If you’re new to professional SEO or just trying to figure out how to help people find your own site, you’ve probably come across the term “long tail keyword.” Long tail keywords are more specific than the “head” keywords most people try to rank for on search engines, meaning the traffic they bring in is smaller in volume, but more targeted. It’s easier to rank for long-tail keywords because fewer people are searching for those terms, yet the people who are searching for them are more likely to convert or make a purchase. People tend to search using long tail keywords when they are ready to buy (and/or if they are using voice search, where they will tend to speak in more complete sentences). Here are a couple of examples:
– If I google “sweaters,” I may just be browsing and looking at what new sweaters are out. If I google “maroon knee length cardigan,” I’m looking for something specific that I probably want to buy right away. If I’m a clothing store, I can try to rank for “sweaters,” but it’s going to be pretty difficult; most of the first few pages are going to be huge major corporations like LL Bean, Macy’s, Amazon and Walmart. But I have a much better shot at ranking for “maroon knee length cardigan” organically, and if I decide to do paid search, “maroon knee length cardigan” is going to be much cheaper per click than “sweaters.” Ranking for “sweater” will always result in a higher overall volume of traffic, but it will result in fewer sales.
– Similarly, if I google “pizza,” I could be looking for a recipe, helping a child figure out the origin of pizza for a report, or wanting pizza for dinner. If I google “gluten free pepperoni and sausage pizza near me,” I am almost certainly trying to order my dinner right now. With user intent in mind, the savvy pizza shop owner would be taking advantage of long tail keywords (specific descriptions of what the restaurant offers) along with local search (“near me”) to meet customer needs in the moment. It’s better for the overall goals of the business to make it easy for people to find what they want and order it than it is to rank on the first page of search results for “pizza,” which they are not likely to be able to do without spending more money than it’s worth. Most of the people who see the results would not be potential customers; a pizza shop in Houston is not delivering to someone in Detroit.
So, while it’s always good and important to try to rank for at least a few major keywords, it’s easier, cheaper, and more effective to rank for long tails in most situations. Your ROI (Return on Investment) will almost always be higher if you get into the mindset of your customers and understand their intentions when searching. Here are a few places to look for inspiration about what long tails you should try to rank for:
- Related Searches. Get in the mind of the person who needs your product or service and type in search terms you think they might use. Then, look at the bottom of the first page of search results to see the “related searches.”
- Autocomplete. When you’re typing in the search bar, the suggestions that come up automatically can give you clues about what people are actually looking for.
- Answer the public. This website tells you what questions are being asked about any search term you type in (it’s a little pricey, but you can do three free searches a day). The results are thorough and enlightening. If you’re trying to rank organically, producing content related to what you find on this site is an excellent strategy.
- Google trends. Google trends is a goldmine for figuring out what people are and are not following and searching for. You can put in terms and compare them, see which terms are more popular where and when, and get insight into why.
- Online behavior. Looking into the online behavior of your target market can help you understand what they’re searching for. Message boards and forums, social media groups, and comments sections for business accounts similar to yours can help you determine what’s on your target audience’s mind.
All in all, you will be in a better position to rank on search and have those searches convert to sales if you put yourself in your customer’s shoes. If you needed your product or service, what would you be searching for?
Substance and Style 