There are many ways to drive traffic to your website. 

You can use social media, pay for digital advertising or generate organic search traffic using search engine optimization (SEO).

Of the three options, SEO is the most cost-effective one in the long run. 

However, it takes time and a lot of sweat equity to build an effective keyword-based lead generation program.

Trying to rank for top-level keywords is unrealistic and, let’s face it, most small businesses don’t have the budget or marketing machine to generate enough traffic to rank for a popular search term.

In this article, we’ll explore the world of long-tail keywords and how you can benefit from many small successes.

The Advantages of Long-Tail Keywords

While the top 100 keywords account for the most search traffic, long-tail keywords make up the large majority of all searches. 

Even though these terms often receive low volumes of website traffic, the combination of many terms will produce excellent results over time.

Content using long-tail keywords often generates better sales leads since they are more specific and focused on the buyer’s needs. 

So, while there may be only a few hundred search results per month, the people searching with that term are more likely farther along in their sales cycle.

For instance, if you typed in “what store can I buy a laptop“, you are serious about buying a laptop. 

On the other hand, if you simply typed “best laptops” or “cheapest laptops“, you are still in the research stage of your search.

This targeting factor is essential for marketers to keep in mind when researching and identifying strategic keywords for content marketing campaigns.

How to Find Long-Tail Keywords

There are many free and paid tools for identifying long-tail keywords and determining which ones are the best fit for your business. 

The Google SERP is a great place to start because it displays a list of potential long-tail keywords.

Just look in the “Related searches” and “People also ask” sections.

This list can be inserted into an SEO tool like Google Ads Keyword Planner to determine the amount of search traffic for the selected keywords.

This kind of tool is extremely useful to pinpoint the best long-tail keywords to use in your content. 

Target the keywords that reportedly receive the most traffic, and you’ll be able to expose a larger audience to your products or services.

Chasing after long-tail keywords honestly requires a bit of patience, because SEO results are almost never immediate. You might spend hours sifting through keyword data and second-guessing yourself, thinking, “Did I really need to go this granular?” That’s the trade-off: more precise, targeted traffic usually means waiting for a while before you see tangible improvements. And, to be fair, sometimes the phrase you bet on just doesn’t take off—hey, it happens. But even then, you’re learning what your actual audience cares about (and what they ignore).

One thing folks often overlook is the value of looking at your own site’s internal search data. It sounds obvious once you try it, but users will sometimes type oddball questions or super-specific needs into your site’s search bar. These real queries can turn into goldmine long-tail keywords. Not to mention, they show you what your current visitors actually want—something tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs may not pick up right away. Sometimes the most interesting insights come from right under your nose.

How to Use Long-Tail Keywords

Once a list of long-tail keywords is compiled, marketers must use these keywords to generate and post content on their website to begin building up a search history. 

A website blog builds up SEO value in the same way a snowball grows as it rolls downhill. 

It steadily gains momentum as it moves up the SERP ranks until it lands on the first page. 

If you consistently produce excellent and compelling content, the long-tail keyword may eventually appear in the coveted top three slots.

As more content is created, more keywords will appear at the top of the search pages, and traffic volume to your website will increase.

Generating Leads

Website visitors will exchange their contact information in exchange for valuable educational content. 

Typical ebooks, white papers and videos are known as lead magnets as they are used to convert visitors to customers.

In this context, long-tail keywords play an essential role in attracting buyers most likely to buy your company’s products.

Good content marketing requires solid SEO writing as a cornerstone of content writing. 

Keywords should appear in the title and important headings, as well as in the content. However, there is an art to determining how often a keyword appears in an article.

They should appear naturally and do not have to be repeated in the exact same order or phrase. 

Google recognizes variations of keyword phrases as well as synonyms of popular phrases.

Besides that, it is important to keep track of Google algorithm changes that occur on a regular basis. 

Google attempts to create the best search results for its users. These search rules must be carefully watched; otherwise, all of your efforts to generate better search results will be wasted.

Wrap Up: Using Long-Tail Keywords to Achieve Long-Term Growth

The quest to land on the top of Google search engine results pages has long been the goal of hard-working marketing executives. 

But ranking for core search terms is difficult and expensive, so the savvy marketer will strive to generate as much organic search traffic as possible. 

Long-tail keywords are more specific search terms that generate lower search volumes, but when combined with other long-term searches, they can bolster a business’ inbound lead generation program.

Ready to know more about keywords?

Then download for free our Search Engine Optimization Guide!

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