In the 21st Century, establishing an online presence is vital for your business because that is where the customers are. Therefore, an online marketing strategy can help foster growth and increase the return on your investments. It also improves performance and increases profit.
However, having an online strategy is not enough. Digital marketing should focus on the target audience and redirect visitors to your site. Nowadays, people use search engines to shop and find services. So, most of your visitors will reach your pages through Google or Microsoft Edge. Therefore, you have to improve your website’s search ability to get higher rankings and more traffic.
But how do you do that? And how can you rank better than your competitors? There are several ways to improve online ranking and domain authority. Marketers should focus on content, optimization, and link building.
Keyword optimization a pillar of digital marketing. But, businesses have to time their keyword optimization strategies with rising trends. For example, during summers, HVAC manufacturers focus on HVAC marketing because more people search for suchproducts and services to keep their homes cool. So, if you’re selling a similar product/service, you might want to read up an HVAC SEO and digital marketing guide 2021to help you identify the right keywords and marketing tactics to boost sales.However, the competition for keyword ranking is fierce, especially short ones that bring high volume.
On the other hand, web admins and marketers can focus on long-tail keywords to undercut the competition. The chances are that you do not have a long-tail keyword strategy, or you do not know about them. So, here is a short introduction to long-tail keywords before explaining their use in SEO.
What are Long-tail keywords?
They are keywords with more than three words. We call them long-tail keywords because of their placement on Google’s search result graphs. Frequently searched terms by users feature at the head of the table. On the other hand, less common keywords are on the tail of the graph.
Compared to other keywords, long-tail keywords have a low search volume. They are more specific because they identify the “what” and “why” of online searches. For example, “red apples” is a short-tail keyword. Comparatively, the term “shopping for red apples” is a long-tail keyword.
Why use long-tail keywords?
While head keywords are more widely searched terms, long-tail keywords are easier to rank. They also narrow the scope, so only relevant internet users and audiences reach your landing pages. Therefore, there is a better chance of visitors turning into leads and prospects turning n paying customers.
While buying advertisements is an effective way to improve brand visibility, it is expensive. With long-tail keywords, you can replace advertisements with organic traffic to see better results. More than ninety percent of Google searches have more than four words. So, there is a lot of growth potential.
How to use long-tail keywords in your posts?
Long-tail keyword optimization is the cornerstone of modern marketing. However, you cannot stuff these words without paying attention to placement or context. And you cannot use any phrases as long-tail keywords. Following is a guide to use long-tail keywords in your content.
- Set marketing objectives: Your keywords will change according to your content marketing strategy. As an online content creator, you want sustainable growth to building a relationship with your audience. Therefore, you must consistently provide high-quality content to the users. These goals can help you stay on the right track throughout the process. The three most valuable content marketing goals include building brand credibility, attracting traffic, and overcoming objections.
- Look for relevant keywords: As we said, any combination of words does not work. You might have to try several keywords before finding the right fit. But, you can follow some tips to optimize your choice. Before doing anything, think about what makes your business unique. Then, think about your target audience. What are their questions, and what do they want? Next, do some research to discover relevant terms. You can use keyword tools to find a list of phrases without any hassle. For example, Ahrefs has an outstanding long-tail keyword tool for finding relevant terms. Forums and online message boards are also some excellent places to find new keywords.
- Picture your user: You will need a clear idea about your target audience and their priorities. Think about what people want from your posts. So, try to put yourself in their shoes. Creating a buyer persona can help you represent your ideal user. These semi-fictional representations can help you readjust priorities and guide the development process. Use data and research to fill out the buyer persona.
- Write your content: In1996, Bill Gates once stated, “Content is king.” This sentiment still applies to the online world. Keyword optimization drives your content, which eventually drives your marketing, SEO, and link-building strategies. Not only should your content engage the readers, but it should also be relevant. For example, a well-written, evergreen blog post will redirect users for years to come. With that said, your content should include long-tail keywords to increase conversions. But, how many keywords do you need? According to some marketers, you must add one keyword per 200 words. However, this is not a permanent rule. Your primary responsibility is to produce high-quality information with a combination of long and short-tail keywords. Avoid keyword stuffing to prevent your rankings from plummeting.
- Track the performance: You must identify weaknesses and issues for an effective marketing strategy. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the success of your keyword usage. Furthermore, tracking your keyword rankings can help you measure their effectiveness. Several tools can do this job for you. Moz is an excellent tool for keyword resources and online ranking. Head to the dashboard and then click on the “Page Optimization & Ranking Tools.” Next, you will see a “Rank Tracker” option. Click on that to head to the Rank Tracker tool. The page will have information about all your keywords. You can also add new keywords and check rankings through URLs. However, users have to buy the Pro Plan to track ranks.
Conclusion
Search engines prefer pages with reliable data and relevant information. Therefore, they value quality over quantity. As a content marketer, you must begin by understanding your customer and how they use search engines. Most people search for products, services, and tools with phrases instead of words. These queries often have four or more words. Marketers call them long-tail keywords. Therefore, long-tail keywords mimic what users type in their search bar. They also demonstrate buyer intent and improve conversion rates. So, content marketers cannot afford to ignore this vital resource to improve search ranking. Use this guide to include long-tail keywords in your content.
