If you work in digital marketing, you’ve probably heard the phrase “longtail keyword”. You might also know there’s some debate around what it actually means.
Many believe keywords that are longtail mean they have a lot of words in them. It’s the difference between “swimming pools” and “swimming pool installation in Boca Raton, FL”, the latter being considered the longtail.
However, the length of the keyword isn’t necessarily what we’re referring to when we say “longtail”. In reality, long tail keywords just have to be extremely specific – it just so happens that longer keywords[1] tend to also be more specific (hence the confusion around the definition).
But why do we care?
Because longtail keywords are so specific, fewer people tend to search for those particular keywords, which might deter some people from trying to rank for them, because they consider it a waste of time.
But, this is where the opportunity lies. Longtail keywords tend to not be as competitive because of their low volume, so if you’re able to create content that ranks for a variety of longtail keywords relevant to your business, the traffic you do get is much more qualified[2].
Take the pool example that was shared above. If someone is searching for “swimming pools”, we have no idea what it is they’re looking for. It’s so top-level that they could be looking for anything – The number of swimming pools in America? Nearby swimming pools? The cost of above-ground swimming pools? Who knows. What we do know is that they’re still in a very information-based part of their searching journey.
Now, if someone is searching, “swimming pool installation in Boca Raton, FL,” it certainly sounds like they’re looking for help installing a swimming pool. And if that’s a service you offer and you’re ranking for