If we’re going to go to the trouble of writing a blog post on the topic of long-tail keywords, you can almost be sure that they’re at least not completely overrated. But is it really that sensible for SEOs, and online marketers to focus on niche topics that don’t even look that lucrative at first?
We’ll explain the benefits of long-tail keywords and how to find them with the right tools.
What are the benefits of long-tail keywords, and what are they used for?
Wondering how low-volume keywords can be relevant to marketers when fewer results and fewer searches per month sound like uninteresting keywords at first? There’s a lot of potential behind long-tails, not only because the traffic you get from such keywords is significantly more qualified but for a whole host of good reasons.
The top 8 reasons to use long tail keywords are:
- better traffic: compared to generic search queries, specific keywords bring better traffic or more potential buyers because users are already further along in the conversion funnel.
- Higher conversion rate: Users searching for specific keywords know more precisely what they are looking for and are more likely to buy (if it is a lucrative niche).
- Context for search results: Google understands context better and better, so to make sure your website is found for as many relevant terms as possible, you should use relevant long tail keywords.
- Secure niche: You can secure your niche with long tail keywords because the search terms are not as competitive as generic ones.
- Outperform the competition: With long-tail keywords, you stand out from the competition and don’t have to try to rank with highly competitive keywords.
- Local SEO: Regional companies can outrank larger competitors with search terms like “cheap bridal fashion store Charlotte.”
- Lower advertising costs: Keywords with lower search volume are usually cheaper in Google Adwords, so you save advertising costs.
- Less SEO effort: For SEOs, the optimization effort is reduced for niche keywords that are not so highly contested because good rankings can be achieved faster and with less effort.
How do you find the right long-tail keywords for your website?
There are different approaches for finding the right long tail keywords. You can either:
- start with a keyword that is relevant to your target group
- get keyword ideas from your competitors
- or both together.
Let’s start with a relevant keyword, which doesn’t have to be a long-tail keyword. For example, let’s say you sell plumbing equipment on your website. For your customers, the search term “bathtub” can be interesting because you offer this product. You now enter this start keyword into various tools for keyword research.
The best tools for long tail keyword research
When searching for long-tail keywords, be sure to use tools. These facilitate the search enormously, and many of them give you important KPIs such as the search volume or the cost-per-click, which will later be important for the evaluation of the keywords.
Important:
First, collect all keywords, for example, in an Excel spreadsheet, and only sort them afterward. The first step is to get a long list of keywords and possibly to note important KPIs like search volume and CPC. The evaluation and weighting are done in the second step.
Google search
If you enter a relevant keyword into Google Search, you will receive related search terms that other users have also searched for via the Autocomplete or Google Suggest function. You can enter each of the keywords displayed there in turn and gradually receive good long-tail keyword ideas.
Also, Google shows you similar search queries at the bottom of the page that match the keyword you have entered, which you should also take into account.
Google Keyword Planner
This tool is particularly useful for finding keyword ideas and, at the same time seeing important KPIs. If you enter a keyword in the search mask, the tool spits out relevant search terms. Long-tail keywords are also taken into account. You can see at a glance what the estimated search volume looks like in the month and how high the CPC is. Note these key figures for the keyword so that you can sort and evaluate the search terms in your list more easily later.
The professional tool offers you a variety of options. Don’t just use the Keyword Explorer to research new keywords, but also look at the organic keywords of your competitors. Pay attention to which keywords your competitors are ranked for and which ones generate a lot of traffic. You can then include these keywords in your keyword list. Like the Keyword Planner, Ahrefs offers you important KPIs.
Need help finding the best long tail keywords for your business? PopTribe, a marketing influencer platform specializing in gifts for content creators, is using Getbacklinks team of SEO experts to help them build great links for their site. Contact Getbacklinks to discuss it further.