O tips to maximize the benefits of long-tail keywords

It is a common mistake to overlook creating content that can be used to answer long-tail search queries. While it’s tempting to chase bigger wins, focusing on smaller gains can result in powerful long-term results. Slow and steady wins are the way to go in SEO.

Search is evolving, and keywords may seem outdated. Long-tail queries are more important than ever.

Search is becoming second nature to many people and voice search has gained popularity, so searches are becoming more conversational. This type of query is often very beneficial and can be helpful to create content.

This strategy will yield the best results if you approach it carefully. This article will provide some SEO tips for long-tail queries.

Long-tail keywords: What is it and how can you use them in SEO?

Long-tail keywords refer to specific words and phrases that have a higher conversion rate. They tend to be longer (three to five keywords) and have lower search volumes.

You are missing out on many opportunities if long-tail keywords don’t form part of your strategy. A large-scale study done by Ahrefs found that nearly 95% U.S. searches get less than 10 searches each month.

It is also well-known that 15% of all search queries on Google are brand new. This stat has been confirmed many times by Google, most recently in 2022 by Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable.

Long-tail queries are easier to rank for, and can eliminate ambiguity to drive qualified visitors and conversions.

What is a long-tail strategy and how can it help you?

Long-tail SEO strategies are those that place a greater emphasis on low-volume search terms. This SEO strategy takes advantage of a lower competition rate in order to drive qualified website visitors.

This can be an effective strategy because searchers are more likely to use long-tail keywords. This allows you to capture valuable, relevant traffic.

9 SEO tips to maximize long-tail keywords’ SEO benefits

Although long-tail keywords are powerful and can be very effective, it is important to do this in a planned and thoughtful manner.

These are my top tips to get the most out of your long-tail opportunities.

1. Start small and gain momentum

For gaining traction in new markets, a long-tail keyword strategy can be a great choice.

You can increase your visibility to the right audience by using long-tail keywords phrases in your content, whether you are starting a site or covering a topic.

Long-tail keywords, by their nature, are more specific and less commonly searched for. People searching for long-tail keywords tend to have very specific intent.

It’s a great way to build your reputation with the right people by creating great content that answers these questions. This is a great SEO strategy that will help you get started and rank for topics related to your niche.

Amore Coffee is a UK-based small coffee machine rental business that makes the most of the long tail.

This is just one example. However, across their website they rank for many detailed and long-tail questions about coffee in the UK.

This provides a solid foundation for their target audience to find them via search engines.

Although they won’t be driving a lot of traffic, they will reach people who are truly interested in what they have.

2. Keep your relevance and increase your presence

It’s important to think carefully about your choices when working with long-tail questions. Do not just create content for the sake.

Choose topics that are closely related to your product offerings or area of expertise. Do not stray from your core business goals.

You must ensure that you create high-quality content that is both relevant and useful. This will help you avoid the trap of taking a “search-engine-first” approach, which Google actively discourages in its helpful content guidelines.

These are the “don’ts”.

* Did you enter a niche area of expertise but only because you believed you would get search traffic?

* Do you produce lots of content on various topics in the hope that some of them might rank well in search results?

What creators need to know about Google’s August 2022 Helpful content update, Google Search Central blog

There are many long-tail questions that can be used in most topics.

You can make a difference in your success by selecting the right people and making sure they are compatible with your goals and audience.

3. Set your goals

Before you begin to work on your content, think of what you want to achieve.

• Do you have an in-depth article you want to rank organically?
• Are there any featured snippets or People Also Ask (PAA), that you would like to capture for a specific long-tail phrase?
• Is it more profitable for your business to appear in voice searches?

The content you create will be influenced by your primary goal.

• Your content must be concise, objective, and short in order to target featured snippets or PAAs.
• You will need to research the topic thoroughly and add your unique perspective or expertise in order to rank an article organically.
• Voice search will require you to focus on the featured snippet for your long-tail query. You’ve already made a step towards optimising for voice search by focusing on long-tail.

Yopa has won the featured snippet for the long-tail question “How much value will an extension bring to my home” in the UK. They gave a simple, objective answer.

Yopa now receives more organic traffic through their articles:

Check a Trade’s detailed article ranks higher organically and has greater search visibility.

It is important to have a clear understanding of the benefits your business would receive before you begin work. This will help you get the results that you desire.

4. Do extensive research

Before you begin, spend time researching. Answer the Public, Also Asked and Answer Socrates are great tools for keyword research that will help you find long-tail keywords.

Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush allow you to mine long-tail keywords data. Reddit, Quora and industry forums can add depth to your research.

Research is the best way to find out. This gives you an extra insight into your target audience’s search patterns, as well as common themes and topics within a particular topic area. This step is crucial, even though it may seem overwhelming at first.

Your research will help you identify long-tail keywords that are important to your audience and yourself. It is far more efficient to create a solid strategy that supports your main goals (and backs up the valuable short-tail keyword) than to just take a random approach.

Take a look at the many questions that you can answer about SEO strategy in a matter of seconds.

Some of these may overlap, while others are relevant to specific companies or publications.

Before you start your long-tail journey, take the time to evaluate the possibilities and do more research.

5. Search traffic is not the only thing that should be considered.

The common question regarding long-tail keywords and search volume is “What about?”

It’s a puzzle. It can be counterintuitive for SEO professionals to devote time and effort to creating content around search terms that have low or zero search volume, according to keyword research tools.

Long-tail strategies are not about search volume. It is more important to consider whether the query is relevant for your business and if you can add value.

A long-tail strategy can help you gain a deep understanding of your audience’s knowledge, and optimize their search experience.

In his latest Brighton SEO presentation, Mark Williams-Cook discusses the topic of zero_ and lume keywords. He also explains why they are important. For more information, you can also view the video.

6. Combining keywords

Search volume for each search term may be low. There’s a reason. This is often because long keyword phrases can be entered in many different ways. Although the search intent may be identical, different people might phrase it in different ways.

Many of these keywords can be interrelated and cover different aspects of the same topic. You can increase traffic to your long-form articles by using a variety of long-tail keywords in one resource.

Each piece of content that ranks well for multiple keywords ranks, so consider the combinations of terms you want to use in your content instead of focusing on one keyword.

Here’s a search engine land article about Google’s use of artificial intelligence. This is a snapshot of a few long-tail keywords that it ranks for:

These all have the same theme, but they may focus on different aspects of it.

This is called keyword clustering. In real life, it’s organizing information effectively for readers and following an logical structure.

7. Cluster closely related articles

Create a series of related articles that focus on closely related keywords clusters to really maximize the power of a long tail strategy.

These articles can be linked together to make clear paths from one topic to another. You can also build them around a cornerstone page that targets the head term.

This method is also known as a hub and spoke or pillar page, topic cluster, or hub-and-spoke.

Each article has a set of related keywords which makes it a valuable resource. These keywords can be linked together to help search engines contextualize them. Users can also access useful information without leaving your site.

Express doors Direct, for example, clusters all the useful articles around internal doorways in a way that is accessible from the main category page. This supports the user’s journey.

So if customers have any questions regarding their purchase, they can easily access support.

Search engines can identify whether all of this content is related to the topic of internal doors.

8. Scale up

It won’t make a difference if you only focus on one long-tail term. This approach is best if you think long-term.

Spend time each month on your long-tail strategy and produce as much high-quality content as your budget allows. This might only be one article for a small site; larger teams could handle many.

Be consistent, organized and well-structured. Plan for the future and follow them.

Continuous processes should be used for idea generation, research, content creation, and optimization. This strategy is long-term and should not be viewed as a quick win. It is possible to really reap the rewards of putting in the effort on a regular basis.

9. Optimize

Optimize, test, and learn. After your content is established, you can use Google Search Console data for long-tail keywords that it ranks for.

It is possible to discover phrases you didn’t know existed. This may open up opportunities to optimize your content or add more.

If the content doesn’t meet your original goals, you’ll find ways to improve.

Review the length of the text, the objectivity, and the entities that you have included to see if you didn’t capture the PAA or featured snipped you wanted. Google’s Natural Language Processing Tool is great for assessing this.

It’s not difficult to optimize your website. This keeps your content current and fresh, resulting in a better user experience.

The long-tail is your favorite!

The last tip I have is to embrace your long-tail strategies. The rewards can be great and there are many opportunities.

Start now and you will be amazed at the results. It’s possible to be surprised at what you discover about your audience and the people you reach with your content.

Search Engine Land first published the post 9 SEO tips for long-tail keywords.