Here’s a quick guide that contains all you need to know to get started with long tail keyword research as part of your SEO strategy.
Making the most of your keywords is something of fine art. On one hand, you want to show up on as many searches as possible. On the other hand, you really just want to show up on only relevant searches that have more chances of getting you a sale. Besides, there’s probably a higher volume of search results with shorts or head keywords.
Long tail keywords are longer and more specific, so you can be more confident a user is closer to purchasing the product in question, making them highly effective. For instance, say you sell side tables. Using keywords like “side table” is less likely to get you at the top of the search engine results page, (SERP) than “boho decorative bedroom side table”. The latter will likely have a lower search volume, but the specific nature can make up for that.
Matching real users’ searches requires some work. There’s also a lot that goes into building the perfect long tail keyword strategy. The one thing it’s not is stringing together a bunch of words that describe your product. If you decide to simply go by the sound of it, you’ll end up losing out on the benefits of long tail keywords. To make the most of your long tail keyword strategy, you must master long tail keyword research.
Long Tail Keyword Research Tips
Long tail keywords are kind of like a search string. Putting yourself in your customers’ shoes and trying to think of what terms they may search for is one way to go. However, there are so many combinations for this search string, and people think differently. You’re not exactly going to get the right one off the top of your head. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help you get pretty close to the mark and enjoy the benefits of long-tail keywords.
Read on to find out.
Fill it in with Google
If you’ve ever thought of Google search suggestions as weird, think again! Perhaps you might not have thought about this, but hey, you’ve got to keep an open mind. Autocomplete is probably one of the coolest Google features out there.
The keywords you find here are all potential keywords you can use to boost your ranking. It’s even more useful as not many digital marketers are tapping into this gold mine. Do it right, and you could potentially get an edge over your competition. All you have to do is type a keyword in and look at the predictions that pop up. If you want to take it to the next level, you can use Keyword Tool to find keywords even faster!
A few key things to note here – your search history will influence your search results. By logging out of Google or going incognito, you could prevent this from happening. Also, location matters. So, either turn off your location settings or use a VPN to target the exact audience you want.
Use a Dedicated Tool for Long-tail Keyword Research
The world is a global village, and there’s a digital tool for just about everything. Do a bit of research to find the keyword generator that checks all your boxes and add it to your digital marketing toolbox for your long tail keyword research. The best thing about these tools is that they’ll typically save you a lot of time by providing you with long-tail focus keywords.
We recommend using a keyword generator that includes information about the words such as search volume, trends, etc. This will help you build an even more effective long tail keyword strategy. Some of the tools we recommend are WriterZen, SemRush, and, of course, the Google Keyword Planner.
Think of Some Primary Keywords
Before you start using the other tools on this list, you need to have some primary keywords that you could make into your high-quality long tail focus keywords. You could simply think of some that you reckon might be relevant to your brand or product. You could also fine-tune it by looking at some related search suggestions on Google. There’s usually a ton of these available at the end of every SERP and it shouldn’t be too hard to find. By doing this, you’re likely to build a list of decent keywords.
You could also use these long tail keywords in articles. This is especially useful if you’ve got a blog section to go with your website and can also help you write better content for your website. That way, you’ll drive organic traffic to your website and potentially boost sales.
Get Uber-Creative in Your Long Tail Keyword Research
You’ve got to think outside the box sometimes to make great sales. What are you looking for here? Creating long tail keywords that match real users’ searches, right? Look for platforms where people have answers to just about any question! An excellent option would be Quora! You could post a question or find out if there’s a relevant one that has been answered on the platform. You can use people’s answers to come up with keywords that could prove particularly useful in boosting your ranking.
Ask Your Customers
By simply asking your customers questions, you can get a chance to pick their brains for potential keywords you could use. This is an effective way to get natural language long tail keywords for your SEO strategy. You could ask questions along the line of the questions they had while researching and why they chose your product/service. You could also get even more specific and ask for the search strings they used during the process.
Another thing to consider here is how to get your customers to engage with you and answer these questions. A good old survey with a chance to win a prize would be particularly helpful here. Consider learning about investing in your customer relationships here to help make this process easier. Once you have your answers, be sure to use the long tail keywords in articles, blog posts, and other brand activities.
Takeaways
Your keywords won’t rank high enough if you don’t do some research into finding the right combination. Short tail keywords often have higher search volumes but if you use the right long tail keyword strategy, you can rank higher than these. All you have to do is build a game plan for solid long-tail keyword research; then you will find keywords with higher buyer intent. That way, you’re more likely to target the audience that is actually ready to take action.
One of the smartest ways to grow your business is to use an SEO strategy that improves your connection with your target audience. You can get a one-up in ranking on SERPs simply by using the right keywords or the right combination of keywords in the case of long tail keywords.
Reach out to us at Profitable Media to help get you on the right track with an effective long tail keyword research strategy. Once you drive this traffic to your website, we can also help you work on converting leads.
