What are long tail keywords?

Long-tail keywords are phrases used within business blogs that match commonly searched terms in Google. By matching relevant search terms in your blog your website can increase its organic Google search ranking. In turn, this will increase relevant and free traffic to your website.

Long tail vs. short tail

Whilst short tail search terms generate a higher search rate, conversion is lower due to competitors also focusing their (SEO) Search Engine Optimization on the same keywords. Long tail keywords are more specific and therefore deliver less web traffic, but they create better quality and more relevant visitors. 

Example

Short tail keyword: Advertising

Medium tail keyword: Outdoor Advertising 

Long tail keyword: Outdoor Advertising in West Berkshire

Defining your keywords

Identify keywords relevant to your business by following the below steps:

• List the most common questions your target audience asks about your product or service. For example, a Leeds based outdoor media agency may be asked ‘How much does outdoor advertising in Leeds cost’.
• From each question select the main keywords. These will form your long tail keywords. For example ‘Leeds’, ‘Outdoor’ ‘Advertising’.
• Use these search terms to form long tail keywords for your blog. For example, ‘Cost for Outdoor Advertising in Leeds’ ‘Outdoor Media cost in Leeds’, ‘Outdoor Advertising Cost in Leeds’.
• Write your blog with the title being the question you are answering. For example ‘How much does outdoor advertising in Leeds cost?’, followed by the long tail keywords in the blog content which answers the question.

Alternatively, use Google Adwords Keywords Planner (you’ll need to create an account in Adwords first). This tool is free to use and will help you learn what your customers are searching for. The Keyword Planner will provide statistics and search history for keywords relevant to your business. Once you have identified the key search terms being used by your target audience, you can use these in your business blogs.

Writing your blog

Don’t overload your blog with keywords in the hope of improving your search ranking. Google can identify repetitive, less useful blogs and decrease search ranking of these.

Instead, improve your search ranking by providing quality content your audience will find useful. Use variations of long tail keywords where relevant to ensure your blog is keyword rich. Informative, keyword rich content will help you grow your subscriber list, increase your search ranking and increase your web traffic.

Measure your results

The primary objective of keyword rich content blogging is to improve search ranking and therefore increase web traffic. Use Google Analytics to measure the increase in web traffic, benchmarking against previous weeks or months.

Familiarise yourself with the Google Analytics interface and identity key metrics such as: 

• Average number of pages visited
• Average time spent on site
• Unique visitors 
• Bounce rate
• Exit pages and landing pages

By continually measuring the effectiveness of your blogs you can make ongoing improvements to increase your search ranking and drive more traffic to your website. 

Learn more about improving your seo here.