Keyword Research: 3 Tools to Guide You with Long-Tail Keywords

No doubt, long-tail keywords should be integrated as part of your keyword research and strategy. They’re the foundation of an effective SEO program and account for 70% of all web searches.

Google’s constantly-evolving search algorithm indicates that users have a strong knowledge of the intent behind a search, much more complex than looking at the keyword strings that make up a search term. This has a direct consequence on how we prepare our content and attract our target market, which makes it more important than ever.

Modifying keyword research in connection with search intent can help with finding good long-tail keywords.

1. Determine the Search Intent

Begin your keyword research by focusing on the search intent. Determine what the searcher is really trying to attain and how your content is helping them reach that objective.

You need to spend time understanding your target audience, the duration of the sales cycle and the aspects that influence their buying decisions. Eventually, not only will you be able to grasp the kind of search terminologies that can be targeted to provide the most value for your users, but also understand the intent behind the relevant searches so you can offer solutions.

Below are three tools you can use to guide you with long-tail keywords.

Keyword Planner

The ‘Keyword ideas’ and ‘Ad group ideas’ functionality delivers related search terms, which includes different variations of your targeted keywords. You can use this to get data on possible long-tail keyword ideas. You can also gain new idea ‘streams’ which could lead to more long-tail keywords.

Google Suggestions

Google provides related search terms based on what the user is querying on the search bar. Once you have entered your search, Google shows related searches to assist you in finding the right data.

BuzzSumo

Use this tool to comprehend what the most shared type of content is in relation to your subject.

2. Identify the Value

There are other factors to consider as you prepare the search terms you wish to target and the content you need to produce:

• Relevance to your product or service
• Demographic
• Buyer persona’s purchasing behavior
• Competition
• Staff expertise in producing content on a particular topic

Make sure that you check the SERPs for your chosen keywords. SERPs can provide you with great information on what Google thinks as the user intent behind any one search. You can also gain insights into the competitiveness of each search term by looking into SERPs.

Considering the effort and cost involved in creating content and targeting longer tail search terms, you need to be wise in selecting keywords that will yield the highest ROI.

Using your keyword research, you should be able to explore through the SERPs to pinpoint which ones have results which could be enhanced. Maybe, you could sense that the searcher’s intent has not been fully satisfied or that recently-released updates make other results look dated.

Nonetheless, spotting these opportunities and using the SERPs to guide you in your content strategy is crucial in crafting a successful online campaign.