There is no doubt that knowing how to research keywords is essential for any SEO strategy. But what about long-tail keywords? How can you make the most of these specific terms in order to improve your search engine rankings and attract more qualified traffic to your website? In this blog post, we will discuss how to research keywords while maximizing the potential of long-tail keywords. This will allow you to grow your audience in a more targeted way. Stay tuned for some valuable tips!
Why is SEO Important?
Before we dive into keywords and why they are important we really need to talk about Search Engine Optimization or SEO. SEO is essential because it can help you attract more website visitors through organic search. In other words, people who are actively searching for the products or services that you offer.
Getting your content in a place where people are finding you through what they search in Google or another search engine will allow you to find new clients without advertising, put in longer hours than necessary networking, and will provide you a constant stream of clients who want your content.
It is important to note that SEO is not a one-time effort but rather an ongoing process. As your business grows and evolves, so too should your SEO strategy.
Where to start with SEO?
If you are just starting out with SEO, the best place to begin is by understanding your website’s current search engine ranking. You can use a tool like SEMrush or Moz to get this information. Once you know where your website stands, you can start developing a plan to improve your rankings and appeal to the right people. This may include keyword research, on-page optimization, link building, and more.
Knowing who your ideal client or perfect prospect is will help you filter your content into topics and articles that appeal to them. Connecting articles that are related and building resources for your audience will also help your website ranking. We will talk more about that in a future article.
Let’s dive into keywords…
What are Keywords?
Before we get too far, let’s take a step back and review what keywords are in general. In the most basic sense, keywords are the words or phrases that people type into search engines when they are looking for information on a given topic.
For instance, if you are a travel blogger, some of the keyword phrases you might want to rank for could be “best travel destinations,” “budget-friendly travel,” or “how to plan a trip.” These keyword phrases would be considered your “primary” keywords.
How Keywords Fit into SEO
Now that we have a better understanding of SEO and why it’s important, let’s take a closer look at how keywords fit into the equation. Not all keywords are created equal – some are more valuable than others. Picking the right words that you can rank for, but are also relevant to your content is key.
So how do you know which ones to use?
There are a few factors to consider when choosing keywords, including:
- Relevance: The keyword should be relevant to your business and the products or services that you offer.
- Search Volume: The keyword should have enough monthly searches to justify the effort required to rank for it.
- Competition: The keyword should have low competition so that you can realistically achieve a top ranking.
Now that we have a general understanding of what keywords are and how to use them in SEO, let’s move on to long-tail keywords.
What are Long Tail Keywords?
Long-tail keyword phrases are simply longer and more specific versions of what people are going to search for. For example, rather than just “budget-friendly travel,” a long-tail keyword phrase might be “how to plan a budget-friendly trip to Europe.” These keyword phrases are generally less competitive and easier to rank for than shorter, more generic keyword phrases. (We will get into why that is important in a minute.)
In addition, they tend to be more specific, which means that the people who do find your website or blog post are more likely to convert into customers or clients. They are looking for something very specific that you are answering for them. In that sense, your content is more valuable to the person searching for an answer.
Why You Should Care About Long Tail Keywords
There are several reasons why you should make an effort to include long-tail keywords in your SEO strategy.
First of all, as we mentioned before, they are generally less competitive and easier to rank for. This is because there is less competition for these phrases since most businesses are not focused on them and instead focus on ranking for more generic phrases.
Second, long-tail keyword phrases tend to be more specific, which means that you are more likely to attract qualified traffic to your website. These visitors are further along in the buyer’s journey and therefore more likely to convert into paying customers or clients.
Finally, including long-tail keywords in your content can help you rank for a wider range of keyword phrases, which can ultimately lead to more traffic and exposure for your business. Having a wide range of keywords will help you gain trust and authority from your audience. This is the core of why learning how to research keywords is important. Combining these things helps you rank for those more generic words and get a better overall domain ranking which will also bump you up in the search engine results.
So now let’s figure out how you can find the right keywords to use. To do this you need to understand how to research keywords to find the right phrase.
Research Keywords – Finding the Right Phrase
Now that we know the importance of how you can research keywords and use long-tail keywords, let’s discuss how you can find them. The best way to find relevant long-tail keyword phrases is to use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer.
Another great way to find long-tail keywords is to use Google’s “related searches” feature. This can be found on the bottom of most search engine results pages. Simply enter a keyword phrase and Google will show you a list of related keyword phrases that you can then add to your content.
Pro Tip: You can research keywords to use for Pinterest and other social sites as well!
How to Optimize Your Content for Long Tail Keywords
Once you have identified some relevant long-tail keyword phrases, it’s important to optimize your content for them. There are a few ways that you can do this:
- Include Them in Your Title. The first and most obvious way is to include them in your title. This is especially important for blog posts, as your title is one of the first things that people will see.
- Use Them Throughout Your Content. In addition to including them in your title, you should also use them throughout your content. This includes using them in your intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You can also use them in alt tags for images and other media.
- Make Sure They Flow Naturally. One mistake that a lot of businesses make is cramming keyword phrases into their content where they don’t necessarily fit. This looks spammy and can actually hurt your SEO ranking rather than help it. Instead, make sure that the keyword phrases you are using flow naturally with the rest of your content.
- Finally, it’s important not to overdo it with keyword phrases. Google’s algorithms are getting smarter and they can penalize you for keyword stuffing, which is when you cram too many keywords into your content. A good rule of thumb is to use a keyword phrase no more than three to five times per blog post or web page.
Research Keywords & Optimization Wrap Up
By following these tips, you can make sure that your content is optimized for long-tail keywords and that you are attracting the right kind of traffic to your website. This will help you grow your business and achieve better SEO results.
Do you have any tips for how to maximize long tail keywords? Share them in the comments below!
