Buy an online cooking course.
- In a cooking class for beginners.
- Etc.
Therefore, it will be much more difficult for the customer to find what they are looking for on our site.
However, when it comes to a more specific query, we will be able to fully cover the search intent of this keyword, which will make it easier for us to satisfy the need of this visitor, and with the advantage that the user has a clearer idea of what they are looking for.
This will mean that our buyer persona is more determined and closer to completing the conversion.
Ranking for long tail keywords can help rank for broad keywords
Being relevant to different long-tail queries within a related topic will make bots understand that you are also relevant to the main topic they derive from.
However, ranking for “Chinese cooking course”, “cooking course for children”, etc. may help you rank for “cooking courses” if the web architecture, internal linking and other SEO techniques are appropriate.
Long tail as a content strategy for blogs
Long-tail keywords should be part of any blog content strategy.
Before buying a product or contracting a service, a consumer encounters certain doubts that prevent them from making the purchasing decision, which is known as the customer journey.
These queries, in the vast majority of cases, involve searches of at least 4 words, as they are mainly specific questions or issues.
Using the long tail, in this case, will allow us to attract the client by having them find us at the moment when they are trying to resolve their doubts or impediments; we know this as inbound marketing.
By ensuring that we are offering valuable content to our visitors when this potential client arrives at our site and resolves their query, we will have a greater chance of them converting.
How to search for Long-tail Keywords?
To obtain long tail words, we can do it mainly in two ways:
Add information to the main keyword, like the example above; before this main keyword: “cooking course”, we describe more specifically what the course offers: “cooking course for children in new york”.
Search for long tail keywords that deal with topics related to the main keyword. An example of a search using the same term as in the previous example could be something like: “What cooking course should I take if I am a beginner?” or “10 reasons to take a cooking course”.
Where to Look for Long Tail Keywords
Google’s organic search results page can be a quick, free and easy place to find keyword ideas. By including some terms, it gives us suggestions, and by including an asterisk at the beginning, end or both parts, it gives us other suggestions.
Related searches
This other section of Google’s SERP suggests terms that it considers to be related to our query.
We can see these queries at the bottom of the page. In some queries, it indicates the searches that are most closely related to ours.