Why are long tail keywords crucial for SEO?
The long tail keywords play a leading role in the natural referencing and the webmarketing. But what is it and how to distinguish long tail keywords from main keywords? You will find the answers to these questions and more in this article. Above all, discover the best tips for optimizing your long tail keywords so that they can help you generate more traffic.
The definition of long tail keywords
You might think that the term long tail refers to the number of words that make up a query. But it's more complicated than that. In fact, a long tail keyword is composed of several words but it is also defined by the volume of research and has a specificity of its own. It is a query that generates less search traffic but a higher conversion rate.
A long tail keyword always starts from a main keyword which can have millions of variantsThis allows you to create multiple long tail keywords. These variants are particularly common for niche markets and products.
How to find long tail keywords?
So far, the definition of long tail keywords might still seem rather vague to you. On the other hand, you might think that the more specific a product is, the harder it is to find on the market and the less people are looking for it.
Even if it is true that few Internet users do these specific requeststhose who do get more precise results than with a generic term.
But how can you really tell the difference between a short tail keyword and a long tail keyword? In the example below, we will show you how to find long tail keywords in SEO.
Example of a long tail keyword versus a short tail keyword
Imagine being invited to a last minute potluck. If you had more time, you'd probably make some of your grandmother's best dishes. But since you're pressed for time, you have to work with what you have: a slow cooker, some cheese and a few basic ingredients.
Now you need to find the best recipe from the products you have. You need to start with a more generic term to find inspiration and see the possibilities.
- On Google, the keyword "cheese is used in over 195,000 queries per month. You then decide to insert it in the search bar.
This short tail keyword links to its definition, images and even local search results to find cheese nearby. But since you already have cheese and don't need its definition, this keyword doesn't do you much good even if the search volume is very high.
- Once you have found that this short-tail keyword does not bring you the results you are looking for, the best solution is to be more specific by opting for a longer keyword like "hot cheese dip. It is a less popular term than the word "cheese". But the results it generates may be more suitable for you because it is more specific, more precise.
By typing this keyword in the search bar, Google understands that you are at the search for specific recipes not photos of "hot cheese dip". Adding the phrase "hot dip" makes it easier for you to find results that are more relevant to you.
- Now, after looking at the first two or three results, you see that the suggested recipes require the use of a stove. Now, what you have is a slow cooker. So, even if you have found several recipes, it does not mean that your query is satisfactory. So you need to refine your search even further by adding other terms that will provide more precision. Here, the terms "best" and "slow cooker" can make all the difference. In the end, only results containing these two new keywords will be displayed. You will therefore obtain a long tail keyword which is " best slow cooker hot cheese dip ".
This keyword has a much lower search volume, but it generates only the best results. In other words, it allows you to save time by providing you with exactly what you need in the moment.
Why are long tail keywords important?
Let's get back to the search volume of a query. At first glance, you might think it's best to discard keywords (often long tail) that don't have a high search volume since they might not generate much traffic. But when you do the math right, they can be just as beneficial as the initial term in this regard.
One study even showed that long tail keywords represent 70% of queries, with a conversion rate of 36%, against only 10% for short tail keywords.
By working on these very specific and low volume keywords, you increase your chances of doing well. position yourself in a niche market. You will benefit from most of the keywords that constitute the targeted queries.
Let's go back to our example from earlier. Although the word "cheese" seems to be the best query considering its high search volume, you will have a hard time ranking in its search results. It is very difficult to work with this kind of keyword because the competition is often tough.
In fact, there are many tools to evaluate the difficulty of your keywords. Ahrefs is one of them. Very popular with SEO consultants, this tool takes into account various parameters including the content of the page, the intention of the user, external links and domain authority. The difficulty of the keyword corresponds to that of the competition.
The more words you add to your long tail keyword, the better your targeting will be. Google performs a kind of scan for each added term. Generally speaking, the ranking of your site or your page in the targeted search results depends on the quality but also on the quantity of the partner sites containing your links. This is the basis of natural referencing. But with well chosen and well worked long tail keywords, you won't necessarily have to build a huge network of links from external sources.
One of the biggest advantages of long tail keywords is their higher conversion rate. After all, people who do this kind of search know exactly what they want to find. By targeting these keywords and including them in your content, you are giving them what they are looking for. Therefore, long tail keywords generate more traffic and therefore, more customers.
In addition, long tail keywords can help you to create new content original for your website. If you have a blog whose content is struggling to rank well in the SERPs for priority keywords, long tail keywords allow you toenrich your content while providing more accurate answers to your target audience's questions. By extension, these long keywords offer you the possibility to stand out from your competitors and to obtain an excellent positioning in the search results you are targeting.
In brief:
To summarize what you have seen through this article, here is 4 good reasons to work on long tail keywords in SEO :
- Meeting the needs of the user;
- Competing with the competition;
- Get better conversions, in addition to traffic;
- Designing new content.
To make sure you are optimizing for the right long tail keywords, conduct keyword research in question. Understand your company, your products and your site. Take advantage of internal links and make sure your website is visible to crawlers.
Get a good ranking for the keyword". best slow cooker cheese dip "It sounds a lot less glamorous than the #3 ranking for the very popular keyword "cheese". But it works better because people who type in the search engine have more likely to become prospects or even customers. In addition, the vast majority of queries made on search engines including Google are long tail.