What Are Longtail Keywords? (And How They Can Boost Sales)

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What Are Longtail Keywords? (And How They Can Boost Sales)

If you were to use Google and search the word “pasta,” the results would be the Wikipedia page about pasta, some pictures, an online dictionary defining what pasta is, and yes, websites that are talking about pasta.

This is an example of a short-tail keyword, and this is why they are undesirable in the world of online business. Short-tail keywords are too vague to really be of use when you put them in a search engine. Due to their vagueness, there will be far more results that appear on the search list, which both makes it harder to rank for search engines and makes it harder for all but the most well-known companies to be noticed in this sea of results.

Long-Tail Keywords: Your Better SEO Solution

A better way to go would be to use long-tail keywords. These are keywords that are longer and more specific than short-tail keywords. Going back to our earlier example, if you change “pasta” to “Italian pasta recipe,” you would have fewer results coming out, but the ones that do appear are more specific and geared towards what you are looking for.

Although this may seem counterproductive since there are fewer people who search for longtail keywords, it is actually quite the opposite. Long-tail keywords offer two advantages if you invest more in them.

The Advantages Behind Using Long-Tail Keywords

One advantage is that although the traffic is smaller, it is also more focused. People making long-tail searches already know what they want. They are specifically looking for a product, service, or answer rather than just general information. These people are the ones who are more inclined to act upon what they are searching for. If your website pops up, they will see that you might be what they are looking for and be far more likely to click on your website.

The second advantage is that there is less competition to deal with. Companies do not always offer the same specific product as you or even use the same phrases as you as their keyword. These irrelevant results are taken out of the search entirely.

For example, more than 1.1 billion results popped up when I searched “pasta” on Google, but when I typed “Italian pasta recipe” it went down to 215 million results. That means almost 5 out of 6 results were removed from the list. This difference can make your website much more visible to the customers you are after.

Additionally, these long-tail keywords sound much more natural when you say or write them down. This means that they can easily be added into your text or website without it sounding off or unusual. Studies have shown that people conducting a search on Google tend to use longtail keywords. This is because they have also seen the benefits of it by having an easier time finding what they need without having to deal with so many results that do not really matter to their problem.

Start Using Long-Tail Keywords to Drive Business Your Way

If you want to direct more traffic to your website, using long-tail keywords is a no-brainer. With them, your company will be able to answer the needs of customers directly and with less competition. Long-tailed keywords give you a chance to carve out a niche for yourself in search engines and boost your online presence.

Give it a try by including industry-specific long-tail keywords into your website content! Contact Skoshe to create that optimized content that will drive more customers your way using long-tail keywords and other proven solutions.