Introduction:
They are also known as “tail keywords” or simply “long-tail key phrases”. The term was coined by Chris Anderson in 2004 after he read an article written by Wired Magazine editor, Chris Locke. The idea behind the phrase is that there are many possible keyword combinations for a given word and it’s helpful to have these.
Short tail keyword vs. Long tail keyword
Keywords are very important for the success of your business, as they help you reach out to potential clients who are interested in what you have to offer. However, some keywords will inevitably bring better conversions than others because of their nature. For example, if you’re selling tutoring services related to math, it might turn
out to be more beneficial for you to use the keywords “math tutoring” or “math help” because these are long-tail keywords.
What is meant by Long Tail Keyword?
A long-tail keyword, as its name suggests, is a full-fledged phrase with multiple words. It’s basically a combination of two or more words that are more specific and targeted.
Why are long-tail keywords better?
The reason why long tails are considered better is that people tend to be moving away from short, one-word search phrases. If you’re wondering how they perform better, consider this – using the example of math tutoring again, there will no doubt be tons of online tutoring businesses that have the goal of driving as many clients as possible.
On the other hand, long-tail keywords will give you a better chance of reaching out to the right kind of people – those who are actually looking for math tutors and help. A lot of times, these individuals would perform several search queries before they finally make a choice. It’s all about being there at the right time with an offer that matches their need.
Do long tails bring in a higher ROI?
Yes, they do! Now here’s something interesting for you – if you’re using highly competitive short tail keywords like “math tutor” or “online math tutoring”, chances are that your competition will drive away from most potential clients from your business.
If you want to know whether long tails will bring up your ROI (return on investment), consider the fact that they are generally less competitive, and at the same time, you can get better conversions.
What other factors affect the performance of keywords?
Aside from using long-tail keywords, here are a few other things you should keep in mind when building out your website if you want to have an edge over everyone else:
– Using exact match domains – having a domain name with “exact keyword phrases” is another way of improving your SEO efforts. In most cases, it’s going to provide a higher click-through rate. For example, if someone is looking for a math tutor in San Francisco, they would be more inclined to visit your website if they find out that you’re available in the area. This is exactly why it’s advisable to use keyword phrases for your domain name, instead of using something like “mathhelp.com”.
– Using long-tail keywords – you should be able to come up with additional (longer) key phrases that are highly specific. For example, “online math tutoring” can become “online high school math tutoring” or even longer. However, there is always a limit as to how long these phrases can get; they simply need to make sense and offer value without becoming too technical (and difficult for people to understand).
What are some common mistakes made by online marketers?
The following are just some of the most common mistakes made by online marketers:
– Using low-quality content – most people assume that if they have a lot of content on their website, Google is going to pick up and index it easily. However, Google doesn’t really care about the sheer quantity of your work; instead, it wants to see high-quality and informative content with useful information. If you’re able to do this right, you’ll be able to bring in more loyal customers who will help spread the word about your business.
Do short tail keywords still matter?
Absolutely! Short tail keywords are best used for user queries where people just want to know basic information about a topic or product (also called ” informational queries” ).
For example, let’s say you’re looking for a recipe for pasta salad. Your search query is going to be something like “pasta salad recipe”, and it’s highly unlikely that you’ll need online software to help you complete your task (meaning, you don’t have any intent on making a purchase). We all know that short-tail keywords are common in this case, but they certainly won’t bring up conversions.
Why do some marketers prefer using long tails over short tails?
This is another question with simple answers – because of the sheer number of people who are competing on the internet these days, it has become next to impossible to get organic traffic just by targeting high-competition keywords.
However, if you’re able to target long-tail keywords instead, you’ll be able to bring in more traffic and make the most of your SEO efforts. With all this said, it’s just a matter of time before you’re able to start seeing an increase in your ROI.
What does Google think about long-tail keywords?
In the eyes of Google, short-tail keywords are often seen as “low-quality” search terms with low commercial intent. In contrast, they look at long tails as highly specific queries with high commercial intent. For example, if one is looking for a recipe for spaghetti sauce, their search query would not be something like “pasta noodles recipe”.
Instead, someone who searches for a certain food is generally planning on buying them or cooking them very soon – or both!
