In the digital age, staying afloat in a sea of competition can be hard. There are infinite opportunities for customers to buy goods and services, and hundreds of thousands of new websites pop up every day. One way to stay ahead of the tight competition is with a successful marketing strategy utilizing long-tail keywords, allowing you to cut through the competition and reach the top of the search engine results page (SERPs).
Long-tail keywords are frequently regarded as the Holy Grail of search engine optimization (SEO). A little bit of time choosing the best keywords to target can save you from having to budget money for advertisements in order to remain viewable. That’s because they have the potential to drive a significant amount of traffic to your website without the competitive bidding process that’s typically associated with more popular (and therefore, more expensive) keywords.
Long-tail keywords are simply phrases (usually 3-5 words) that are more specific (and often less competitive) than traditional keywords. They tend to have less competition and can be a great way to get your website to rank higher on Google or other search engines. For example, instead of targeting the keyword “dog toys,” you might target the long tail keyword “non-toxic dog toys for small breeds.”
While the latter keyword is certainly not as popular as the former, that lack of popularity is exactly why it will be easier to make it to the top of the results page, and it’s still a likely phrase to be used by people who are further along in the buying cycle and, therefore, more likely to convert. As a result, long-tail keywords are frequently regarded as more valuable. Even though they may not be searched as much as more general keywords, when used correctly, they can generate far more traffic than singular keywords alone could.
When you use a long-tail keyword, you are less likely to fight thousands of other websites over the same spots. Because long-tail keywords are more targeted and less common than average keywords, when someone manages to find your webpage, they are more likely to be interested in the exact thing you have to offer. Increasing your “dwell time,” or the amount of time a user spends on your website after clicking a search engine link. The longer your dwell time is, the more valuable the search engine thinks your website is, which means the more it will recommend your website to more people.
Long-tail keywords are important not just for your website but for your social media accounts as well. Not only do websites like Facebook and Instagram have their own search engine optimization strategies, but many people can find your social media profiles through a simple Google search as well. When used correctly, this can direct users to your monetized website or anywhere else you may want.
There are a number of keyword research tools you can use to find long-tail keywords. Some of these tools include Google’s Keyword Planner and Semrush. They allow you to effectively research the words you are planning to target and show you how difficult it would be to rank using those words. Semrush, in particular, is going to cost you, but they do have a free trial you can use to give your website the jump start it needs to reach the top.
Long-tail keywords are a great way to increase your website’s traffic and generate more leads. They are more descriptive and specific than typical keywords, which can help your site be found on all search platforms. Learning how to properly use long-tail keywords is one of the most important things you need to learn if you plan to write content for web pages. Out of all the SEO tricks, this one is by far the most important to learn, as well as the most undervalued.