Long tail keyword play an extremely important (and decisive) role in SEO and digital marketing.
Ma cosa sono, e come si fa a distinguere le parole chiave long tail da quelle short tail?
In this article, you'll find everything you need to know about long-tail keywords, how to find them and why they're important, as well as some tips on how to use them in your content to dominate the first page of Google.
What are keywords - keywords?
Le Keywords are the words or phrases entered by a user into a search engine to get a relevant and determined result for him, and are normally used by the bloggers and webmasters within the online content to improve its search engine optimization (SEO).There are two general types of keywords: Short tail keywords and Long tail keywords.
What are short tail keywords?
Le Short tail keywords are very broad and generic, consisting of one or two words. They are incredibly competitive and, as a result, search pages are usually dominated by big brands with big budgets to invest in marketing.
"Lose weight" is considered a short-tailed buzzword.
What are long tail keywords?
Le long tail keywords are also called key phrases. They are highly specific keywords consisting of three or more words. For example, "how to lose weight without exercising" is considered a long tail keyword.
A long tail keyword is always created from a "short tail keyword", which can subsequently split into millions of variants, then creating the long tail keyword.
Le long tail keywords costituiscono oltre il 70% delle ricerche online, ma ricevono meno traffico, rendendo più facile il posizionamento rispetto alle parole chiave a coda corta.
Source: Moz blog
Example of a long tail keyword
A user is browsing the internet, and searches Google for the word "gym". In this case "gym" is the keyword (short tail).
Potrebbe anche cercare “palestre vicino a me”. In questo caso, “palestre vicino a me” sarebbe la parola chiave (long tail).
It should be noted that this is not a word but a phrase, but in SEO we generally say that "gyms near me" is a keyword consisting of four words.
But be careful, because as I said before, the most important thing is to try to get found on Google for the keywords that you are most interested in and that are relevant to your site and your niche.
So, if a user searches Google for "how to repair a motorcycle" and your site shows up in the results, it means your content isn't focused on the keywords that really interest your business/blog.
Why should you start using long-tail keywords in your SEO strategy?
Traditionally, most SEO professionals recommended focusing more on short tail keywords.
These keywords give you access to a wider audience, as short keywords almost always have a higher search volume.
For example, the keyword "how to lose weight" might have a hundred thousand searches, while "how to lose weight without exercising" might have only a thousand.
However, long tail keywords have unique advantages:
- Sono più descrittive, e informano maggiormente gli utenti sull’argomento del tuo contenuto. Quindi, anche se il campo di ricerca è più piccolo, è composto da persone maggiormente interessate all’argomento.
- C’è meno concorrenza per le parole chiave più lunghe. Questo significa che non è necessario competere con centinaia di siti web consolidati e autorevoli nella tua nicchia di mercato.
- You'll often see results and the benefits of SEO you implement on your site, as long-tail keywords help search engine bots recommend your content to the right people.
- Le parole chiave a coda lunga sono spesso molto più facili da inserire “naturalmente” nei contenuti del sito.
Characteristics of a Long Tail keyword
1. It consists of several words (3-5+).
L’idea non è semplicemente quella di dire che se una parola chiave è composta da più parole diventa automaticamente lunga, ma che le parole chiave lunghe trattano argomenti molto specifici – ecco perché sono composte da più parole – e il loro intento è molto chiaro.
2. Low search volume.
Proprio perché sono così dettagliate e specifiche, sono meno le persone che le ricercano online. Quindi, tecnicamente parlando, le parole chiave long tail non sono molto popolari, ma chi le cerca è molto interessato a quell’argomento.
3. Little competition.
È risaputo che più bassa è la popolarità, più bassa è la competizione per la parole chiave. Ma non è sempre così, perché alcune parole chiave a coda lunga hanno un’intera linea di aziende che competono per i primi posti in classifica.
4. High conversion rate.
Anche in questo caso, poiché le parole chiave long tail tendono ad essere molto specifiche nella formulazione, i risultati della ricerca di solito corrispondono maggiormente all’intento del ricercatore. In altre parole, Google presenta ai ricercatori che inseriscono parole chiave a coda lunga i risultati esatti che stanno cercando. Per questo motivo, le pagine che si classificano per le parole chiave long tail tendono ad avere un tasso di conversione più alto.
What are the advantages of using long tail keywords?
But then, why should you aim to research and rank for keywords that generate less traffic?
Una strategia basata sull’utilizzo di parole chiave a coda lunga è una mossa tattica (e intelligente!) per tutti i siti web nuovi e/o che hanno difficoltà a posizionarsi per parole chiave generiche (short tail keywords).
There are a few reasons for this:
1. Facilitate positioning in search pages
La specificità delle parole chiave long tail significa che sono rilevanti per un minor numero di webmasters (persone che hanno siti web).
Questo riduce la concorrenza, rendendo più facile il posizionamento organico e più economico l’advertising.
And as we all know, the higher you rank in search results, the more traffic you attract to your website.
2. Generate leads on target
Web searchers using long-tail keywords have a very specific idea of what they're looking for, which usually results in a more on-target lead.
A person searching for "dietary supplements" might be interested in looking for vague information about it, rather than buying it; whereas a person searching for "best vegan dietary supplements powder" knows exactly what they want and is more likely to be ready to buy the first product that convinces them to do so.
3. Generate more sales and conversions
As in the example just mentioned, an online user searching for a long tail keyword has a high purchase intent, which makes them more likely to convert into a customer and generate you more profit.
The user is no longer in the process of discovering "what are dietary supplements" - but knows they want "a vegan dietary supplement powder" and has the credit card already in hand.
4. Enable the creation of targeted content for a specific group of users
Finally, the long tail keywords ti permettono di creare landing page e contenuti più mirati per il tuo pubblico ideale.
If you sell vegan dietary supplements, and you know that your users do not consume products of animal origin, you can create a variety of content about this specific theme, and not about more generic keywords (e.g. dietary supplements, protein supplements, etc.).
Queste invece sono idee di long tail keywords mirate al tuo pubblico ideale e completamente in target:
- How to lose weight by following a vegan diet
- Dietary supplements for vegan athletes
- Best vegan protein supplement, etc..
How to use long tail keywords to improve SEO?
The best way to use the long-tail keywords is to organize them into groups that all have the same research intent (search intent).
Then, write one blog post that contains them all.
Individually, long tail keywords do not have enough search volume to compensate for the work of researching and writing content.
However, their combination, overall search volume, and low competition can produce a significant amount of traffic.
How to rank on Google with long tail keywords
So, if long-tail keywords are so amazing, why aren't they being implemented into the SEO strategy by many brands?
Questo perché le parole chiave long tail sono molto impegnative – e richiedono molto tempo per incrementare significativamente il traffico di un sito web.
Sure, maybe it's better to catch hundreds of small goldfish in the spacious part of a pond, but it's a daunting task if you know you could just catch a tuna in the crowded ocean.
There's also the risk of being wrong though!
You can't create a separate page or post for each keyword, otherwise you end up with a bunch of "thin" and undetailed content!
The solution is to devise a method in which you strategically, easily and continuously catch those small fish.
Here's how to get started:
4 methods for finding long-tail keywords
So, how to start your long tail keyword research? Here are 4 simple and most importantly effective methods:
1. Google suggest: Auto-complete
The first method of finding long tail keywords is actually quite simple. Let's take the keyword "guard dogs" as an example.
If you're a dog breeder or trainer who specializes in guard dogs, one of the main keywords you might aim for is something like "best guard dogs".
Anche se questo termine è abbastanza specifico per iniziare la ricerca, potrebbe comunque avere un search intent informativo.
So, let's move on!
Type "best watchdogs" into the search bar on Google, but don't press enter or click "search".
Instead, take a look at the auto-complete suggestions Google gives you!
For "best watchdogs," we have:
So right away, Google suggests useful long tail keywords like "best small guard dogs", as well as some great LSI ( synonyms) keywords like ( "defense") that will also help us rank for other long tail keyword queries.
2. Google "searches related to..." box
After experimenting with Google suggestions, click on "submit or search" to search for your keyword.
Now, scroll to the bottom of the page and look at the section called "Searches Related to ".
Using the example from earlier, Google provides us with an ordered list of other interesting long tail keywords.
Il bello di usare Google per cercare le long tail keyword è che sostanzialmente sono sempre li ad aspettarti.
They're not hard to find!
If Google suggests them as related, auto-complete searches, it means that people are actually searching for these words.
The only downside is just how accessible they are.
If you can find them so easily, it means your competitors don't struggle to find them either.
If you're operating in a competitive industry, chances are high that your competitors have already identified these opportunities and started optimizing their content for these long tail keywords.
But how do I find keywords that few people know about?
You're wondering...
To be successful you need to have something that few have (or the best use), a professional SEO tool like SEMrush.
I'll tell you about it later in this article.
3. Google search console
Many website owners forget to use their site's data when looking for ideas for new content and new keywords to target.
If you write blog posts frequently or simply update your site often, chances are you've been using a large number of long-tail keywords without realizing it.
This tends to happen with long, well-written content that covers a topic in great detail.
The best way to identify these long tail keywords is with Google Search Console.
To create the Search Console report, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Search Console account.
- Select the web property you are working on.
- Go to "Search Results".
- Click on "Average position".
- Make sure that "Query" is selected in the horizontal menu above the data list. Once "Query" is selected, the list will display the search terms for which you are positioned.
- Click on "Location" on the right directly above the data list to sort the data by the average location of the search results.
Now that the report is ready, scroll down and you'll see a list of search queries and where you're ranking for them in the SERP (under the "Location" column).
From 1-10 indicates the first page of Google, 11-20 the second page and so on.
Note: This information isn't always the most up-to-date. So don't worry if Google tells you you're on the first page for a certain keyword, but you're actually on the second. Even with these inaccuracies, this method is great for finding long tail keywords.
Ignore anything for which you are already well ranked and scroll down until you see queries ranked at or above 11 (i.e., second page or later).
Probabilmente ti imbatterai in un sacco di fantastiche parole chiave long tail per le quali non sapevi nemmeno di essere posizionato!
The best part is that if you click on the row for a particular query and then click on "Pages" in the horizontal menu above the data list, Google will tell you exactly which page is ranked for that query.
If it's a keyword worth optimizing for, you can go to that page and do some work on On-page SEO!
However, if it's a rather important keyword, you can create a new page optimized around that particular keyword.
SEMrush
SEMRush è un insieme di strumenti eccezionali per fare SEO, marketing e analisi. Per quanto riguarda la SEO, ti permette di individuare le parole chiave utilizzate dai tuoi concorrenti, dedurre la loro posizione nella SERP, trovare ulteriori parole chiave long tail, oltre a molte (ma moooolte) altre caratteristiche.
- Ricercare parole chiave da utilizzare nel tuo piano editoriale
- Find your competitors/competitors.
- Analyze your competitors' websites in detail and use the data collected to your advantage.
- Find out which of your pages/articles (or those of your competitors) perform best.
- Generate a report containing all the SEO errors on your site and give you advice on how to fix them.
- Monitor the positioning of your keywords in search pages.
- Analyze in detail your market niche and find new positioning opportunities.
However, to access this feature (and everything else), you need to register an account with SEMrush.
As you can imagine, SEO analysis tools tend to be very expensive, and SEMRush is no exception.
But, SEMrush offers a limited free plan, and it also has premium plans that start at $99 per month.
A free plan will allow you to take advantage of up to ten searches per day, with limited results.
Tuttavia, Il piano gratuito è comunque più che sufficiente per scoprire giusto qualche parola chiave long tail.
But if you really want to increase your site visits and earnings, then SEMrush Pro is that tool that will help you do that.
Also, I guarantee that every penny invested in this tool will be well spent.
Thanks to SEMrush, I was able to get an excellent increase in organic traffic to my website.
Articles I've written on my dog blog Thecollienois.com received 244,277 page views from 91,413 new visitors in a single year.
How?
Harnessing the power of long tail keywords, of course!
Conclusion
Well, that's the end of that!
Now that you know what long tail keywords are, and you also know how (and especially where!) to find them easily, I want to tell you one last thing:
Always remember that content is the key to great rankings and a great SEO strategy!
You might find the best keywords on the planet, but if you don't churn out search engine optimized content on a regular basis, you'll struggle to become a major player in the "organic" SERPs.
SEO is the tool that can help you get noticed, more "easily", and without spending on advertising!
Implement it into your marketing strategy, and I promise you won't regret it.
So, what do you need to do NOW?
- Commit to writing the best articles in your niche for the next 2/3 years!
- Always remember Write catchy titles for your blog posts.
- Use the tips you learned in this guide (and this one too!) to position your content on the first page.
- Use a professional SEO tool to be on par with your competitors (yes! a good portion of marketers use at least 1 SEO tool)
As always, thank you for your attention and for following me this far.
See you soon!
A hug.
