First a quick definition lesson- Long tail keywords are phrases of your keyword, that have 4 or more words, narrowing down the search item.
Now that we are over with the introduction, lets get on with the main issue at hand here. Benefits of long tail keywords. To begin with, arm yourself with the latest numbers that point out the importance of long tail. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project Report in USA, 78% people use the net- to search- connect – entertain themselves and work. This means that the number of people online and looking for your product is huge. Another survey reveals that longer keyword searches have increased more than 20%.
What does this mean? Well, you have to be more specific now, as people are typing very precise search terms. People know the information they need, and want to get that exactly. That is why long tail keywords are the sure shot guarantee to targeted traffic. The searcher has a specific intent, and you are cashing in on the same. So the days of ‘used cars’ are passe. What you must optimize now is- ‘used cars in Seattle’ or ‘used cars in Seattle 2009’.
Think More- Narrow Down Further
When you are thinking-researching and finalizing your keywords for every page, think a bit further than obvious. What could your targeted visitor look for? Could it be the make of the product , or its location , or its price range.
For example, a woman looking to get a tattoo, may key in ‘arm tattoo’- but what if someone is more particular and keys in- ‘best full arm tattoo houston’. These extra three keywords as compared to the simple two words, make the search very specific.
Another example is, that if you are a furniture website, then your keywords for your dining room page could vary like this- ‘dining room furniture’, ‘latest dining room furniture’, ‘contemporary dining room furniture New Jersey’, ‘metal glass italian design dining sets New Jersey’ etc.
With the search terms being wider, the results become more and more specific. And the people looking for this stuff are more likely to make the purchase and complete your goals.
The Long Tail Keywords Rank Higher
It is obvious that for the shorter keywords, the competition is fierce. For your site to come in the top results, it has to leave behind thousands of websites optimizing the same keywords. But if you optimize it for a long tail keyword that is specific to your site/product, you have a much better chance of ranking in the top. The logic is quite simple actually, the less competition- the faster you will climb up in rankings. However, it is a fact that they don’t bring a lot of traffic separately but if you target multiple long tail keywords you can get more traffic.
Long Tail Keywords Get Targeted Traffic- Lead To Conversions
This works on a simple logic. If you get a visitor on your site, looking for something specific, then they are more than likely to make the purchase. If your landing page succeeds in moving them towards the “call to action” buttons, then you are looking at a definite lead or a sale! Your site goals are achieved much better with traffic from long tail keywords. There are fewer bounce backs and traffic that comes in is the one you really want and will get you the business. If some one looking for
“black color armani suit London” will most probably purchase the same, if they have liked your site and product enough.
See this for example- the results for the keywords- “fashion jewelry” shows completely different sites
But if you use the long tail keyword here- you can see sites that were far below on the search ladder, come up.
Get More Pages Indexed
If you like the use of long tail keywords, and are happy with the results, then you are most likely to explore their various combinations for your pages. So, as a result, you may create newer landing pages too. These unique pages with good content and relevance is appreciated by Google too. Every page will have a unique title, description meta tag, the works- and a good chance to rank high!
Parting Tip:
Use plurals of your keywords instead of singular forms, this also brings in a huge difference. Instead of optimizing highly competitive general keywords, explore long tail keywords. However be prepared that they will not get high traffic but yes, you will get specific traffic. So strike the perfect balance between short tail and long tail, and get the best from your keyword optimization.
Long tail keyword research with Googe KW tool is better to be paired with tools like SERPstat. Gives me greater span and insight into competition level. Long tails can be artificially twisted – Google will show incorrect competition level for such keywords.