Long-tail keywords for SEO

In SEO, long-tail keywords are more specific searches. Many of them show little or no search volume in keyword tools, but they matter for growing traffic and the number of leads.

In this article I explain what long-tail SEO is, why it matters, how to find long-tail keywords and how to measure the results. I also explain why I, along with others in the industry, expect long-tail keywords to become more important with AI search.

If you would like specialist help, read more about Sunbird as an SEO agency with 14 years in search.

• Long-tail keywords are specific phrases with less competition. Each one is searched rarely, but together they make up a large share of all Google searches.

• Long-tail keywords can lead to a higher conversion rate because they are so specific.

Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases, often made up of three or more words. An example of a long-tail keyword is “black men’s road running shoes”.

If you offer exactly that product and make it easy for the user to find the right one, the sale is not far away.

The difference between short (short-tail) and long (long-tail) keywords is that short keywords are general and aimed at a broad audience, while long keywords are more specific and aimed at a narrower group. This means long-tail keywords have lower search volume but also less competition, which makes them easier to rank for.

• Short tail: “running shoes”
• Long tail: “black men’s road running shoes”

I have already mentioned some of the benefits. Here I go through them in more practical terms, and what they mean for you.

Of the keywords in the example above, the long-tail keyword is far more likely to convert, provided you offer exactly that.

Visitors who use long-tail keywords are often more motivated and further along in their buying process. That makes them a valuable audience who are more likely to become customers.

A short-tail keyword such as “running shoes” could just as easily come from someone who wants to read up on the subject. Even so, many companies focus blindly on the big keywords with high search volume.

I usually recommend building a simple spreadsheet that weighs order value against how likely a purchase is. For each keyword, multiply the search volume by the expected order value, the conversion rate and the margin, and add a weighting factor of your own for keywords you want to prioritise. The result is an estimated value per keyword that you can sort by.

Bear in mind that search phrases with more words do not always have lower search volume. Nor does a longer phrase automatically mean a higher conversion rate.

With experience, you start to recognise which keywords are likely to convert well.

One of the biggest advantages of long-tail keywords is that they face less competition than short-tail keywords.

For new companies just starting out with SEO, ranking for long-tail keywords can be critical. Bringing in traffic also improves your chances of getting out of the Google sandbox and of proving to Google, through positive user signals, that you deserve to appear for the bigger keywords. You can read more in our article on SEO strategy.

Each long-tail keyword is searched rarely, but there are a great many of them. In Ahrefs’ US keyword database, almost 93 per cent of keywords get fewer than 10 searches a month. Together, these specific searches tend to matter more than the short-tail keywords that many companies fixate on.

Less competition, a high conversion rate and a large share of search traffic make long-tail SEO an important part of your search engine optimisation.

One likely difference between AI search and the Google we know is that Gemini and ChatGPT work more like a conversation, with even more precise answers.

Google focuses more on authority and search intent, which works differently. I expect the long tail’s share of traffic to grow.

Here are some practical tips on how we usually find long-tail keywords. But remember that in the end, the main task is not finding long-tail keywords. It is describing what you offer in every way you can. That could be colours, sizes, materials or related services.

What it is: Google Ads is the paid side of search on Google. You can run it yourself or get help from a Google Ads agency.

Practical tip: If you use Google Ads, study the search terms your ads have appeared for. With broad or phrase match, you can see long-tail keywords that, ideally, have also brought in conversions.

What it is: There are a number of tools, such as Semrush and Ahrefs, that are used to analyse keywords.

Practical tip: These tools usually have ways to explore related keywords and see where competitors appear.

What it is: AnswerThePublic is a visualisation tool that shows which questions and phrases are popular in searches.

Practical tip: Analyse the visualised questions and phrases to identify keywords that reflect users’ interests and needs.

What it is: AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini can help you generate ideas and suggestions for related keywords.

Practical tip: Use AI to brainstorm keyword ideas and to check whether potential long-tail keywords are relevant.

What it is: Google Trends is a tool that shows interest in specific search terms over time and helps you spot current trends.

Practical tip: Explore trends to find long-tail keywords that have recently become popular. Use related searches to expand your keyword list.

Most of these tools are paid, but if you work with an SEO agency, it should have everything you need.

Because there are so many long-tail keywords and most show no search volume, they are not usually tracked in SEO tools. Instead, you look at actual results.

• Google Analytics – Google Analytics lets you track actual traffic. If a page gets organic traffic without appearing for any bigger keywords, it is probably thanks to the long tail.
• SEO tools – Several SEO tools, such as Ahrefs and Semrush, measure the number of keywords your website appears for. The most useful thing here is comparing yourself with competitors.
• Google Search Console – Google does not show every keyword you appear for, but Search Console still gives you useful information. Relevant keywords where you rank poorly are worth a closer look.

Practical tip: Regularly review how much organic traffic each of your pages gets. Pages with very little traffic and no search traffic should be deleted, updated or merged with another page. If Google liked the page, it would be getting at least some long-tail traffic.

One drawback of focusing on the long tail is that you need a lot of long-tail keywords to match the traffic of a single short-tail keyword. Another is that you can end up creating keyword cannibalisation when you push keywords onto every page.

No, you do not. In fact, it is something to avoid, so that you do not waste your crawl budget. Cluster keywords with the same search intent on the same page. Create pages that are good for the user and fit into your navigation. To take the example from earlier: if you sell a pair of running shoes that work well on the road, as a user, I would want to see your best tips on that page, helping me choose the right pair.