Long Tail Keywords — A tale of new-age SEO

Atasi Chatterjee
6 min readFeb 11, 2021

Are you confused over what are long tail keywords? Find out the importance of long tail keywords and learn a few long tail keyword examples with us here!

Keywords — Long tail keywords, what are long tail keywords, long tail keyword examples.

Do you know that keywords are the crux of SEO? Well, if you are in the marketing game — you would not have to be told how important keywords are. They can make or break your online marketing strategy.

I have often been asked about the importance of long tail keywords and their part in content marketing.

Thus was born this blog, where I will try to include the best of my knowledge about long tail keywords. Let’s hope you learn something new with this.

Long tail keywords are a combination of words or phrases that are more specific and longer than usual ones. They generate lesser search traffic. However, they tend to have higher conversion values since they hit the bull’s eye.

I will help you understand what are long tail keywords. Let’s also take a look at a few long tail keyword examples in this blog.

What are Long Tail Keywords?

There is a lot of confusion surrounding long tail keywords. Some people believe they are merely a group of words put together.

Let me simplify it further. Keywords differ from long tail keywords just like “seafood restaurant” differs from “best seafood restaurants in Manhattan”.

Length isn’t the only thing that makes long tail keywords unique. They are very specific, as you will see more in long tail keyword examples here.

The History of Long Tail

Long tail keywords can trace their origin from Chris Anderson’s book The Long Tail. He talks about the coming up of markets with unlimited supplies.

Anderson establishes that there is a significant demand for every niche, no matter how small it is. He accounts this to the increase in popularity of a jukebox where a fixed number of songs are repeated, creating artificial popularity.

Why are Long Tail Keywords Important?

According to Neil Patel, the average conversion rate for long tail keywords is 36%. That is, long tail keywords focus more on organic search traffic.

These specific keywords can be your savior in a competitive market. They help you funnel in leads and users using very specific content in searches.

The Head Term or Head Keyword

While working on a blog or site, you need to know that the keywords will determine how people can find you. For instance, a food blogger needs to specify a contextually-viable keyword as the key phrase of his blog. This will not be the same for a travel blogger.

For instance, beauty blogs are usually about cosmetics and home remedies. This becomes the core of the site that hosts these blogs. This is the keyword/keyphrase that people might use to find you. This is your head keyword.

These head terms generate a lot of traffic because they are usually all-encompassing words covering a broad theme.

From a Head Term to Long Tail Keywords

Long tail keywords are the scattered groups of keywords which are comparatively less competitive.

You cannot possibly optimize all blogs in your site for a head term that works as your primary keyphrase. The trick to fashioning better keywords lies in including different variants of long tail keywords.

That is, your SEO cannot be considered wholesome without a good equilibrium between your head term(s) and your long tails.

Take a look at a few long tail keyword examples.

  • “Buy long-sleeved white peasant top” as opposed to “buy peasant top”
  • “How to lose weight fast” as opposed to “lose weight”
  • “Skincare products for oily skin during winter” as opposed to “skincare for oily skin”

According to Ahrefs, 29.13% of keywords with more than 10,000 monthly searches are composed of three or more words.

Didn’t I tell you that long tail keywords have their own importance?

Making the Most of Long Tail Keywords

When it comes to SEO, our biggest advantage lies with blog posts. You may note how I have lavishly employed many long tail keywords in this blog. By performing steady keyword research, you can curate your longer keywords effectively.

Make sure you link these blogs with long tail keywords to your head term pages and your cornerstone content.

Simply put, do not fail to link your tails to the head!

This can ensure that the structure of your site is strong and edited to fit into an organized hierarchy based on priority. Also, the best pages among your content will be ranked higher in Google.

Advantages of Long Tail Keywords

Now that you have an idea about what are long tail keywords, let me tell you about their advantage in the SEO game.

  • It is an easier task to rank long tails than common keywords since very few websites compete for high rankings on SERPs. The longer your keywords could get, the easier it becomes to rank them.
  • Long tail keywords help guide users who are specific in their searches. The internet is a humungous playground. To be specific here is the ‘key’ to success!
  • Since long tail keywords are used lesser than common ones, users who are particular in their search are most likely to purchase your product/service. When the search intent becomes more specific, the probability of profit too increases.

For instance, let’s say that I am trying to hunt down baby products. I might initiate my search with the keyword “baby products”. Further, I feel like specifying that I am exclusively looking for chemical-free, herbal baby products that are safe on the skin. Eventually, my search metamorphoses into “herbal chemical-free baby products”. This is one of the long tail keyword examples.

First Step Towards Long Tail Keywords

Quality cannot be compromised, no matter the industry/niche your business belongs to. A better understanding of the specifications of your service/product will make it easier for you to curate long tail keywords.

Jot down all the unique factors about your service/product. Understand what makes your faithful customers keep coming back to you. Ensure that you include these factors to your long tails. These are what keep help you stand out from among your competitors.

Here’s a piece of advice; do not use difficult terms while composing your long tail keywords.

Your Mission is Your Saviour

If you are an experienced marketer, you are already familiar with the competition from your industry. Some firms spend huge amounts on marketing. You might not be able to do so.

In that case, how can you stand out to get better rankings?

If you think a small budget and an amazing marketing strategy do not meet, you are wrong. If your mission and path are clear, there is no stopping you, pal!

Find your niche from amongst your industrial buddies and figure out what makes you different from them.

Let us consider more long tail keyword examples to make it clearer.

  • If I sell herbal and vegan beauty products, that becomes the trump card to hike up my rankings. I will be curating my content to specifically reach out to users searching for “vegan skincare protection kit” or “herbal beauty soap”.
  • Similarly, if my mission is to sell homemade food, I will have to optimize my content to satisfy all types of foodies. “Homemade mutton curry” and “homemade Gopi Manchurian” should find spaces on my site.

No Compromises on Content!

Once you have included all factors that make you unique in shaping your long tail keywords, you can keep it going with incredible content.

No matter the strategy you employ for better rankings, the quality of your content needs to be above average. No questions there!

With a clearer idea about what are long tail keywords and a kitty full of long tail keyword examples, creating good content won’t be so hard.

Summing Up

I hope this blog has helped you shed some light on the nuances of long tail keywords. If you are looking to boost up your SEO game a few steps higher, then this is the way to go.

Make sure you analyze your industry and the specifications of your brand well before you curate long tail keywords. If you follow these steps without a hurry, you are sure to see results in some time.

Do let us know if you need more clarification on long tail keywords in the comments.

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Atasi Chatterjee

Loves everything about the internet and the online domain. I founded A2A Optima with the idea of delivering online marketing in a completely innovative blend.