As we've explored in previous articles, when it comes to SEO, there's no doubt about it - content is key. We've explored the importance of evergreen content, and also delved into the key content marketing trends for 2019 at the beginning of the year - so now, our latest guide will highlight the importance of long tail content.
Did you know there are over 4 million blog posts published on the internet every single day? It's never been more important to get your content seen - and by using content marketing strategies, with a huge focus on keywords, this is possible!
So, why are keywords important for long tail content marketing?
What is long tail keyword research?
Firstly, we should explain what long tail keywords are. These are keyword phrases that include three words or more, and are extremely specific to what you're trying to sell. For example, 'red size 3 women's heels' would be an example of a long tail keyword. Whereas, someone who would simply search for 'women's heels' could simply be wanting to gain awareness around the topic, rather than a specific product.
The vital difference between these searches boils down to how far down the marketing funnel the users are - whether they are at the Awareness, Consideration or Decision stage of purchasing. Users searching for 'women's heels' are likely to be around the Awareness/Consideration stage. However, long tail keywords often indicate that the user is much further down the marketing funnel at the Decision stage. This means that the content you're targeting, and driving the user to, has to be spot on. That's where long tail keyword research comes in.
How to use long tail keywords in content
For SEOs, conducting extensive keyword research before creating a piece of content is essential. There's no use creating a piece of content around the best places to visit in Portugal, for example, unless there's some search volume around it, right?
So, taking what we know on board, an SEOs job is then to uncover those hidden long tail gems in order for it to stand a chance ranking in the Google SERPs - and to really target those users further down the marketing funnel. To conduct extensive keyword research, you can use any of the following tools:
- Keyword Planner
- SEM Rush
- Ahrefs
- Brightedge
- Search Console
… and many, many more. Here at M3.Agency, our favourite tools to use are SEM Rush and Keyword Planner. With SEM Rush, you can enter any domain URL - for example, if you wanted to write a blog about 'How Google Ranks Content', you could enter this search term into the SERPs, take the URL which is in the top spot, and stick it in SEM Rush. Then, the tool generates all the organic keywords that this particular site ranks for. Ingenious!
Another great way to use SEM Rush is to use the Keyword Magic Tool setting. By typing the keyword 'Google Content' into the software, there's the option of selecting 'question' terms - which fires up a list of "how", "what", "when" related questions, perfect for creating blogs!
There are many other strategies and processes we use to create great content that will rank - but we can't give away all of our tricks now, can we? Want to know more about our SEO content creation services and how we can help your business? Get in touch today!
The technicalities behind long tail content
Although it's great to see a piece of content you've worked hard on rank on page 1 of the Google SERPs, rankings aren't the only benefit that content will have on your website. Creating an informational hub with multiple articles, blogs and infographics is vital to building up the authority of your website, and bring in that all important traffic. This theory is something SEO specialists have had under their belts for years - but it's recently been proven from this interesting Twitter thread:
So, the case for creating informative, good quality content, including long tail keyword research, is proven! And it's a vital component of competing against the ever-increasing competitor landscape.
Interested in learning more about our SEO services? Find out how our Digital Marketing department can help your business' online rankings. Get in touch with a member of our helpful friendly team today.
