Finding the right long tail keywords for your SEO strategy

When developing your keyword list you always need to have a mix of short and long tail keywords. Finding the right short tail keywords for your SEO strategy are much more easier then that of long tail keywords as there are a lot more options (and room for error).

You really need to know exactly what strategies your SEO company is using before you start developing long tail keywords. If you start targeting the right type of long tail keywords you can find that you are having the right type of visitors on your website that are more likely to convert.

As the name suggests, long tail keywords are when a person searches for something using a number of words, potentially even a question or something similar. Long tail keywords tend to have less competition and therefore are easier to rank for.

Users searching using long tail keywords are usually searching for something in particular. They already know what they want. For example, a user who wants to look at Nike shoes but they don’t know exactly what they want would type “nike shoes” into Google.

But someone who knows what they want could type “Nike Air Max 270” in. These people tend to convert because they have already half made the decision, which is why it is important to focus on long tail keywords and ensure you are ranking as high as possible.

So how exactly do you go about finding the right long tail keywords for your SEO strategy? Well, take a look at some of the steps you can make below on your quest for finding the perfect long tail keywords:

Have a focus on user intent

Think about what the person is actually going to be searching for and how you can help them find exactly what they are looking for. Here you really need to take your time and developing a well thought out list of keywords. Remember that over time your SEO strategy will probably change, and so to will your keywords.

You need to also think about your target market. What demographic group do they fit into? The answer to this question will have great impact on the type of long tail keywords you should be looking to include in your SEO strategy.

If you are a bit stuck about what your target market’s user intent is, then you are in luck because there are quite a number of tools that can point you in the right direction. With long tail keywords, it is all about finding the most valuable users, so it is important that you get it right.

Google Keyword Planner

If you are stuck trying to think of appropriate long tail keywords, then this tool will be your saving grace! It is a free tool to use; however some of the data is restricted unless you have an AdWords budget. The basics of the tool are still incredibly helpful to have.

The area of the tool that you should be looking at is the “keyword ideas”. In this section you can see related search terms that you could be targeting. What this does is help you save a bit of time. Have a look through the suggestions and pick the ones that you feel are best suited to your business.

You should also take a look at the average monthly searches as well as the level of competition. These two factors should be taken into consideration when finalizing your keyword list with your SEO company, it is always a good idea to have a mix.

Semantic Search

You have probably noticed that when you type something into the Google search box suggestion pop up and change as you continue to type – this is semantic search and is another great place to start.

You should not base your entire keyword and SEO strategy around the suggestions Google provides, but use those suggestions and build further using other tools.  As well as this, if you search for a term and scroll to the bottom of the page, Google offers further suggestions that are worth you taking a look at.

Third Party Tools

Other tools that are of benefit to try out include Buzzsumo. Here you can take a look at your most shared pages on your website (or that of your competitors). See what is most popular and build up from there. Why would you want to change your winning formula?

It is also important to take at look at what your competitors are doing as well. Pick and choose the most successful parts of their SEO strategy and make it your own. They provide a lot of information that can assist in the development of long tail keywords as creating shareable content is vital to ensure your success.