30 statistics about long-tail keywords

Here at Embryo, we know that long-tail keywords are a key part of any SEO strategy, amongst other elements of course. But, targeting keywords of this kind allow you to tap into areas of the marketing funnel and improve your keyword reach for terms that are less competitive and more easily to achieve good results for.

In this blog, we’ll take you through what these keywords are and why they are important, before providing statistics that showcase exactly why marketers should be incorporating these keywords into their strategy.

Read our keyword research guide for further advice and information!

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What are long-tail keywords?

There are two types of keywords: short and long-tail terms. Long-tail keywords are a type of keyword that consists of three or more words. They tend to be much more specific, or often question-led, suggesting the user searching for the terms is keen to know more about a particular niche, service, or product.

Unlike short-tail keywords, long-tail keywords are much more specific and often have lower competition, making them effective for driving targeted traffic. Because they are more specific, they are usually easier to rank for; the shorter the keyword, the larger the search volume and the harder it is to rank for it.

As an example, a short and highly competitive keyword could simply be “shoes”. A long-tailed variant of this keyword which is much more niche and targeted could be “running shoes for flat feet”. This is a prime example of how a long-tail keyword focuses on particular aspects of a topic, service, or – in this case – a product.

Because they target visitors with more specific intent, long-tail keywords frequently have lower search volume but greater conversion rates. Because long-tail keywords are more particular, those who use them are often closer to the point of purchase.

For this reason, companies and marketers utilise long-tail keywords to drive highly targeted traffic to their websites. Companies in competitive marketplaces or smaller enterprises that may find it challenging to rank for wide keywords may find this strategy especially helpful.

Stats about long-tail search terms that you should know

By incorporating long-tail keywords into SEO and content marketing strategies, businesses can attract high-quality traffic that is more likely to convert into customers. Inroads in search engine traffic can be made by aiming for those mid to long-tail keywords as they tend to have higher converting traffic.

Our SEO and content team know that long-tail keywords have lesser search volume but higher search intent which usually means that the people who enter these keywords into the SERPs need specific answers, and they are more likely to convert when they get it than someone using generic search phrases.

To explore this further we’ve put together a list of statistics about long-tail keywords that you should know about…

1. Over 70% of all search queries are for long-tail terms
2. Long tail keywords tend to have higher conversion rates than generic keywords.
3. Long tail keywords typically have lower search volume than generic keywords.
4. 92% of all keywords get 10 or fewer searches per month
5. 92% of all keywords that people type into search engines are long tails
6. Pages optimised for long tail keywords move up 11 positions on average (compared to 5 positions for head keywords).
7. Long tail keywords are often more specific, targeted and relevant to a particular business.
8. Long tail keywords are typically easier to rank for than generic keywords.
9. Long tail keywords are often more economical to advertise on as they have less competition.
10. Long tail keywords help to improve the relevancy of content, as they are more specific.
11. Long tail keywords are a great way to target niche markets.
12. They can help to increase organic search traffic to a website.
13. Long tail keywords are often used to create content clusters.
14. 56% of buyers who search use queries of three or more words, while only 7% use one word or an acronym
15. 20-25% of all Google search queries are unique
16. What Google describes as long-tail advertisers make up half their revenue
17. Long-tail keywords simply have a better conversion rate than short-tail keywords. The average conversion rate for a long-tail keyword is 36%.
18. The best landing pages only convert at 11.45%.
19. According to Backlinko’s analysis of 306 million keywords, 91.8% of all search queries are long-tail keywords.
20. We live in an age where 55% of millennials use voice search daily. When these users query these platforms, they use long-tail keyword phrases such as questions.
21. 82% of searches use long tail keywords via voice search (near me searches) to find local businesses. Hence, long-tail searches boost local SEO.
22. SEO PowerSuite analysed 24 million keywords from our database to learn more about the role of long-tail keywords in search to reveal that one- and two-word queries comprise only a quarter of our database, while the majority of our database consists of three-, four-, and five-word queries
23. The secret to long-tail keywords is to use your knowledge of how people typically search for your business
24. Long tail searches are understood better by the search engines because the intent of the searcher remains clear.
25. Long-tail keywords are generally cheaper, more specific, and have a higher conversion rate.
26. As long-tail keywords usually relate to a much smaller niche of products and services, making it easier for you to compete. If you are not a major industry player, then competing for short-tail keywords may be a waste of time.
27. They’re excellent keywords to target for businesses of all sizes
28. The search data from your own account is going to be the best way to gauge whether or not searchers are typing in searches that are in a longer tail form.
29. The research into finding long-tail keywords should be data-driven and can be done by various SEO tools.
30. Internet marketers agree that PPC advertising should be mostly long-tail as bidding on specific long-tail phrases that describe what your business offer means you are likely to attract just the right visitors to your site, and your PPC campaign will pay off sooner.

Why are long-tail keywords important?

There are many reasons why companies should incorporate long-tail keywords into their content strategy – mainly because they can help to improve keyword reach and rankings, and because they can help businesses to appear at the ‘consideration’ stage of the marketing funnel when they’re asking questions about a particular topic, service, or product.

The fact that long-tail keywords capture more precise user intent is one of the main reasons they are so important. A search query of this kind typically indicates a specific goal, such as purchasing a product, solving an issue, or gaining more in-depth information. Compared to someone who just searches for “shoes,” someone who searches for “best running shoes for flat feet” is probably closer to making a purchase. Businesses can increase conversion rates by focusing on long-tail keywords, which draw in visitors who are prepared to act.

Another reason why long-tail keywords should be part of a strategy is that they are less competitive than broad keywords. Short-tail keywords that are extremely competitive, such as “shoes” or “digital marketing,” can make it difficult for smaller or more recent websites to rank well. However, there is less competition for long-tail keywords, which makes it simpler for websites to rank in search results. Businesses now have the chance to rank higher, increasing their visibility to a more targeted audience.

Improving and enhancing the relevancy of information is another important function of long-tail keywords. Businesses can produce content that directly answers user queries by concentrating on specialist subjects. Because search engines favour information that is extremely relevant to particular queries, this not only improves the user experience but also SEO. Additionally, by employing long-tail keywords, websites can rank higher for a variety of relevant search terms, expanding their visibility across many interest areas.

How to target long-tail keywords

Targeting long-tail keywords, as we’ve explored, is an important part of any content strategy but it must be done effectively. Here are key steps to help you identify, optimise, and reap the benefits of long-tail keywords in your content strategy:

1. Keyword research: The first step in targeting long-tail keywords is conducting thorough keyword research. Use the usual tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush and Google Planner – these can show you search volume, competition, and more specific keyword suggestions. You can also utilise insights from your industry/company to assess what users will want to know and what people ask. Focus on phrases that reflect user intent and are likely to lead to conversions.
2. Understand user intent: Long-tail keywords often reflect more specific search intent, whether informational, navigational, or transactional. Understanding the intent behind a long-tail keyword helps ensure that the content you create matches what users are actually searching for, improving your chances of ranking and attracting qualified visitors. It’s also a good idea to look at what’s already ranking on the search engine results page (SERP), so you can take inspiration from this content given that Google is rewarding/favouring it.
3. Create high-quality content: Once you’ve identified your long-tail keywords, create content around them – write informative, engaging, and comprehensive content that directly addresses the needs and the problems of your target audience. Assess what style of content is best to suit the intent and the target keyword – is it a blog? A long-form guide? A review? The more useful and detailed your content, the more likely it is to rank for long-tail searches.
4. On-page SEO optimisation: To improve your chances of ranking for long-tail keywords, optimise your content for both search engines and users. This includes strategically placing your long-tail keywords in places like the title tag, header tags, URL, meta description, and body text. That being said, there’s no need to over-optimise or force keywords unnaturally, as this can lead to keyword stuffing, which will more than likely negatively impact your rankings.
5. Monitor and adjust: It isn’t just a case of uploading the content and hoping for the best. SEO is an ongoing process, so keep monitoring your rankings and traffic regularly. Use tools like Google Analytics or Search Console to track which long-tail keywords are driving the most traffic and conversions. If certain keywords aren’t performing as expected, you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

On the subject of incorporating longtail keywords into an SEO strategy, here’s what our Organic Lead Jamie Beatty ha

d to say:

“Targeting long-tail keywords should be a part of any content strategy. Not only

does it help to capture users as they move through the funnel and ask questions or use more specific queries when searc

hing, but they’re particularly effective for those that operate in competitive industries, where it can be hard to rank. If targeting a longer-tail keyword, don’t be put off by the lower search volume – it can be a higher-intent keyword, meaning that whilst it may drive less traffic, it’s of a higher quality and consists of those closer to the point of purchase.

The most important thing when targeting long-tail keywords is to understand the intent behind the keyword. Figure out what type of page you need to create, and whether the content needs to be transactional, informational, and so on. It’s all well and good targeting these keywords, but the content needs to be well-considered. Give users exactly what they want and search engines – providing you’re following SEO best practices – will be happy.”

To summarise, long tail keywords are search terms with relatively low search volume and competition levels. Since long-tail keywords have relatively low search volume and competition, businesses can target those lower-value, long-tail keywords not covered by their competitors.

We believe that businesses should find relevant, niche long-tail keywords and create in-depth engaging content around

them, using data-driven research to find the right one for your business.

Long-tail keywords contribute to the visibility of businesses online, their ability to reach their target audience, and their overall online success. As a result, long-tail SEO focuses on competing for a large number of low-volume keywords instead of focusing on a small set of high-volume keywords.

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