At one time, getting your site returned on the first page of search engine results meant choosing single keywords and using them as much as possible throughout your site. Today, long tail keywords are the talk of SEO results and people are asking, “Do long tail keywords make a difference?” We have three important ways they DO make a difference over single keywords.

Understanding Long Tail Keywords

Not only have search engine crawlers become smarter, people have become more efficient when searching the Internet and this has changed the type of keywords that work for your rankings. If you think about how you use the Internet when trying to find a product or service, do you type in one word, or do you type in a phrase?

Imagine for a moment you are looking for shoes online. Since they are one of the top-selling products on the Internet, if you only enter shoes as your search criteria, you will literally receive millions of results. If you were looking for brake shoes for your car, you would be hard-pressed to find them in those results. Enter long tail keywords- phrases that narrow the search around your prime keywords.

How do Long Tail Keywords Make a Difference?

Competition on the Internet is fierce and if you want your business noticed by prospective customers, you have to be able to stand out. Long tail keywords can do this and more. Here are three ways that show you long tail keywords do make a difference:

1. Improve your company’s reputation as a trusted information source

Using keyword phrases or long tail keywords allows you to highlight specific areas of your business. When performing searches, more than 70 percent of users enter five words or more, meaning they are being more specific. If your site is among the top few returned, it will be your information that is read. Once you attract the readers of course, you have to have content that reinforces your expertise.

2. Higher conversions from visitors

When potential customers find your business using long tail keywords, they are further along in their buyer’s journey than those using generic search terms. Going back to our shoe example, a buyer who enters “walking shoes for babies” is looking for a specific product and is ready to buy once they find the right source. If your site is returned in the search and you provide the right products and information, you stand a better chance to make the sale.

3. Lower cost means a higher ROI

The less competition there is for a keyword, the lower the cost for targeted ad campaigns. While there is a delicate balance to finding lesser-used long tail keywords and using phrases that are too unique to be successful, when done properly, you can maximize your exposure for less money and get more profits for your marketing spend.

Do long tail keywords make a difference? We give a resounding “YES!”