Long-tail keywords
A long-tail keyword is a specific search query with low individual search volume, such as 'waterproof walking boots for wide feet' rather than 'walking boots'. Each one is searched rarely, but together they make up a large share of all searches, and they usually reveal more clearly what the searcher wants.
Where does the term come from?
Chris Anderson popularised 'the long tail' in Wired in October 2004, describing how online businesses make money from a huge number of niche products that physical shops can't stock. In search, the head is the small number of high-volume queries and the tail is the far larger number of rare ones.
How big is the long tail?
Google said in October 2019 that about 15% of the queries it sees each day are ones it has never seen before. Ahrefs reports that keywords with fewer than 10 monthly searches make up almost 93% of its US keyword database.
Long tail describes volume, not length. A one-word query can sit in the tail and a five-word query can be a head term, though most long-tail queries are longer and more specific.
How to use long-tail keywords
- Answer related long-tail queries within one page on the parent topic rather than writing a page for every variant
- Find real phrasing in Search Console queries, People Also Ask and your own site search
- Look for questions where few strong pages compete
- Avoid separate pages for near-identical variants, which leads to keyword cannibalisation
Example
A garden centre struggles to rank for 'compost'. Its guide answering 'best compost for raised vegetable beds', 'peat-free compost for blueberries' and similar questions earns steady traffic from dozens of low-volume queries, from searchers who already know what they need.
Related terms
- Search intent
- Topical authority
- Keyword cannibalisation
- People Also Ask (PAA)
- Google Search Console (GSC)
Further reading
Our Organic Search service puts this into practice for brands in the UK and US.
