Skip to content

What are Long Tail Keywords?

Keywords are the lifeblood of Google, but they are also one of the most difficult parts to actually get right. Before you even worry about naturally injecting keywords into text, you need to choose the keywords. There are short tail keywords, long tail keywords, latent semantic keywords, intent targeting keywords, and so many more. To…
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Blog Post

Keywords are the lifeblood of Google, but they are also one of the most difficult parts to actually get right. Before you even worry about naturally injecting keywords into text, you need to choose the keywords. There are short tail keywords, long tail keywords, latent semantic keywords, intent targeting keywords, and so many more.

To keep things simple, we’re going to start with short tail and long tail keywords. The difference between long tail and short tail keywords in SEO is like night and day.

Short tail keywords are one or two words that define the topic. They are generic and broad and easy to add to any piece of content. They should be included in your pages, but they should rarely be the focus or the keywords that you invest in.

When it comes to keywords that bring in healthy conversion rates and save you money in the marketing department, your best friend is going to be the long tail keywords.

What are Long Tail Keywords?

Long tail keywords are three or four words in length and descriptive. They are either specific to your location, to the problem that you solve, to the product, or to the service. There are many different kinds of long-tail keywords, but for simplicity’s sake, all you need to remember is that they are specific.

Those who use longtail keywords know what they need and are looking to sign up, buy, subscribe or hire. Long tail keywords, therefore, are better for conversion rates, and great for achieving your goals.

The best part? They also tend to be the cheapest keywords to invest in on PPC marketing tools like Google AdWords, as the competition is much lower. The only downside to long tail keywords is that not nearly as many people will click on your link, but the quality of those links will improve.

What are the Different Types of Long Tail Keywords?

There are different types of long tail keywords. There are location-based long tail keywords, intent targeting long tail keywords, product long tail keywords, and many more. Knowing what your goal is for each page is going to be key.

Your product page will need to have the product’s name, the appeal of the product, and why it’s the best. Knowing the long tail keywords that your customers will use to find your product boosts your visibility and conversion.

What Are Some Examples of Long Tail Keywords?

Short tail keywords are things like “hotel,” “travel,” and even longer but generic keywords like “cars for sale.” Long tail keywords are defined by their length, yes, but more so their specificity.

Instead of “hotel,” you could invest in “boutique hotel in the Rockies.” Instead of “travel” you could find keywords relating to “unique donkey tours in the Grand Canyon.” Instead of “cars for sale,” try optimising, ranking, and investing in the actual make and model of the vehicle instead.

Why Are Long Tail Keywords Important?

Why use long tail keywords? Long tail keywords attract a very specific type of customer, namely the one that is ready to actually put their money where their mouth is. When someone searches for a generic term, they aren’t really looking to buy; they’re looking for comparisons. They’re looking for buying guides, information and help.

Further down the line of the buying process, the search terms will become more specific and longer as a result. It is in this stage that the customer knows what they want and what they are looking for, which is the opportune time to finally make a sale.

How Can You Find and Select Long Tail Keywords?

All that is left is how to find long tail keywords, right? Though there are a few key steps after, the fact is, you won’t be able to move forward without having a list of great keywords.

There are many ways to find low competition long tail keywords that are perfect for your business. You can read reviews for products or businesses similar to yours to see how customers describe you, or better yet, you can use SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.

keyword magic tool

This Keyword magic Tool goes through the whole process of how to find long tail keyword phrases with you, and makes it easy to search, sort and analyse keywords within its tool.

Start by searching a short tail keyword relating to your business, service, or page, and SEMrush will automatically find and group keywords. Select your favourite, compare them, and create a healthy list for each page you want to optimise or create.

[Keyword Magic Tool]

Semrush-keywords

How to Make Your Efforts More Effective

There are so many ways to make your efforts more effective. From creating unique pages for each location, or service and optimising them, to improving the formatting of your content and beyond. We go through all these topics in-depth in our eBook. Simply download and read the Position Zero eBook today.

guide to position zero ebook CTA

James Owen, Co-Founder & Head Of Search

James has been involved in SEO and digital marketing projects since 2007. James has led many SEO projects for well-known brands in Travel, Gaming and Retail such as Jackpotjoy, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels, Hotels.com, Expedia, Betway, Gumtree, 888, Ax Paris, Ebyuer, Ebay, Hotels combined, Smyths toys, love honey and Pearson to name a few. James has also been a speaker at SEO and digital marketing conferences and events such as Brighton SEO.

View all Downloads

Downloads

An e-book cover image titled 'How to Choose an SEO Agency', shows a group of happy co-workers at a desk in an office.

How to Choose an SEO Agency

Selecting an SEO agency is an important decision for any business. Check out our guide on how to choose an SEO agency successfully!

Download
download

The Ultimate Guide To Selling Products Online

We’re going to take a look at how you can turn your eCommerce dream into a reality.

Download
eBook: Search in 2022 - Key Findings So Far

Search in 2022: Key Findings So Far

The search engine landscape is constantly changing; search in 2022 is no exception. New trends and algorithm updates occur all the time in the search engine world.

Download
View the Blog

You may also be interested in...

How to Get LLMs to Mention Your Brand

Simply appearing on a search page isn’t enough anymore, not in today’s world driven by…

Follow vs. Nofollow: Why Your AI Search Strategy Needs Both to Succeed

Follow vs nofollow links have been debated in digital marketing for years. Questions are often…

How Important Are Citations for SEO in an AI Era?

Citations are a long-standing SEO trust signal that helps increase visibility in local search results…

The Top 3 Digital PR Services to Harness in 2026

In 2026, digital PR services are essential for any brand wanting to build lasting authority…

Changing Established URLs: What Should You Consider?

Picture this: you're working at an SEO agency, managing multiple clients and delivering strong results…

Understanding the February 2026 Google Discover Core Update and What It Means for Your Content Strategy

You may have heard that Google has rolled out a notable new update: the February…

Why Google E-E-A-T Is More Important Than Ever in the Age of Large Language Models (LLMs)

Search is evolving quickly. Large Language Models (LLMs) and Google AI overviews now have a…

Can SEO Really Be Automated? The Evidence Says…

Automation is on the rise in just about every industry, and SEO is no exception…

View all Guides

Online Guides

5 Best US Backlink Agencies
View guide
5 Best UK Backlink Agencies
View guide
6 Best Backlink Agencies
View guide
Best Sportsbook SEO Companies
View guide
Best Sports Betting SEO Companies
View guide
5 Best Sportsbook Link Building Agencies
View guide
5 Best Sports Betting Link Building Agencies
View guide
5 Best SaaS Link Building Agencies
View guide
Back To Top