Long Tail Keywords

 
Long tail Keywords
written by: Amanda Kirkwood
 
What are they?
There are a few types of keyword phrases that are used by search engines in their search for relevant web pages. Long tail keywords are characterized by having at least three words in the phrase.
 
Why use them?
Long tail keywords are used when the website wants to refine the search terms from a very broad search into something more specific. Often searchers look for something specific on search engine sites and are not brought to many relevant webpages because advertisers of those relevant sites failed to use long tail keywords. By using long tail keywords you are catering to those specific searches and draw in higher quality traffic. Since longtail keywords are more specific and target less competitive niche markets rather then competitive general keywords, using them can be highly inexpensive when using paid inclusion methods. 
 
Every website wants to be on the first page of Google’s web results and because of competition it is not an easy task. Even though long tail keywords are less commonly used, they account for the majority of searches and because there aren’t as many websites out there using the long tail keywords, your site has a greater likelihood in placing high on search rankings.
 
Examples?
“web design” would be a head term,  which is more popular but yields a lower quality traffic and low conversions as compared to “ small business web design” which would be a long tail key word yielding higher quality traffic and higher conversion rates.