What are Long-Tail keywords in SEO? Complete Guide

Published: 4 Sep 2025

Every new blogger wishes for one thing to see their site rank high in search results as soon as possible. But the journey often gets stuck at one point: keywords.

You’ll find terms like short-tail, mid-tail, and long-tail, and it’s hard to know which type works best. Out of all, long-tail keywords give you the fastest path to visibility. They are easier to rank and bring more targeted traffic.

Table of Content

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?
Why Are Long-Tail Keywords Important in SEO?
How to Find Long-Tail Keywords?
Best Tools to Find Long-Tail Keywords
How to Rank for Long-Tail Keywords?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Benefits of Long-Tail Keywords in the Long Run
Conclusion
FAQs

Still, many beginners wonder, what are long tail keywords and how do we use them? So worry not this guide will explain everything in detail.

What Are Long-Tail Keywords?

First, let’s clear one thing: what is a “tail” in keywords?

Think of it like the length of a search phrase. Some are short, some are a bit longer, and some are very detailed. That’s why they are called short-tail, mid-tail, and long-tail keywords.

Short-tail keywords – Very broad searches, usually one or two words. Example: SEO
Mid-tail keywords – More specific than short ones, usually 2–3 words. Example: advantages of SEO
Long-tail keywords – Very detailed phrases, often 4+ words. Example: advantages of SEO for bloggers

Among these three, long-tail keywords are the most powerful for beginners. They may get less traffic than short keywords, but they bring the right visitors to your site and are easier to rank for.

For example:

If you try to rank for SEO, you’ll compete with thousands of big websites.
But if you target advantages of SEO for bloggers, your chance of ranking quickly is much higher.

That’s why long-tail keywords are a smart choice for new websites and growing blogs.

Why Are Long-Tail Keywords Important in SEO?

As I mentioned above, long-tail keywords are a smart choice for new sites and fresh blogs. But there are even stronger reasons why they matter so much in SEO.

Let’s look at the core benefits:

Less Competition – Long-tail keywords face fewer competitors compared to short, broad terms, making it easier for your content to rank.
Faster Rankings – Since competition is low, your site can appear in search results more quickly.
Better Targeting – These keywords attract people who are searching for something very specific, which means they’re more likely to engage with your content.
Higher Conversions – Visitors coming through long-tail searches usually know what they want, so they are more likely to take action.
Great for Voice Search – Long-tail keywords often match natural language, which is how people ask questions on voice assistants.

How to Find Long-Tail Keywords?

Guys, first I will tell you the manual ways to find long-tail keywords. I know there are many tools and even chatbots available that can give you keyword ideas in seconds, but before moving to those, you must learn the manual ways first. These methods are free and very useful if you know how to use them.

Manual Ways to Find Long-Tail Keywords:

Google Autocomplete: Start typing your main topic in Google’s search bar. The suggestions that drop down are real searches people do — and many of them are long-tail keywords.
People Also Ask Section: On almost every Google search, you will see a box called People Also Ask. The questions listed there are gold for finding long-tail keyword ideas.
Related Searches at the Bottom: Scroll down to the end of Google’s search results, and you’ll find “Related Searches.” These are longer phrases directly connected to your main keyword.
Alphabet Soup Method: Type your keyword plus a letter (a, b, c, etc.) into Google’s search bar. For example, “SEO a” or “SEO b.” Each letter will show you different suggestions you can use.
Check Forums and Q&A Sites: Sites like Quora, Reddit, or niche-specific forums are full of questions people ask in long-tail form. For example, “how does SEO help a small bakery” is a natural long-tail query.
Look at Blog Comments and Social Media: Readers often ask questions in comments or discussions. These are real user queries and can give you perfect long-tail keyword ideas.
Use YouTube Search Bar: Just like Google, YouTube’s search bar also shows autocomplete suggestions. If you’re targeting content that works on video + blog, this can give unique keyword ideas.
Amazon & eCommerce Search: If your niche is product-based, Amazon’s search suggestions can help. When you type in a product name, Amazon shows long-tail phrases that real buyers use.
Wikipedia Table of Contents: Open a Wikipedia page on your topic and check the table of contents. Each subtopic can give you a detailed keyword idea to target.

Best Tools to Find Long-Tail Keywords

Guys, as you know, tools have doubled our productivity. In almost every field, we use tools to finish work in seconds — and the same applies here. Instead of spending hours guessing, you can find a bundle of the best long-tail keywords in just a few minutes.

There are both free and paid tools, along with chatbots, that can help you discover the right keywords for your content.

Here are some of the best options:

Google Keyword Planner: A free tool by Google that shows keyword ideas, search volumes, and competition. Great for finding both short and long-tail keywords.
Ubersuggest: Simple to use and beginner-friendly. It provides keyword suggestions, SEO difficulty, and even content ideas.
AnswerThePublic: Turns Google searches into question-based keyword maps. Perfect for finding long-tail keywords shaped as questions.
SEMrush: A professional SEO tool that gives detailed keyword data, competitor analysis, and long-tail opportunities.
Ahrefs: Known for its Keyword Explorer and competitor research. Shows exact phrases people use and their ranking difficulty.
KeywordTool.io: Generates keyword ideas from Google, YouTube, Amazon, and more — perfect if you want long-tail keywords across different platforms.
Chatbots (like ChatGPT): You can also use chatbots to brainstorm keyword ideas quickly. Just give them your main topic, and they can suggest dozens of long-tail variations in seconds.

How to Rank for Long-Tail Keywords?

Once you have found your long-tail keywords, the next step is how to use long tail keywords in the content correctly.

It’s not just about collecting keywords — placement and strategy matter. If you use long-tail keywords in the right way, your site can rank on them more quickly.

Here’s how you can do it:

Use in Titles: Add your long-tail keyword in the page or blog title. For example: “10 Advantages of SEO for Bloggers”.
Include in Headings: Place the keyword in at least one H2 or H3 heading so Google can easily understand the topic.
Add in Meta Description: Write a natural meta description with your long-tail keyword. This helps with click-through rates.
Use Naturally in Content: Spread the keyword and its variations inside the article. Don’t stuff it; write it in a flow that feels natural to readers.
Cover User Intent: Make sure your content fully answers the query behind the keyword. If someone searches advantages of SEO for bloggers, your article should clearly list and explain those advantages.
Add FAQs: Create a small FAQ section with questions that include long-tail keywords. This can also help you appear in Google’s “People Also Ask”.
Use in Image Alt Text: If you have images, describe them with alt text that naturally includes the keyword.
Build Internal Links: Link your long-tail keyword article to related posts on your site. This strengthens the keyword context and helps Google crawl better.
Get Backlinks: Share your content and try to get backlinks. Even with long-tail keywords, backlinks improve your chances of ranking faster.

In short: place long-tail keywords in the right spots, write content that matches the intent, and support it with SEO basics like links and speed. That’s how you rank better and faster.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even though long-tail keywords are easier to rank for, many beginners still make mistakes that stop them from getting good results. Here are some common errors you should avoid:

Keyword Stuffing: Using the same keyword too many times makes the content look unnatural and can hurt rankings.
Targeting Keywords With No Search Intent: Don’t waste time on keywords with no clear action (CTA). Even if you write content, it won’t bring results.
Forgetting User Intent: If your content doesn’t answer what the searcher really wants, it won’t rank — even if you add the keyword.
Ignoring Variations: Only focusing on one exact keyword is a mistake. Use synonyms and related terms to cover the topic fully.
Not Updating Old Content: Search trends change over time. If you don’t refresh old posts with new long-tail keywords, your rankings can drop.
Overlooking Technical SEO: Even with the best keywords, poor site speed, weak internal links, or bad mobile experience can stop your page from ranking.

Benefits of Long-Tail Keywords in the Long Run

Long-tail keywords may look small at first, but they give lasting results when used the right way. Here are the key long-term benefits:

Steady Traffic: Even with lower search volume, they bring consistent visitors month after month.
Higher Conversions: The traffic is targeted, so people are more likely to take action.
Less Competition: They stay easier to rank for compared to short, competitive keywords.
Strong Niche Authority: Covering many long-tail keywords builds your site’s trust and authority in a specific niche.
Better Fit for Search Trends: As people move towards voice search and natural questions, long-tail keywords match this style perfectly.

Conclusion

In this guide, we covered what are long tail keywords, why they are important in SEO, how to find them, and how to rank with them.

To be very honest, if you are new to blogging, start with keywords that have low search volume but low competition. Long-tail keywords fall into this category, and they give you the chance to rank faster and build trust. Once your site grows, you can slowly move to mid-tail keywords, and later, when your site becomes a brand, you can aim for short-tail ones.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and don’t forget to check out the FAQs below for more clarity.

FAQs

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions related to long-tail keywords in SEO:

Give any three Long tail keyword research tools?

Here are the best long tail keywords generators:

Google Keyword Planner – free and simple to start.
Ubersuggest – beginner-friendly with keyword ideas and SEO difficulty.
AnswerThePublic – shows question-based long-tail keywords.

What are tail words?

Tail words refer to the length of a keyword phrase.

Short-tail = very broad, 1–2 words.
Mid-tail = slightly specific, 2–3 words.
Long-tail = detailed, 4 or more words.

Give any 5 long-tail keyword examples?

Here are some examples:

“best SEO tools for beginners”
“how to start a food blog in 2026”
“affordable laptops for students under $500”
“advantages of SEO for bloggers”
“easy dinner recipes for busy moms”

What is the difference between long-tail keywords vs short-tail keywords?

Here is the difference between short and long tail keywords:

Short-tail: broad, high competition, high search volume (example: SEO).
Long-tail: specific, low competition, lower volume but higher conversions (example: advantages of SEO for bloggers).

How to create long-tail keywords?

Here it is:

Start with a broad topic (like SEO).
Add details such as purpose, audience, location, or problem.
Example: SEO → SEO tips → best SEO tips for small businesses.

Are long-tail keywords good for SEO?

Yes, they are great for SEO.

Easier to rank for.
Bring targeted traffic.
Higher conversion rate.
Perfect for new websites and blogs.