6 Reasons to Focus on Long Tail Keywords

In today’s society, Google is our best friend. We can find just about any information on there; from addresses to products, to websites, even finding the best local Mexican restaurant. These searches can include typing one or two words in the search bar, known as short-tail keywords. On the other hand, longer phrases, three plus words, are known as long-tail keywords.

The Importance of Long Tail Keywords

Focusing on short-tail keywords might not always be the best strategy. It might make sense to focus on more long-tail keywords initially, since competition is relatively low, and intent is clearer. Below, we reveal additional reasons to focus on long-tail keywords for a successful SEO strategy.

6 Benefits of Long Tail Keywords

Low Competition

Using more words in a search engine is more specific, making the search volume for that detailed combination of words lower. Since the search volume is much lower, the number of matching results will be lower, thus leading you to exactly what you were looking for, quicker.

The Advantage of Conversion Rates

With the use of longer search phrases, it allows the user to give more details as to what exactly they are searching for. Similar to the first benefit, this allows the user to find what they are looking for more efficiently, without having to look through thousands of results. For example, someone searching “shoes” vs “women’s Adidas shoes” could have the same intent, but the three-word phrase is more evident as to what exactly the user wants, leading to more accurate results.

More Easily Targeted User

Searches using long-tail keywords are easier to comprehend what the user is searching for, compared to short-tail keywords. Going off the prior “shoes” example, the user’s intent is unclear, as there are hundreds of different kinds of shoes out there; but adding “women’s Adidas shoes” to the search gives details. These few extra words make the user’s goals clearer, which helps websites target them easier.

A Strong Blog Strategy

Long-tail keywords can include interrogative words. These keywords can be targeted towards a blog. You can get more traffic on your blog by developing strategies that use these interrogative phrases, such as “how to tie a tie”.  Use keywords that go along with your website to develop a blog post with questioning words like “how-to” or “what”.

The Position Zero Opportunity

Google rewards websites that have the most quality content with the most amount of relevant information to the search. The blogging strategy above will help get your website to position zero. Also, including lists or tables on your pages will help achieve this. By targeting these long-tail keywords on your website pages, you are also getting your competitors to rank lower on the search results, bringing the most amount of traffic to your page.

Success in A Shorter Time

While long-tail keywords have less search volume, they also have less competition. This lack of competition can help achieve success, using the right strategies. If your website is only focusing on queries with high search volume, the amount of time it will take for your website to be rewarded and recognized is much longer, due to the amount of competition. But when you are targeting long-tail queries, there is less competition, making the opportunity for success much quicker.

How ADVAN Can Help

Optimizing your website for SEO can help you climb the search rankings and increase your business and leads, but it’s a gradual and complex process that takes experience and training. If you’re ready to optimize your website but aren’t sure how to start, contact the digital marketing experts at ADVAN today to get started.