When it comes to getting your website found online, using the right keywords and combination of keywords is critical. Unfortunately, ranking for common, short and simple keywords is not always easy. There are thousands of “Italian restaurants” throughout the country, and if your website is new you will have an uphill battle trying to rank for that keyword. One of the best ways to stand out and attract the audience you are searching for is to use long-tail keywords in SEO. What exactly are long-tail keywords, and how can you get started using them?
What Are Long-Tail Keywords?
Long-tail keywords are more specific and generally longer than their short counterparts. Instead of trying to attract the broadest possible audience, when you use long-tail keywords in SEO, you are trying to attract a more narrow audience. Using the “Italian restaurants” example above, you could add to the keyword and make it “best Italian restaurants in Baltimore, MD” or “the best chicken parm Italian restaurant in Baltimore, MD.” While both terms are more narrow, your chances of ranking for them will be much higher than the initial search term.
How to Choose Long-Tail Keywords
Because long-tail keywords are longer, they can be more awkward to naturally integrate into your website and copy. Today’s SEO standards are rigorous, so make sure that you still choose phrases that you can naturally integrate into the content without it sounding awkward, forced or grammatically incorrect. Working with professionals like the team at Gauge Digital Media is one way to make sure that the long-tail keywords you are utilizing are appropriate, timely and good for driving traffic to your website.
Why Are Long-Tail Keywords Great for Increasing Conversions and Traffic?
- It is easier to rank high on Google search results for long-tail keywords. There is a high amount of competition for common keywords, but much less competition for long-tail keywords.
- Your audience will be much more targeted, as the users who are searching for the longer, more specific search term are generally the users who are already prepared to make a purchase or use your business. These users generally already know exactly what they are looking for and merely searching for the right place to give it to them. In contrast, someone who is searching for a more general keyword is often doing research, weighing their options or learning more.
- Because these keywords typically have less competition, it is also usually much more affordable to use them in your Google Ad campaigns. Most competitive keywords have a very high cost per click, but keywords that have lower volume or lower competition can save you money and get you the most bang for your buck.
How to Use Long-Tail Keywords in SEO
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Set Your Objectives
Before you can determine which long-tail keywords are the most appropriate for your webpage or blog post, it’s critical that you set your objectives. Are you looking to educate the consumer about your product? Are you trying to showcase your expertise in your industry? Are you trying to directly speak to the pain points that your customers might be experiencing? Once you set your objectives, it will be easier to start to use long-tail keywords in SEO.
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Strike the Right Balance
One of the trickiest things about working with long-tail keywords is finding the right ones. Long-tail keywords typically have lower search volume than shorter keywords, but in contrast, their conversion rates are much higher. Our team can help you to find quality long-tail keywords that strike the right balance between being specific enough to get great results and not so specific that there is little-to-no search volume for them.
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Write the Content
Next, you will need to write the content itself or work with one of our skilled content creators. These long-tail keywords can be integrated throughout your content naturally to help meet your objectives, and ensure that you are getting the traffic you are looking for. When you use long-tail keywords in SEO it is critical to make sure that your keywords and their usage matches the intent of your audience when they click on the article.
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Use Keywords in the Right Places
While most people know to integrate keywords throughout a piece of written content, the most successful webpages will also integrate the keywords throughout the page. This means that they might use the keywords in headers or subheaders on the page to ensure that the page has the highest chances of success. It’s important to note, however, that with particularly long long-tail keywords, you might be unable to fit the keyword into the header. Readability is more important than getting your keyword in every header, so don’t be afraid to adjust if needed.
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Use Variants
Finally, one of the other great ways to use long-tail keywords in SEO is by also using variants of the keywords. You can leave off the end of “best chicken parmesan in Baltimore, MD” and shorten it to “best chicken parmesan” in some areas of the text, or leave off the beginning and only use “chicken parmesan in Baltimore, MD” in some places. Variants help to show that you are truly talking about what is in the keyword and not merely keyword stuffing. They also help your text to read much more naturally and less forced, so the end user is much more likely to have a positive experience and stick around.
We Are Here to Help Grow Your Business Online and Through LinkedIn Marketing
Working with a professional digital marketing company is the best way to make the most of your website and all that Facebook Pixel, LinkedIn ads, Google Analytics and other digital advertising platforms have to offer. To learn more about the best digital marketing strategies for your company and reach a bigger audience than ever before, work with Gauge Digital Media. For a quote or to schedule a call, contact us at 410-376-7709 .
