SEO | January 20, 2015
What Are Longtail Keywords and How Can They Help?
There are so many technical terms thrown around the internet and this can easily create confusion among those who are not in the know. One of the most common terms is ‘longtail keywords’ but what exactly does this mean? We will explain:
What Are Longtail Keywords?
Put very simply, longtail keywords are search terms which are longer typically composed of three or more words. These are more specific, but tend to be searched a lot less than ‘head’ keywords, which are the most popular terms. Generally speaking, because they are less searched for, they are also less competitive and much easier to rank for than ‘head’ terms.
For example, instead of using the broad keyword “shoes,” a long-tail keyword could be “women’s black running shoes with arch support.” The longer and more specific the keyword phrase, the more likely it is that the searcher is looking for something very specific and is more likely to convert.
What Are They Good For?
Absolutely nothi… no, that’s not right. Longtail keywords are actually good for a whole lot of things, including:
• Finding less competitive keywords to rank for
• Increasing relevant search traffic
• Targeting a niche market
• Gain an advantage over larger competitors
• Get more traffic on a lower PPC budget
• Have several long tail keywords pointing to one product or page
All these benefits make using longtail keywords extremely beneficial, whether you’re a large, authoritative online business or a relatively new starter. By focusing your attentions on this type of search term you can start ranking quickly and see a huge increase in relevant traffic.
Finding Trends
Longtail keyword research is excellent for finding new search trends that pop up on the internet. For this reason it pays off to carry out regular keyword research to keep up to date and stay ahead of your competitors when chasing these search terms.
When looking at trends there are several aspects you can look at, from seasonal queries, new trends in fashion, technology or innovation and even the way in which people are searching now.
The way people are searching has changed massively over the last couple of years. Nowadays, if someone is looking for places to find used cars they are more likely to search for “Where can I buy used cars near [Location]” rather than “used cars [location]”.
There is a much more natural pattern to the questions asked, and therefore a lot more ways for it to be asked. If we were to use the example of used cars, you could probably find long tail keywords such as:
• Where are used cars salesmen near [long list of locations]
• Where can I buy a cheap used car
• Where to find good second hand cars
• Where is the best place to buy a used car
This list goes on and on, providing you with search terms that are not so highly searched as the ‘head’ keyword of used cars, but can provide you with a healthy amount of traffic.
As with most things, the more long tail keywords you try to rank for, the more traffic you are likely to get – so even if the predicted traffic is only 20 hits a month, if you target five of these keywords that’s 100 relevant visitors a month off what SEO experts like to call ‘easy wins’. Read more tips with our article how to use long tail keywords to boost your blog so you’re in place to capture search volume at every level of the user journey.
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