{"id":52275,"date":"2024-03-31T06:28:35","date_gmt":"2024-03-31T06:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/corp\/?p=52275"},"modified":"2025-03-30T11:01:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-30T11:01:27","slug":"long-tail-keywords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/marketing\/seo\/long-tail-keywords\/","title":{"rendered":"Long-Tail Keywords: How To Find & In Them For SEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long-tail keywords should be a part of any SEO strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From bringing relevant organic visitors to your site to getting your content to #1 spot on Google search results, long-tail keywords will help you level up.<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll get into what they are, how you can find them, and what you need to implement them to build a winning SEO strategy.<\/p>\n

What are long-tail keywords?<\/h2>\n

Long-tail keywords are search queries that have lower monthly search volumes<\/b> and tend to be longer and more specific<\/b> than high-search volume keywords. Although each individual long-tail keyword may have a low search volume, collectively, they make up a significant portion of all online searches, making them highly valuable for your SEO efforts.<\/p>\n

Now, you might be wondering why they\u2019re called long-tail keywords. It\u2019s a common misconception that the name is due to the length of the keywords, but, in fact, it\u2019s because they are less popular terms that fall on the tail end of the search demand curve.<\/p>\n

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Why are long-tail keywords important?<\/h2>\n

Here are six benefits of using long-tail keywords in your SEO efforts:<\/p>\n

1. Ramp up your conversion funnel<\/h3>\n

The more specific a keyword is, the more likely the searcher is further along the buyer’s journey. Someone searching for a highly specific term like \u2018best laptops for students on a budget<\/i>\u2019 is likely closer to making a purchase than someone searching for a generic term like \u2018laptops<\/i>.\u2019<\/p>\n

While broader, higher-volume keywords may drive more overall traffic, the quality and intent of long-tail keyword searches often result in more effective lead generation<\/a> and sales.<\/p>\n

2. Lower competition<\/h3>\n

Unlike popular, high-volume keywords like \u2018shoes<\/i>\u2019 (which currently gets 764,391 monthly searches), low-search volume long-tail keywords face less competition for the top search engine results. With fewer websites vying for these longer, more specific phrases, it becomes easier to achieve higher rankings, thereby increasing your website’s visibility in relevant searches.<\/p>\n

3. More in-depth understanding of user intent<\/h3>\n

Use long-tail keywords to guide your content creation strategy. By understanding the specific searches your target audience<\/a> is making, you can create content that directly addresses their needs. Because of the specific nature of this content, it\u2019s more likely to resonate with your audience and establish you as an authority in your field.<\/p>\n

4. Increased website traffic<\/h3>\n

As we mentioned above, individual long-tail keywords may have lower individual search volume<\/a> collectively but represent a significant portion of all online searches. By strategically incorporating various relevant long-tail keywords, you can reach a wider audience interested in specific aspects of your offerings, leading to an overall increase in website traffic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. Support for your pillar content<\/h3>\n

As SEO has evolved, the focus has shifted from ranking individual keywords to ranking for broader topics. One approach to topical SEO is to create a topical map<\/a> outlining your pillar content<\/a> and supporting pieces. Your pillar content targets core terms, which are high-volume, short-tail keywords at the top of the demand curve.<\/p>\n

However, ranking for these competitive terms requires supplementing the pillar pages with content that targets middle and long-tail variations. Matching pages with keywords is called “keyword mapping<\/a>“. The more comprehensive your topical coverage with long-tail content, the higher your topical authority<\/a> will be on the subject, increasing your chances of ranking higher.<\/p>\n

6. Increase your topical authority<\/h3>\n

Google categorizes websites based on the topics they cover. This allows Google to rank sites with the highest authority for each topic higher in search results. To establish your site as the leading authority in your niche, you should aim to comprehensively answer more user intents than your competitors. By identifying and targeting as many long-tail keywords as possible, you can build your site’s authority and potentially achieve substantial improvements in rankings and organic traffic.<\/p>\n

Pro tip: Some professionals avoid tracking as many keywords as possible because they mistake to think they will have to track them all. But targeting doesn’t necessarily mean tracking. read more about tracking the right keywords<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2 main types of long-tail keywords<\/h2>\n

Not all long-tail keywords are created equal. There are two main types: supporting keywords<\/b> and topical keywords<\/b>.<\/p>\n

1. Supporting keywords<\/h3>\n

Supporting long-tail keywords fit into a bigger topic. For instance, if you were writing content about dog training, supporting long-tail keywords could be:<\/p>\n