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SEO is often viewed as an uphill battle where site owners and marketers struggle to keep up with Google’s constantly changing algorithms, updates, and shifting focuses. There are no shortcuts that lead to the first page of Google, but there are a few approaches and best practices that can help you keep your online presence relevant in the eyes of the largest search engine.
First, consistency in your SEO strategy is key. Second, focusing on long-tail SEO can be an excellent way to gain more traction on your path to increased online visibility. In this article, we’ll delve into the topic, sharing our tips and tricks for a winning strategy.
The phrase “long-tail” comes from Chris Anderson’s book “The Long Tail” in which he argues that businesses can boost their revenue if they sell a wider variety of goods in smaller numbers as opposed to offering only a few products but in vast numbers.
Both the concept and the phrase carried over to the expertise of SEO, suggesting that websites can generate more traffic and boost visibility and conversions by focusing on longer key phrases. These phrases might not get as many searches from users, but they have a better chance of reaching those who are more likely to search the phrase.
Long-tail keywords are usually made up of between three to five words. Typically, users start their digital search journey with short-tail keywords, and as they progress further on their path to solve their pain points, they perform more detailed searches, i.e., use long-tail keywords. This also means that they may provide you with more conversion-ready traffic, and people will be more likely to interact with your business.
Data also suggests that over 75% of search queries are long-tail keywords and that they have an average conversion rate of 36%.
By now, you probably understand the benefits a long-tail SEO strategy can bring to your table. However, there’s more. Let’s see what else you can take advantage of if you use these terms cleverly in your SEO strategies.
Even though long-tail phrases generate less traffic, they account for 75% of searches (together with middle-tail keywords), while the remainder goes for short-tail searches. Thanks to the lower competition, you can rank in a prominent position in the search results, and drive relevant traffic, especially if you offer valuable content.
Targeting more specific phrases can help you attract more qualified leads who are more likely to convert. People using long-tail keywords probably already know what they are looking for, and by targeting them, you can cater to their needs better. Or in other words, match their search intent, which is another relevant ranking factor.
Content is still king when it comes to SEO and long-tail keywords can help you create more helpful content that directly addresses user concerns and questions. Researching relevant long-tail keywords can help you identify trending in-depth topics, and you can tailor your content pieces to offer more value. The more helpful they find your content, the more likely they are to build trust with your site and brand. This means that they’ll spend more time on your site, additionally helping your SEO efforts.
Long-tail keywords allow you to personalize your content too, enabling you to target relevant descriptive words like location, gender, age group, etc. This can help you diversify your content and support different goals for various groups within your audience. Not to mention, location-based long-tail keywords are a fundamental aspect of local SEO.
Lastly, in SEO, long-tail keywords can also help improve your blog strategy. These phrases offer you more room to explore a wider range of niche topics within your industry, helping you establish yourself as a go-to source of knowledge, and boosting your industry authority. It also signals to Google that you have high EEAT standards, indicating your content is of high quality and value.
Short-tail keywords are harder to rank for, as countless other businesses are trying to rank for the same one to two words at the same time (for example, “SEO,” “digital marketing,” “hair conditioner,” etc.). In contrast, long-tail keywords are targeted less, meaning, it’s easier to rank for them. They can be an excellent way to gain traction when visibility is your main concern.
In 2023, 27% of searches were conducted via voice in the Google app and by the end of 2024, there will be an estimated 8.4 billion voice assistant devices worldwide. Furthermore, experts predict that 80% of voice searches will be conversational this year, which means that users will be more likely to use long-tail keywords. As voice search becomes more prevalent, using long-tail phrases makes even more sense.
If you are only beginning with SEO, you might not fully grasp the concept of long-tail searches if we don’t touch bases on short-tail keywords too. Short-tail keywords, seed keywords, or head terms are short search queries, typically containing one or two words. They have high search volumes and competition, and are less focused, covering broad topics.
Seed keywords can help you get more traffic if you rank well for them, but chances are, due to the broad topics they can cover, your conversion rates will be usually lower when compared to long-tail options. For instance, if you are a sportswear online store and target the keyword “running shoes” and use it wisely in your on-page optimization approach, you can generate a lot of traffic with it but might end up with fewer conversions, especially if your visitors are looking for something specific.
That said, if you also use the term “best running shoes for sprints” you may generate less traffic than you’d do with a head term, but you will be attracting more qualified visitors who are looking for sprinting shoes.
So, which terms should you use? Some say that using a mix of both can help you maximize the potential benefits of both, catering to various searchers at different stages of the buyer journey. And how should you balance them? Some experts, like Bryan Kelly, Digital Product Innovator at Apple iSports, suggest basing your on-page content strategy around long-tail phrases. They are less competitive, so you can rank better with them. Then, when traffic starts to grow, strategically place short-tail phrases to potentially boost your rankings and your traffic.
Others, like Adam Sidorczuk, Founder of Sido Digital, recommend a more strategic approach, meaning that your content strategy should align with your page architecture. He argues that the more clicks it takes to get to a page from your homepage, the harder time it will have to rank for short-tail keywords. While they can be somewhat changed with smart external and internal linking, according to him, short-tail keywords should be the most populated on the most important pages of your site.
Creating an effective long-tail SEO strategy involves most of the basic SEO principles that you’d use in any typical strategy, but here, the focus is on more niche-oriented phrases.
Keyword research involves identifying the search phrases most relevant to your business that people are likely to use on Google or other search engines when they have a specific goal in mind. Focus on low-competition long-tail keywords that align with your brand, your audience’s search intent, and your business goals.
To make things easier, you can always use research tools like Ahrefs or Google Keyword Planner, but to avoid pitfalls and rookie mistakes, your best option would be partnering with an experienced SEO agency. These experts will also help you analyze your competition to see what keywords they are trying to rank for, providing you with valuable insight into exploitable opportunities.
After identifying the key phrases you want to target, it’s time to implement them in your existing on-site content or develop new, targeted content. Regardless of which path you choose, ensure that your pieces are informative, high-quality and that your keywords are naturally incorporated.
Focus on addressing specific niche topics and questions and ensure that your content matches user intent regardless of whether you mean to educate, offer solutions, or sell.
Long-tail keywords can also be pretty valuable in terms of on-page optimization too. For instance, they can be great for placing internal links to offer your visitors even more relevant and related content. This will also improve SEO site structure and bot crawling.
Additionally, long-tail keywords can be used for the optimization of your meta data, like titles, tags, and descriptions. Your image alt text can also benefit from keywords as alt text is the only way Google can tell what’s on the pictures on your site.
Tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and other, even more comprehensive tools can help you measure just how well your strategy is performing. You can see how well you rank for your targeted keywords, how much traffic you can generate, which sites are the most visited, how much time your visitors spend on your site on average, while also tracking your conversion rates.
Based on the data you’ve gathered, you can refine your strategy, add new keywords, revamp your content, and optimize your site even further. As mentioned, once you’ve gathered enough insights, you can then try to rank for relevant short-tail keywords to potentially drive even more traffic.
To maximize the potential of your long-tail SEO strategy, you may also consider sharing your long-tail content in your email newsletters, social channels, and relevant websites to expand your reach and attract backlinks. You can also try guest posting or blogging for reputable and niche-relevant sites and include backlinks to your content on your site which features long-tail keywords. This can help you further boost your visibility and authority.
Naturally, there are other important aspects of a good overarching SEO strategy that address site speed, responsiveness, other technicalities, user experience, and off-site optimizations. Working on them can get quite overwhelming so opting for expert help is the most sensible thing you can do to improve your online visibility.
Long-tail keywords let you match user intent with more precision. It’s a win-win situation where your audience finds what they are looking for faster, while you end up with more qualified traffic that’s ready to convert.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that setting up a long-tail strategy can’t become challenging. A lot goes into crafting an effective optimization approach, and it’s always best to leave it to certified experts. Together, you can boost your online visibility and grow your business.
However, SEO strategies can be complex and intricate, requiring experience and a clear understanding of the latest search engine trends. That said, to get the most out of your investment, it’s best to partner up with SEO agency.
Yes, but you shouldn’t remember that they operate differently and thus, can also serve different purposes. Both phrase types have their place in the user journey, with short-tail keywords raising brand awareness and expanding reach, whereas, long-tail phrases can help you drive more qualified leads which can improve conversion rates.
Yes, however, most experts will tell you not to. You may do more harm than good if you aren’t well-versed in SEO. Optimization takes continuous work, intricate strategies, and constant improvements which often take up more time than a business owner would have to focus on their rankings. When it comes to SEO, it’s always better to partner with a reputable agency to maximize your impact.
You can also use short-tail strategies to get the most out of your keywords and paid advertising to drive instant traffic to your site. Apart from that, you can also optimize your off-page SEO assets and try link-building to get the most out of your optimization efforts.