In today’s episode we’re talking about long-tail keywords. When we talk about Google ads and Search Engine Optimization or SEO, we tell our clients that long-tail keywords are less competitive so can be generally easier to rank for and more cost effective.
You’ll want to use long-tail keywords to get more traffic and higher profits. A small company is more likely to rank near the top in Google search for a long-tail phrase than a generic keyword, and you’ll spend less money on advertising so the cost to get a new customer or client will be lower, meaning more profit for you! Listen to what they are and how it is done!
Links in this episode: Why focus on long-tail keywords?
Transcript
Welcome to the Get Digital Marketing Results podcast where we give you information and actionable tips to grow your organization.
Bob: Hi, I’m Bob Clark.
Donna: And I’m Donna Botti. We’re with Delos Inc and we make the web work for you.
In today’s Tech News Tuesday episode we’re talking about long-tail keywords. When we talk about Google Ads and Search Engine Optimization or SEO, we tell our clients that long-tail keywords are less competitive so can be generally easier to rank for and more cost effective. But a question we get asked a lot is what exactly are long-tail keywords.
Bob: That’s a good question. You can think of keywords as the terms that people search for as they are doing their research on the web. And long-tail keywords are the longer and more detailed phrases that people use when looking for specific information. As people have gotten more comfortable looking things up on the internet and particularly using voice search, the terms people search for have gotten much longer.
Donna: That’s right, Bob. Think about choosing a restaurant. Are you likely to search for the word “restaurant?” Or would you look for “Italian food near me” or “Collegeville restaurants that deliver Thai food.”
Bob: Well that seems logical, but what are some ways to improve our websites to be found with long-tail keywords?
Donna: Well first off, you have to make sure that you are using the words that your customers are searching for on your website and in your ad. Although Google makes their money from advertising, the service they deliver to consumers is good search results. If the results that Google showed you when you were searching weren’t relevant to you, you’d start looking for a different search engine. So if you don’t have the answers to the questions that people have on your website, Google isn’t going to show you for that question. A good place to use very specific long-tail keywords is in your blog posts. They can address a particular aspect of your product or service that people might be searching for. If you’re an insurance agent for example, one of your key products might be auto insurance, so you would look to create content around that product.
Bob: However, you can’t optimize all your blog posts for the same term – auto insurance. You end up competing against yourself in search! Instead you should write blog posts about long-tail variants of your main keyword. You could write about how auto insurance claims work, or will auto insurance cover a windshield replacement? Or, do young drivers need auto insurance if they have a learners permit? Will my auto insurance cover my DoorDash job?
Donna: One way to get ideas for these types of long-tail keywords is to think about the types of questions you already get from people. That’s a great starting point.
Bob: Also, make sure you have enough information about the topic in order to rank. Having a bullet point “roofing” in a list of services won’t rank you for roofers for example. A good rule of thumb is that a page or post you are trying to rank should have at least 300 words.
Likewise, if you are using long-tail keywords in your Google ads, make sure that your ad copy and your landing page are directly related to those keywords. That will increase your relevance and your quality score, decreasing your ad costs.
Donna: The bottom line is this, you’ll want to use long-tail keywords for two reasons: More traffic and higher profits. Because there is less competition, a smaller company is more likely to rank near the top in Google search for a long-tail phrase than a generic keyword, and you’ll spend less money on advertising so the cost to get a new client will be lower, meaning more profit for you!
Bob: That’s it for today’s episode. You can find a link to the Yoast article and a transcript of today’s podcast, at DelosInc.com/206.
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