How To Find Long-Tail Keywords

Keywords are crucial to multiple components of your marketing strategy, not only do they help drive traffic to your website and give your SEO a boost, but they can help your brand stand out from competitors if appropriately used. Keywords assist people in getting the information that they need and directing them to the right location. Long-tail keywords account for 70% of all web searches which is why it’s so crucial to implement it into your marketing strategy. These long-tail keywords can be used in many ways such as the title for a blog or article post, video, or any other type of content. You can also use long-tail keywords to optimize an extensive guide or an article targeting one primary keyword.

WHAT ARE LONG-TAIL KEYWORDS?

Long-tail keywords are search phrases that are specific, targeted, and have low search volume. These keywords usually are three or more words long. Long tail keywords refer to a distinct subset of that topic compared to general ones. They are easy to rank due to the low competition. Because they are less competitive, they commonly have better conversion rates than a broad and generic term.

Examples:

• Best hiking boots for women
• Best hiking shoes for tough trails
• Hiking shoes for men
• Best hiking shoes for flat feet

Long-tail keywords drive more targeted traffic than short-tail keywords, which is what you want. Also, competition is lower to get long-tail keywords. If you consistently publish in-depth content centered around long-tail keywords, you’ll see an increase in search traffic. People’s keyword searches are increasingly moving toward a long-tail pattern because natural language search is becoming more popular along with mobile technology and search, specifically voice search.

With such a massive arsenal of information online, it can be overwhelming to decide where to start looking for long-tail keywords. Below are eight ways to help you find long-tail keywords.

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7 TOOLS TO HELP YOU FIND LONG-TAIL KEYWORDS

1. Use Google Suggest & Related Searches

One way to find long-tail keywords is to use search engines themselves. This allows you to see what people are searching for in real time. Google’s suggestions and related keywords offer some insights into the most-used long-tail keywords that people are searching for. Google Suggest is the auto-suggest that automatically drops down when you start typing keywords into the search engine. Once you type something in a search query, Google provides a set of related keywords at the end of the page, including a few that are long-tail keywords. Use those related keywords as your guide to see if any of them have potential value to you.

2. Browse Wikipedia

Wikipedia is also a useful resource to utilize to get an idea of some valuable long-tail keywords that you can implement in your strategy. Wikipedia is up there as one of the most optimized websites on the internet, so it’s a unique reference point. You can use the table of contents on the page to break down some of the long-tail keywords. A lot of the headings translate into long-tail keywords and can be used to create new ones. You can also do a page search on the Wikipedia page to find the main keyword and see what other varieties appear throughout the page.

3. Browse Q+A Sites

Question & Answer sites are an excellent location to find potential long-tail keywords. Questions make great long-tail keywords because it mimics a natural speaking tone and people are looking for answers and information.

Some of them are:

• Quora
• Answers.com
• LinkedIn Answers
• Yahoo Answers

4. Look At Competitors

A common strategy with any form of marketing is to look at your top competitors. You can see what types of keyword variations are used on the pages that are ranking in the top 5-10 spots. Be sure to pay attention to the titles and the snippets on the pages; those are typically where the long-tail keywords are located.

5. Dig into Search Query Reports

If you’re running a PPC campaign in AdWords, you can use your Search Query Report. Your Search Query Report displays the search queries that drove people to click on your ads. You can see which keywords are driving conversions and traffic then use that information to make your next move. High-converting long-tail keywords will deliver high results.

6. Use Several Keyword Research Tools

There are several professional tools online that can help you find related long-tail keywords for the keywords you are targeting. As with any keyword research, identifying long-tail keywords is just the first step. Integrate them appropriately in your text. A few examples of some online tools you can use are:

• WordStream
• SEMrush
• Google Trends

7. Look to Forums to See What People Are Talking About

You can look to forums to find what online conversations are going on. Online chat forms are beneficial to help find out what customers want to know about specific topics. By browsing forums, you can discover trending topics and long tail keywords. To find different forums and discussions about your topic, you can enter your subject followed by “forum” in a search engine. Use the search results to identify other seed search terms and long-tail keywords based on the most popular conversations related to the issue.

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Conclusion

Long-tail keywords are crucial to homing in on what people are searching for online. General search terms that are difficult to rank for and highly competitive should not be the focus of your strategy. Search for long-tail keywords by using online tools and webpages that can help you create more focused content that resonates with your audience. Learn how to find long-tail keywords and use them effectively through websites such as Wikipedia and other Question & Answer websites. Use the seven strategies to find long-tail keywords that will increase traffic to your site and attract potential paying customers.