How to Identify the Best Short Tail and Long Tail Keywords for Your Business?

Introduction

Keywords are the foundation of a successful strategy. When you incorporate keywords in your on-page copy, it helps search engines to better index your website and rank it for a relevant search query. When you effectively implement your keyword research strategy, it helps your web pages to drive the targeted and high-quality traffic to your site. It increases your chances to rank higher on search engine results.

Backlinko analysed 4 million search results and suggests that Google Search has an average click-through rate of 27.6% so optimising for the right keywords can really make a difference to your organic website visits.

There are two things that you need to consider when choosing keywords for your SEO strategy

• Do not over optimize your website with excessive keywords usage.

• Your chosen keywords should be used sparingly in a way that they are natural and fit organically into the content.

Long tail keywords vs short tail keywords

There are mainly two types of keywords – the long tail keywords and the short tail keywords. Each of these keywords can be used in your SEO strategy separately or in conjunction with each other. Let’s dive deeper to understand the difference between long tail and short tail keywords and which is the most effective for driving results for business.

What is a short-tail keyword?

A short tail keyword is also regarded as a ‘head term” and is a generic or popular term that covers broad topic and have a high search volume and competition.  It typically contains anything between 1-3 words. Though, short tail keywords attract lots of traffic, it may not be of highest quality. As these keywords are based on generic search, they may not serve the right user content for a particular product or services, which may even lead to high bounce rate and lower conversion rates.

What is a long-tail keyword?

Long tail keywords are more specific than short term keywords and clearly indicate the search intent of the user. However, they have less search volume than short tail keywords. When you use long tail keywords, you may receive less site visit per keywords in comparison to short tail keywords. However, long tail keywords are able to serve more specific results.

Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive. For instance, “Black leather shoes for men”, “, or “Less popular travel destinations in Europe”.

Understanding difference between long tail and short-tail keywords

Let’s say someone is looking for a new pair of shoes. When they begin their online search and the may type generic terms like “shoes” into the search bar. However, when a person is sure what they want to buy, they will put specific terms in the search bar which includes more details, such as black leather shoes for men, which shows high level of intent to buy shoes. The level of intent determines how relevant the search results will be for the users.

Which are better: long-tail or short-tail keywords?

Both long tail and short tail keywords have their advantages and disadvantages in your content strategy.  A good SEO strategy make use of both long tail and short tail keywords.

Advantages

• Short term keywords help you reach large and diverse audience
• They help to increase brand awareness
• They bring tons of traffic to the site

Disadvantages

• They are more competitive
• They are more expensive in comparison to long tail keyword
• They are less likely to convert.

Advantages of long tail keywords

• They help you target a specific and qualified audience
• They are more relevant to user intent and increase your authority
• They generate more conversions

Disadvantage of long tail keywords

They are more difficult to discover, research and optimize for search results.

What to choose between long tail keywords and short tail keywords?

The choice of keyword depends on the size of your business and your goals. If your website has high domain authority, there are more chances to rank for short tail keywords. If your brand is not much known and have low domain authority, it will be good to target longer tail keywords with less competition and increase your chances of getting relevant traffic and ranking.

How do you find short and long-tail keywords?

Here are some popular SEO tools used to find short and long tail keywords:

Google AdWords Planner:

A good place to begin your keyword research journey is to use Google AdWords Planners.

• It is a free tool to discover new keywords related to your business.
• It also allows you to find estimates of searches received by potential keywords for your business
• Discover how your keywords fit into various categories related to your brand.
• Use your keyword plan to create SEO campaigns focused on

Google Search Console

It shows how your site is performing for specific keywords. It can be used for finding both short tail and long tail keywords to better understand search traffic and performance. You can use “Queries” report to the GSC to discover related short-tail keywords you might not have considered. Analyse which long-tail terms are driving traffic and their associated clicks and positions. This can reveal specific user needs and content optimization opportunities. It also enables users to analyse clicks and positions to prioritize optimization efforts.

Google’s Autocomplete Tool

Google Autocomplete tool is not a dedicated keyword research tool but it can be a great guide for discovering both long-tail and short-tail keywords. All you need is to type your main product or service into the search bar and it comes up with a lot of keyword suggestions.

Google People Also Ask

Google’s Related Searches: take a look at the Related Searches section in Google to see what other search terms you can optimise for. This is usually at the bottom of the results page. It is recommended to look for specific questions, locations, product features. It will help to demonstrate user intent and specific needs.

Answer the Public

This tool generates question-based keywords around your seed keywords, demonstrating user intent and specific queries. It is a great tool for finding long tail intent-based keywords naturally used by searchers.

RanksPro.io

RanksPro.io is also a great tool for assessing long tail and short tail keywords. It also provides other insights required for a solid SEO strategy such as search volume, competition, cost-per-click (CPC), and keyword difficulty.

How to strike balance between short-tail and long-tail keywords?

A solid SEO strategy utilises both short tail and long tail keywords. They key is to strike balance between them. The ratio of each keyword in a strategy may vary from business to business depending upon your industry.

• It is recommended to use short tail keywords for primary topics and categories. These keywords should be used to rank for broader term.  It is prudent to use them strategically for brand awareness campaigns and target high-intent users with landing pages optimized for these terms. It will help your brand rank higher for primary search terms relevant to your business. For instance, “marketing software” or “fitness tracker” are short tail keywords.

• Long-tail keywords should be used for your subtopics, subcategories, and blog posts. It will help you get higher rank for specific search term and attract quality traffic and loyal audience. For instance, long tail keywords like “best yoga tracker for beginners,” cater to specific user needs.  These keywords often have low search volume, but there is high probability of targeted audience to convert. It is recommended to craft content rich in relevant long-tail terms to attract qualified leads and boost conversions.
• When using keywords in your content, the best strategy is to think like the customers or the user. It is prudent to use a mix of short and long-tail keywords that naturally reflect user intent.
• Track your keyword performance using analytics tools. One should analyse which terms drive traffic and conversion and refine strategy based on the insights. Optimize your content and web structure gradually to emphasize the keywords that deliver the best results
• It is not hard and fast rule to use both of them. But, by using them strategically, you can maximize your reach, attract qualified leads, and ultimately achieve your SEO goals.

Wrap Up

Keywords are foundation of an effective SEO strategy. It is recommended to use short tail keywords for primary topics and categories. Long-tail keywords should be used for your subtopics, subcategories, and blog posts. It is prudent to conduct a thorough research and use a mix of long tail and short tail keywords to create a winning search engine optimization strategy. An SEO Company can help you in creating a result-oriented SEO strategy to help you maximise your rankings and attain your business goals.