Long tail positioning
The set of phrases specified in an SEO contract is usually quite diverse. It includes terms of varying lengths, from general and short to more complex ones. Some of these are referred to as "long tail." So what does long tail SEO mean? And why is it profitable?
Is it worth positioning on long tail and why?
1. Shorter is better? What is the long tail of SEO?
One of the most widespread myths in the SEO world is the belief that a very general, short phrase that on paper has a high search volume will be more effective in driving traffic to a website.
In reality, general phrases are not entered by the most interested potential customers, but more often by people with little knowledge of the topic who start their research on the Internet, looking for general information, not specific offers.
Analyzing website visitor statistics , we can conclude that most visits don't come from searches for general terms, which we sometimes mistakenly promote most intensively. The highest conversions come from very specific and long-tail keywords.
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Someone who knows exactly what they want to buy—for example, what model of athletic shoes they're interested in—is more likely to type "nike airforce white women's low-top size 38" into a search engine than the laconic "nike airforce." This first query is an example of a long-tail search. In this particular case, it's even a very long-tail search. At first glance, long-tail SEO makes more sense, right?
But that's not the only reason long-tail keywords currently play such a significant role in SEO efforts. The second is the changing way search queries are entered in Google. Since the introduction of Google Assistant—including a voice version (available in Polish as well)—users are more likely to ask full questions rather than typing in phrases equivalent to them. So, when searching for the shoes mentioned above, they can also ask Uncle Google: "Where can I buy a Nike Air Force 38 white women's model?" This completely changes things.
2. What exactly is this long tail?
Simply put, long tail is a phrase consisting of several words (at least 3-4) that clearly indicates specific (non-general) features of the query, providing more information about the needs of your potential customer and the features of the product or service they desire.
For our website's content to respond to these specific long-tail queries, we need to introduce a wealth of unique and informative content that will allow web crawlers to tailor it to potential customers' questions. The number of variations on long-tail queries for a given website is so vast that optimization in this case goes beyond the standard implementation of selected keywords. This requires a holistic approach to preparing the website to deliver important information. However, there's nothing stopping you from including selected long-tail phrases in your SEO contract.
3. Why is it worth focusing on long tail SEO?
Above all, you gain the ability to reach more determined customers. This is also a way to ensure your website's visibility more quickly. Very general phrases are more prestigious, which doesn't necessarily translate into increased traffic or transactions through your website. However, their positioning can take a long time.
To summarize: general phrases may take a long time to reach the top 10 results, and even then, they won't have much advertising potential. They are the opposite of long-tail phrases, which rank relatively quickly and attract people who are more determined to buy or are looking for specific advice or information.
How to position long tail?
As we've written, long-tail SEO is a real challenge. Why? Primarily because:
- wide positioning it is based not on a few, but on several dozen, and sometimes even more, keywords and their combinations,
- you need to step even further into the target audience's shoes – so that the long tail includes words and phrases that they will naturally type into the search engine,
- Establishing a long tail list often requires trial and error and testing various options.
This doesn't mean, however, that long-tail SEO is impossible to implement. Quite the opposite. However, it's important to remember a few basic rules. So how do you optimize long-tail SEO?
- Start by making a list of topics and issues that are related to your business.
- Now, write down a list of primary keywords that roughly relate to what your company offers. These could be product categories or services you offer. It's also worth considering local keywords.
- Now it's time to do what the average user does. Long-tail SEO requires research. So, open Google and, one by one, enter the phrases you're interested in. Observe what appears in the suggestion bar. This is the best suggestion – because the search engine itself will tell you what others are searching for. Make a note of these results.
- The second option is... scrolling to the bottom of the results after entering a search term. Additional suggestions and search terms will appear there as well. This also contributes to your long tail.
Of course, that's not all. There are various SEO tools that will allow you to deepen your research and find even more keywords that will aid in long-tail SEO.
I have a long tail list, what's next?
This isn't the end of the work ahead. Now you need to incorporate all these keywords and their variations into your content – optimizing old ones and/or creating new ones. But this also can't be left to chance. By focusing on broad SEO:
- make sure to divide keywords wisely so that they appear on specific, thematically related subpages and are not randomly and chaotically scattered throughout the website,
- make sure you have properly optimized your headings and meta data for long tail,
- Consider creating topic clusters with pillar pages – this will enhance the effectiveness of long-tail SEO.
Complicated? Given that SEO requirements and trends are constantly changing, it definitely is. But that doesn't mean it can't lead to measurable, long-term success. If you want to learn what to do and how to do it, you can always reach out to Verseo experts for support.
You will find more information about SEO and positioning in the following articles.
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Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- positioning strategy for long-tail phrases and their impact on the quality of traffic and the effectiveness of marketing activities,
- creating a list of long tail phrases,
- implementing long-tail phrases in content, website optimization and building thematic structures supporting SEO.
