Both short-tail and long-tail keywords have a place in search engine optimization. The key is understanding the difference.
The goal of a person using short-tail keywords is usually just to find general information.
They don’t really know what they want yet, but their search will indicate that it isn’t specific enough for them and make the effort more efficient by limiting results found in order get closer towards finding something useful or timely
The average online user might not be able (or willing) to spend time mastering long tail keyword research methods because oftentimes this type content contains too many words which could lead one down an unproductive rabbit hole when trying to specifically look up something.
Here is an example of
Short – Conservatory 983,000,000 results
Long – Lightweight Conservatory Roof In Accrington 35,600
Each might not send you a ton of traffic. However, long-tail keywords do in total when you add a bunch of them up.
You should target these long-tail keywords because they’re easier to rank for. And that means they’ll usually take less time and money
So you’re not going up against the mammoth, industry-leading companies on these search engines.
But then we read about how Amazon makes 57% of their sales from long-tail keywords.
How? Because long-tail searches are looking for very specific information, whereas short-tail keywords are more general. If you can give the searcher specific information, they’re going to stick around and convert.
Another example:
Short – Sharp knife 273,000,000
Long – How do i sharpen my knives – 5,620,00
short
long
Do you notice that the SERP isn’t overcrowded with industry influencers and top blogs? Sure, there are still a few in there, but the top-ranking sites are ones that you’ve probably never heard of.
The first result is not a website with 93 domain authority, but rather an article about how to sharpen your knives. This makes sense considering the long-tail keyword “how do I sharpen my knives” was used in Google’s algorithm!
Now I’ve got your attention, right?
So sure, this keyword might have lower search volume than “SEO Guide.” But remember that these long-tail keyword conversion rates are almost always higher. And as you have probably heard many times: Traffic doesn’t mean anything if people don’t convert!
If you’re getting 10,000 visitors a month from a popular keyword, but nobody is converting, it’s not doing you much good. Instead of putting all your eggs in one basket for “SEO Guide,” create more content and optimise it for long-tail searches to dominate the SERPs!
Confused by it all? At Reel Marketing, we can manage all of this for your business!