The Blog on Branding

Targeting Long-tail Keywords Raises Conversion Rates

While short-tail, broad keywords have search volumes in the millions; less competitive, more specific long-tail keywords raise your conversion ceiling. For example, there are around 4 million searches for “bugs” each month, compared to about 30,000 times a month for “how to get rid of bed bugs.”

Novice search engine marketers might think that targeting the keyword with a higher search volume will get more traffic and sales. However, seasoned professionals know that long-tail keywords get more and better traffic, leading to increased conversion rates.

“‘How to get rid of bed bugs’ is less competitive than ‘bugs.’”



Read on to learn why you should optimize your site for long-tail keywords:

Long-tail Keywords Drive Traffic that Converts

There are 2 major problems with targeting short-tail, broad keywords:

1. Heavy Competition.
   It’s difficult to crack the first page of search engine rankings for broad keywords. Because a single word is part of thousands of long-tail keyword phrases and hundreds of concepts, there is already a lot of quality content vying for top billing. Often this content is coming from big sites like Yahoo and CNN that have high PageRanks and lots of inbound links, which boost rankings.
2. Low Conversion.
   Someone searching for “bugs” could be seeking information on any one of dozens of topics, ranging from bug collecting to computer bugs. Most likely, this person is also in the information gathering mode, conducting research and not planning on making a purchase. Therefore, few clicks you get from this keyword will convert. We can categorize most of these users as “noes” – they will never take the desired action. If your search campaign focuses on these keywords, your conversion ceiling will be very low – that is, most of your traffic won’t purchase your product or service. One-word keywords have the lowest conversion rate, a measly 7 percent.

On the other hand, there are distinct advantages to targeting long-tail keywords.

1. Less Competition.

“Is buying flowers online for a new girlfriend a good idea?”



2. More Search Possibilities.

   Potential customers can find your website through different combinations of keywords. For example, “is buying flowers online for a new girlfriend a good idea” could potentially rank for:

   • “buying flowers online”
   • “buying flowers for a new girlfriend”
   • “buying flowers for a girlfriend a good idea”

   …and a whole host of other possibilities.

3. Higher Conversion.

   Because they reached your site through a highly specific keyword, your content is more likely exactly what they were seeking. 4-word keywords have the highest average conversion rate (around 37 percent) because these search users can often be categorized as “maybes” or even “yeses.” Long-tail keywords target potential customers who are late in the buying cycle.

They’re past the information-gathering stage and ready to take action. If your website is at its best, they will take that action by buying your product.

“How to get rid of bed bugs” is one example of a long-tail keyword that will draw users more likely to fall into the categories of “yes” or “maybe.” These users have a specific problem and are intent on fixing it. This is where your landing page, your copy, and your website as a whole come into play. These users are already intent on fixing their problem; you must convince them that your product or service will do this.

Long-tail keyword click-through-rates are increasing between 2 percent per year (for 4 words) to 22 percent per year (for 8+ words). Conversely, one-word keywords are experiencing around a 3 percent drop in search results per year.

When comparing 1 broad keyword and 1 long-tail keyword, the search volume of the broad keyword is much larger. However, comparing 1 broad keyword with all of the long-tail keywords combined in a given category shows a different perspective. The majority of traffic volume comes from long-tail keywords.

Check out this graph:

“Target long-tail keywords for better conversion.”

The bottom line: target long-tail keywords and provide persuasive, quality content to raise conversion rates.

Cassie Wallace Cassie Wallace would rather rank for a long-tail keyword than a receive a long-stem rose. Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.