Why are long-tail keywords important for SEO?

The long tail keywords play a driving role in natural SEO and webmarketing But what are they, and how can we distinguish long tail keywords from main keywords? You’ll 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 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’s also defined by search volume and has a specificity of its own. It’s a search that generates less search traffic but a higher conversion rate

A long-tail keyword always starts from oneprincipal keyword, which can have millions of variants, making it possible to create several 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 be thinking that the more specific a product is, the harder it is to find on the market and the fewer people there are looking for it.

While it’s true that few Internet users do these specific queries, those 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’ll show you how to find long-tail keywords in SEO.

Example of a long-tail keyword versus a short-tail keyword

Imagine you’ve been invited to a last-minute potluck. If you had more time, you’d certainly prepare your grandmother’s best dishes. But since you’re pressed for time, you’ll have to make do with what you’ve got: a slow cooker, some cheese and a few basic ingredients.

Now you need to find the best recipe from the products you have on hand. 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.

• After finding that this short-tail keyword isn’t bringing you the results you’re looking for, the best solution is to be more specific by opting for a longer keyword like “hot cheese dip” This is a less popular term than just “cheese”. But the results it generates may suit you better because it’s more specific, more precise.

By typing this keyword into the search bar, Google understands that you’re looking for precise recipes and not photos of “warm cheese dip”. Adding the phrase “hot dip” makes things easier for you, and directs you directly to results that better match you.

• Now, after consulting the first two or three results, you notice that the recipes suggested require the use of a stove. However, what you have is a slow cooker So, even if you’ve found several recipes, that doesn’t mean your query is satisfactory. So you need to refine your search even further by adding other terms that will provide more precision. Here, “best” and “slow cooker” can make all the difference. In the end, only results containing these two new keywords will be displayed. So you’ll get a long-tail keyword that is “best slow cooker hot cheese dip“.

This keyword has a significantly lower search volume, but it generates only the best results. In other words, it saves you time by giving you exactly what you need in the moment

Why are long-tail keywords important

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Let’s get back to the search volume of a query On the face of it, you might think it’s best to rule out keywords (often long-tail) that don’t have a high search volume, since they’re unlikely to generate much traffic. But when you do the math right, they can be just as advantageous as the initial term in this respect.

One study itself showed that long-tail keywords account for 70% of queries, with a conversion rate of 36%, compared with just 10% for short-tail keywords

By working on these highly specific, low-search-volume keywords, you increase your chances of ranking well in a niche market You’ll benefit from most of the keywords that make up the targeted queries.

Let’s take our example from earlier. Although the word “cheese” seems to be the best query in view of its high search volume, you’ll have a hard time ranking for it in the search results. It’s very difficult to work with this kind of keyword, as the competition is often fierce.

In fact, there are a number of tools for assessing the difficulty of your keywords Ahrefs is one of them. Popular with SEO consultants, this tool takes into account various parameters including page content, user intent, external links and domain authority. Keyword difficulty 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 additional sweep for each term added. Generally speaking, the ranking of your site or page in targeted search results depends on the quality but also the quantity of partner sites containing your links. This is the very basis of SEO. But with well-chosen, well-worked long-tail keywords, you don’t necessarily have to build up a huge network of links from outside sources.

One of the biggest advantages of long-tail keywords is their higher conversion rate After all, Internet users who perform this kind of search know exactly what they want to find. By targeting these keywords and inserting them into your content, you’re giving them what they’re looking for. As a result, long-tail keywords generate more traffic, and therefore more customers.

Furthermore, long-tail keywords can help you create new, original content for your website. If you run a blog whose content is struggling to rank well in the SERPs for priority keywords, long-tail keywords allow you to enrich your content while providing more precise answers to your target audience’s questions. By extension, these long keywords offer you the opportunity to stand out from your competitors and achieve excellent positioning in the search results you’re targeting.

In short:

To sum up what you’ve seen through this article, here are 4 good reasons to work on long tail keywords in SEO :

• Meet user needs;
• Be competitive;
• Get better conversions, in addition to traffic;
• Design new content;

To make sure you’re optimizing for the right long-tail keywords, do some research on the keywords in question. Understand your company, your products and your site. Take advantage of internal links and make sure your website is visible to crawlers.

Getting a good ranking for the keyword “best slow cooker cheese dip” sounds a lot less glamorous than ranking #3 for the very popular keyword “cheese”. But it works better because people who type in the search engine are more likely to become prospects, or even customers What’s more, the vast majority of queries made on search engines including Google are long-tail.

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