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Video Summary
Long-tail keywords refer to longer and more specific keyword phrases. Searchers may use these phrases to narrow down their choices. Or, they may use long-tail keywords when they have already determined what they want.
But long-tail doesn’t really refer to how long the keyword phrase is, but rather that it’s not searched for very often.
That’s why you want your business to show up for long-tail keywords searches. Even though each phrase is rarely searched, with proper planning, your business will show up for many different searches. Watch this video for easy tips.
Video Transcript
I’ve seen a dog with a long tail, but what’s a keyword with a long tail?
Long-Tail Keywords
Basically, long-tail keywords refer to longer and more specific keyword phrases. Searchers may use these phrases to narrow down their choices. Or, they may use long-tail keywords when they have already determined what they want.
For example, let’s say you need a lawyer. If you go to Google and type in “lawyer”, are you going to find someone who can help you? Maybe. Maybe not. Instead, what if you search for “child custody lawyer in Knoxville”?
Searching for “lawyer” could give you any kind of lawyer, potentially anywhere. But searching for the phrase “child custody lawyer in Knoxville”, is very specific. You are likely to find a lawyer who specializes in your exact needs. This is a long-tail keyword.
But long-tail doesn’t really refer to how long the keyword phrase is, but rather that it’s not searched for very often.
Here’s a diagram to help explain. You can see on the left side we have the search volume. That’s the number of searches. And on the bottom, we represent the keywords.
Each point along the bottom is for a particular keyword or phrase. Some word is searched most often, which would be the leftmost point. And somewhere to the right are all the keywords that are only searched once. That’s where the green line is flat.
People can come up with many, many, different ways to do a search. So, for any topic there can be a lot of searches that are uncommon. These are the searches in the flat green line. That line is the long tail because it hangs like a tail at the end of the other data.
To use the example on the diagram, there are many searches for lawyers, but few searches for child custody lawyers in Knoxville.
In fact, within the U.S. during an average month, Google says there are 246 thousand searches for lawyer. And the number of searches for “child custody lawyers in Knoxville” is nearly zero. So, why would anyone want to target their SEO for the long tail?
Well, let’s flip this around. If you are a lawyer who provides child custody services, and your firm is in Knoxville, you would want to show up in that very specific search, wouldn’t you?
The searcher knows exactly what they’re looking for, so there’s money in that search. And that’s the case for almost all long-tail keywords. If the phrase applies to your business, then that search represents a new client looking for something specific. If they can find it, they are ready to buy.
That’s why you want your business to show up for long-tail keywords searches. Even though each phrase is rarely searched, with proper planning, your business will show up for many different searches.
Long-Tail Keywords for SEO
First, make sure you have covered all the basics of SEO. Then put together a plan for which keywords and phrases you want to target on your website. Finally, consider how you will incorporate those key phrases into your content.
Here are some questions you should be asking…
What are your target clients searching for? How many people are searching for this particular word or phrase? And when they do that search, what type of information do they really want?
Keyword research takes some time, and that’s why planning is a crucial step. To succeed, you must focus on your target audience. Then use that data to discover which key phrases are going to provide the best user experience.
Start by using a few keywords that you want to rank for, like your products and services. Enter these into a keyword research tool, and then you will discover other topics and common questions related to yours.
I have a separate video called, “How Many People Are Searching For Your Business?” In that video, I show you exactly how to get those answers using the Google Keyword Tool. Look for the link posted here.
While doing your research, you will notice the search volume of each of your keywords. In most cases, the higher the search volume for a keyword, the harder it is to get a high ranking for that keyword. And that’s because bigger, more established brands usually conquer those top spots.
But, choosing the lower volume keywords might be the way to go. Sure, few searchers are looking for them, but they convert a lot better. They are specific, and they provide the most desired results. And, it’s easier to rank higher using long-tail keywords since there is much less competition for those phrases.
People who do a search using long-tail keywords already know what they are looking for. So when your site shows up, and they click to your site, they are more likely to spend time on your site. That also means they are more likely to convert, to do business with you!
And if you decide to advertise with these phrases, they cost less too! Again, that’s due to less competition. Fewer people are bidding on the middle and long-tail keywords.
How Do You Know Which Keywords To Use?
I would encourage you to watch my video called, “Keyword Research – Start Here” for more details about this. The link is here. Beyond the keyword research, would you like some other ideas to think about long-tail keywords and how to use them on your particular site?
Here’s one way to think about it… What questions do your target audience often ask about your products or services?
People go to Google and type in questions. And when they use a voice search on their mobile phone or they talk to a smart speaker like Amazon Echo, they ask full questions. Many of these are long-tail keyword phrases. So could you create a page of your website dedicated to answering a question?
If there’s not enough content for an entire page, then create a frequently asked questions page and include several of the common questions. This page could show up for several long-tail keyword searches.
Another option for you is to go to Google and search for some long-tail keyword phrases yourself. See if your competitors show up. If they do, how close does their search result and their web page match your search? And how could you do better? How could your site be a better match for that search?
Also keep in mind the seasonality of certain keyword phrases. If you have a painting business in a location where winters are harsh, you can expect searches for exterior house painting to drop off in the winter.
What about Christmas or other holidays? What’s the impact on your business? And what’s the timing of that impact? By understanding these things, you can be strategic in the way you release new content and attract searchers to different keyword phrases.
The last thing I’m going to leave you with today is the idea of searcher intent. When anyone types a query into a search engine, they have a particular goal in mind. As a business, you are most interested in those who search with some form of commercial intent. In other words, they are performing searches that show that they are ready to buy.
Typically, the closer someone is to making a purchasing decision, the more specific and detailed their search. After all, at this point they already know what they want. That’s not to say you should only focus on very specific buyer key phrases. There are times when you want to get in front of those who are doing research and have not made up their minds.
This gives you the opportunity to influence their purchasing decisions. The important thing in either case is to understand what they are searching for? What are their search phrases? And how can you get your website to show up when they do those searches?
By targeting some good long-tail keywords, you can capture more and more of those searches. And as your site becomes more popular answering those queries, it will start to show up for more mid-tail keywords. And if you continue to add more and more relevant content, you can take on some of the bigger businesses that currently have a chokehold on the highly searched keywords.
Do you have a goal to reach the top of the search results and get more clients to contact you? If so, I have a free training webinar. In it, I reveal 3 secrets to give your business an unfair advantage in the search results. Please take a look for the link here and join me soon.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
