Long-tail keywords

What are long-tail keywords?

Long-tail keywords are search phrases that typically consist of 3–5 or more words and are very specific. The term “long tail” refers to the long tail in a search volume graph: most individual keywords have low search volume, but collectively they account for the majority of all searches on Google.

Short-tail vs. long-tail

• Short-tail: “running shoes” — high volume, high competition, unclear intent, low conversion rate.
• Medium-tail: “women’s running shoes” — moderate volume and competition.
• Long-tail: "black women’s running shoes with good shock absorption" — low volume, low competition, clear intent, high conversion rate.

Benefits of long-tail keywords

• Lower competition: Fewer online stores optimize for specific long-tail searches, so it’s easier to rank at the top.
• Higher conversion rate: A user searching for “red leather crossbody bag with adjustable strap” knows exactly what they want—and is close to making a purchase.
• Cheaper advertising: CPC for long-tail keywords is typically lower than for broad keywords.
• Better match: You can create content that matches the search exactly, which Google rewards.
• Significant overall traffic: Each long-tail search generates a small amount of traffic, but collectively, hundreds of long-tail keywords can generate more traffic than a single broad keyword.

How to Find Long-Tail Keywords

• Google’s autocomplete: Start typing a keyword and see what Google suggests.
• Related searches: Scroll to the bottom of Google’s search results page for related searches.
• "People Also Ask": Google displays related questions, which are often good long-tail keywords.
• Google Search Console: See which keywords are already driving traffic to your site—many are long-tail.
• SEO tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest can generate long-tail variations of your core keywords.
• Customer inquiries: Questions from customers reveal how real people search.

Long-tail strategy for online stores

• Product descriptions: Write detailed, specific descriptions that naturally include long-tail variations.
• Category pages: Create subcategories that match specific searches (e.g., “hiking-sandals-for-wide-feet”).
• Blog posts: Write guides and articles that answer specific questions from customers.
• FAQ pages: Answer specific questions that match long-tail searches.

Long-tail in Shoporama

In Shoporama, you can optimize for long-tail keywords by writing unique product descriptions, customizing meta titles and descriptions, creating detailed categories with descriptive URLs, and using the article system to create content that captures informational long-tail searches.