How Long-tail Keywords Can Improve the Web Experience

The phrase “optimize for long-tail keywords” can be found in SEO articles across the web, but how exactly does this ubiquitous phrase help a visitor’s web experience? Simply put, longer keyword phrases bring more visitors to your site to find what they need.

For those who are unaware of what a long-tail keyword is, it’s a search query that includes 3-5 words. Usually, length of the keyword determines how easy or difficult it is to rank for said keywords. Conversion rates for long-tail keywords are typically 2.5x higher than broad terms.

There are many ways to research long-tail keywords. A simple Google search with a scroll to the bottom will reveal other terms that people have searched for and is a good place to start.  For example, if you search for artic foxes and scroll down there are many related search terms that are longer than two words:

Research related longer keyword phrases with helpful tools.

If you’re really a savvy SEO marketer, you probably have this nifty chrome extension called Keywords Everywhere. This extension shows you the average monthly searches and average CPC per keyword right under the Google search bar. 

You can also use Google Adword’s keyword planner tool to find additional long-tail keywords if you have an account. There are also places for you to add negative and positive filters to narrow down your result. 

After doing your research, produce quality content that includes these keywords across your website. Just don’t stuff the keywords; make sure it makes sense. Remember, your goal is to enhance your prospect's web experience and not hurt it by writing content that sounds like word vomit.

But what about your PPC campaigns? Do you use long-tail keywords for that? Personally, I would advise against it. Using broad match modifiers for your keywords will take care of the long-tail keywords while keeping cost low. Plus, it doesn’t make sense to include a keyword that has such a low search volume that your ad doesn’t even serve for it. 

To sum it all up, when researching long-tail keywords, remember your user's intent and write quality content that will enhance their web experience.