What is a Long-Tail Keyword?
A long-tail keyword is a highly specific search term consisting of three or more words. These keywords have clear intent and are more relevant to the target audience than short-tail keywords. For example:
- How to fix a leaky tap
- Easy chocolate cake recipe
- Best budget laptops for students
- Best running shoes for flat feet under $10
- Affordable vegan restaurants in New York City
Because of their longer length, long-tail keywords have a lower search volume and are easier to rank for. They also better indicate the searcher’s intent as they are used by visitors who seek specific answers. For this reason, they have better conversion rates than short-tail keywords.
Importance of Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are important for SEO because of their specificity and low search competition. Being ultra-specific makes it easier to understand their zoekintentie. In return, the blogger can create content relevant to their target audience.
The low competition also makes it easier for new and low-authority sites to target long-tail keywords. These sites do not have the required website authority to rank for short-tail keywords. However, they often have enough to rank for long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords also typically have better conversions than their short-tail counterparts. This is even more true for commercial and transactional long-tail keywords, which are typically used by visitors looking to purchase an item.
Difference Between Long-Tail and Short-Tail Keywords
Long and short-tail keywords differ primarily in length, specificity, intent, and keyword difficulty. We will now explain them below.
1 Length
Short-tail keywords are usually one to two words long. For example, “shoes” and “running shoes” are short-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, are usually three or more words. For example, “comfortable running shoes for women.”
2 Specificity
Short-tail keywords are broad, generic, and unspecific. For example, “vanilla cake” and “yoga poses.” Visitors who search for these keywords may have different search intents.
For example, a visitor who searches for “yoga poses” may be interested in a comprehensive list of yoga poses. Meanwhile, another visitor may be interested in a list of yoga poses for back pain. In contrast, another visitor may be a teacher who seeks yoga poses to help their students focus.
However, their search terms are not specific since they used short-tail keywords. Instead, they could use more specific long-tail keywords. For example:
- List of yoga poses
- Best yoga poses for back pain
- Yoga poses to help students focus
3 Zoekintentie
Short-tail keywords often indicate exploratory or general intent. In other words, they usually indicate that the visitor is being introduced to a topic and wants to learn more about it. At this point, they may not yet know the diverse subtopics under the topic.
For example, a visitor looking to learn about yoga would search for a generic keyword like “yoga.” This is a short-tail keyword, and the search results page will return different results. For example, the results page below links to:
- A YouTube channel that teaches yoga
- A Wikipedia webpage that explains yoga, including its history
- Multiple YouTube videos on yoga exercises for various purposes
- A website that teaches yoga
For comparison, the results page for a long-tail keyword would be more specific and better reflect the search intent. For example, the results page for the search term “best yoga poses for beginners” contains videos and webpages that list yoga poses targeted at beginners.
4 Keyword Difficulty
Short-tail keywords have a high search volume. This means they bring in more significant amounts of traffic than long-tail keywords. However, it also means that they are highly competitive. In most instances, only highly authoritative sites can rank for short-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, are less competitive and attract less traffic. However, the traffic generated by long-tail keywords is more targeted and likelier to convert than that of short-tail keywords.
How to Find Long-Tail Keywords
Bloggers use multiple methods to find long-tail keywords. Whatever method you use, it is good practice to run the keywords through a keyword research tool to uncover additional insights, including their search volume and difficulty.
1 Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools like Google Zoekwoordplanner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest are great ways to find long-tail keywords. These tools are typically paid, though some may offer certain features for free.
In most cases, the tools require you to enter a seed keyword. They then return with multiple long-tail keywords. Some tools may also have options and filters that allow you to search for long-tail keywords.
These tools will also typically provide specific information about the keywords, including their search volume, keyword difficulty, and cost-per-click (CPC). However, the specific metrics provided will differ from tool to tool.
2 Google automatisch aanvullen
To find keywords using Google autocomplete, open a private or incognito window and head to Google. Then, enter your seed keyword into Google. Do not press enter. Google will show long-tail versions of the seed keyword you are trying to rank for.
You may also add the wildcard operator in different locations of the search query to see what other long-tail keywords Google will return.
3 Mensen vragen ook
Enter your seed keyword into Google and click enter. Then, head to the Mensen vragen ook field to find long-tail keywords visitors who search for the seed keyword also search for.
If you need more keyword ideas, you can enter the short and long-tail keywords you copied in the People Also Ask field into Google and see what new long-tail keywords it would show in the People Also Ask field.
4 Verwante zoekopdrachten
Google displays a set of queries related to your search queries at the bottom of the search results page. These queries are labeled “Verwante zoekopdrachten” or “People also searched for” and are a great way to discover short and long-tail variations of your seed keyword.
To get started, search for a keyword on Google and scroll down to the Related Searches or People also searched for field. Review the related searches and copy the long-tail keywords that are relevant to you.
You can also click on the keywords relevant to your content, irrespective of whether it is a short or long tail. It will open a new search results page. You can scroll down to the bottom of that page to review its Related Searches or People also searched for field. You can also review its People Also Ask field.
5 Check Your Competitors
Sometimes, instead of starting your keyword research from scratch, you may find the keywords your competitors already rank for and try to rank for them, too.
Even if you do not want to rank for such keywords, they are a great way to understand the keywords your competitor already ranks for. You can refer to this guide on the various tools to analyze your competitor’s content and discover the keywords they rank for.
Long-Tail Keyword Best Practices
Long-tail keywords are the go-to keywords for smaller sites. They are ultra-targeted and increase your chances of ranking on Google and receiving traffic to your site. However, to get the most out of your long-tail keywords, it is recommended to follow the best practices listed below.
1 Focus on the Searcher’s Intent
Long-tail keywords usually have a clear search intent. So, make sure to create content that is relevant to it. One excellent method of determining the search intent is to search for the long-tail keyword and review the sort of content published by other webpages that already rank for the keyword.
2 Use Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools are one of the multiple methods of uncovering long-tail keywords to include in your content. There are other methods that do not involve any keyword tool. However, these methods usually only reveal a keyword without any helpful metrics. It is recommended to enter these keywords into your keyword research tool to uncover their metrics.
3 Optimize Your Content for On-Page SEO
Include your long-tail keywords in multiple areas of your content. They should be in your header tags, visible content, title, meta title, en meta description. Your long-tail keyword should also be in your image title and alt text. However, be sure to include it only when relevant, otherwise, it will be considered keyword stuffing.
Veel Gestelde Vragen
1. What is a Long-Tail Keyword?
A long-tail keyword is a highly specific search phrase, typically consisting of three or more words. These keywords target niche audiences and have a clear intent. For example, “budget laptops for students” and “best yoga poses for beginners.” Long-tail keywords are less competitive and often lead to higher conversion rates because they align closely with user needs.
2. What is an Example of a Long-Tail Keyword?
An example of a long-tail keyword is “affordable vegan restaurants in New York City.” Another example is “Best running shoes for flat feet under $100.” Both phrases are specific, reflect clear user intent, and target a niche audience looking for vegan dining options in a particular location.
3. What is a Short-Tail Keyword?
A short-tail keyword is a broad and generic search term. It is usually one to two words long. For example, “shoes,” “running shoes,” and “laptops.” These keywords have high search volume but are highly competitive and often attract less targeted traffic.
4. Should I Target Short or Long-Tail Keywords?
You should target long and short-tail keywords, but prioritize long-tail keywords if you’re starting out or have a smaller website. Long-tail keywords are easier to rank for, attract highly targeted traffic, and often lead to better conversions. Short-tail keywords are useful for brand visibility but are harder to rank due to high competition.
5. How Many Long-Tail Keywords Should I Target in an Article?
Aim to target 2-5 long-tail keywords per article, depending on the content’s length and depth. Focus on one primary long-tail keyword and include multiple secondary variations. Use the keywords naturally so that your content remains intelligible and readable.