{"id":138905,"date":"2019-11-22T11:29:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T11:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/?p=138905"},"modified":"2020-03-13T01:40:58","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T01:40:58","slug":"long-tail-keywords-in-content-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/11\/22\/long-tail-keywords-in-content-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Long tail keywords: Why they matter so much in content strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you work in digital marketing, you\u2019ve probably heard the phrase \u201clongtail keyword\u201d. You might also know there\u2019s some debate around what it actually means.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many believe keywords<\/a> that are longtail mean they have a lot of words in them. It\u2019s the difference between \u201cswimming pools\u201d and \u201cswimming pool installation in Boca Raton, FL\u201d, the latter being considered the longtail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the length of the keyword isn\u2019t necessarily what we\u2019re referring to when we say \u201clongtail\u201d. In reality,\u00a0<\/span>long tail keywords just have to be extremely specific –<\/span>\u00a0it just so happens that longer keywords<\/a> tend to also be more specific (hence the confusion around the definition).<\/span><\/p>\n

But why do we care?<\/h2>\n

Because longtail keywords are so specific, fewer people tend to search for those particular keywords, which might deter some people from trying to rank for them, because they consider it a waste of time.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, this is where the opportunity lies. Longtail keywords tend to not be as competitive because of their low volume, so if you\u2019re able to create content<\/a> that ranks for a variety of longtail keywords relevant to your business,\u00a0the traffic you\u00a0do\u00a0get is\u00a0<\/span>much more qualified<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take the pool example that was shared above. If someone is searching for \u201cswimming pools\u201d, we have no idea what it is they\u2019re looking for. It\u2019s so top-level that they could be looking for anything – The number of swimming pools in America? Nearby swimming pools? The cost of above-ground swimming pools? Who knows. What we do know is that they\u2019re still in a very information-based part of their searching journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, if someone is searching, \u201cswimming pool installation in Boca Raton, FL,\u201d it certainly sounds like they\u2019re looking for help installing a swimming pool. And if that\u2019s a service you offer and you\u2019re ranking for that keyword, chances are the searcher is going to see your website.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, longtail keywords might not be searched often, but\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019re also not as competitive to rank for<\/span>, and people searching for those terms are usually much further down the funnel and more likely to convert.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finding long tail keywords to rank for<\/h2>\n

Now that we know what longtail is it seems easy enough, but\u00a0<\/span>how do we find these terms<\/span><\/a>? There\u2019s not enough search volume to appear in the majority of keyword tools. And, if you\u2019re working for a client you might not know all the ins and outs of the industry<\/a> they\u2019re in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where content creation becomes a mixture of art and science.<\/span><\/p>\n

Look at places where your target audience spends time in order to research what they care about and how that matches your brand. I also recommend you explore the following for inspiration on what topics to cover:<\/span><\/p>\n