What are Long Tail Keywords?

Long tail keywords are phrases exceeding two words that define a topic and are usually used by the general public while looking for a topic/product/service on Search Engines. These are very specific phrases that a user is looking for and expects results to reflect them exactly as they are queried (as entered in the search box).Search engine optimization for Long Tail Keywords has a high ranking factor as well as click through rate. Products and services also see a higher conversion rate when their description or title reflects an oft searched long tail keyword for their specific niche.Bloggers, Content Marketers, SMBs, and more rely on the effectiveness of Long Tail Keywords to rank high in search results consistently.

How are Long Tail Keywords Used?

Before customers make a purchase online, they look for the best deals, do a comparative study, and zero in on the best offer. Long Tail Keywords help marketers beat the competition by optimizing phrases that are current, trending, and being used regularly to trigger their product/services page in search results. Connecting with customers is easier with descriptive, phrasal keywords. In a highly saturated keywords optimized web world, optimizing for single keywords is a lost cause as a small or medium sized business website may never beat long established brands and businesses for certain products and the associated keywords. In such a scenario, Long Tail Keywords assume significance in improving search rankings by targeting phrases that buyers are likely to use in conjunction with their products.For e.g., Trying to rank in the first 10 results of Google for the keywords Camouflage Pants might be next to impossible as the top spots are usually taken by established brands like Macys, Amazon, et al. It would be easier to rank for more descriptive, Long Tail Keyword phrases like:

• Camouflage Pants with Flared Bottoms
• Blue Camouflage Pants under $50.

Similarly, ranking for top trending single keywords might prove impossible whereas Long Tail Keywords that describe services and products in more detail, and happen to be used often in search phrases, make it easy for websites to beat direct competitors and big players in search rankings. Research also suggest that people using Long Tail Keywords in their search queries are actually looking to buy and have a much higher probability of turning into customers than those who are simply searching for single word terms. 

Advantages of using Long Tail Keywords

• Easier to beat competition.
• Reflect search queries more accurately, drawing in more viewers.
• Contain more context about the topic, product, or service.
• Improved customer engagement and conversion rates.
• Good long term ranking strategy.
• Optimizes the marketing/sales funnel strategy.
• Perform better in voice assisted search results.
• Sound strategy for building up an organic following and traffic to a website. 

Good content strategists rely on the uniqueness of Long Term Keyword phrases to improve search rankings. Its a widely practiced digital marketing strategy that targets specificity and is the backbone of content marketing. Ranking for Long Tail Keywords is cost effective and yields high ROI.