Long Tail keywords are three to four word phrases that, when used collectively, are more specific than a single keyword by itself. As a general rule, long tail keywords typically drive higher conversion rates because they are more buyer specific. These high converting terms are typically used further down the purchase funnel, after the initial research phase has been completed by a user, making them more relevant than early-funnel research terms.

Along with the benefit of driving higher conversion volume, long-tail keywords typically have a much higher ROI because they're less competitive to rank for organically, and less expensive to bid on for PPC.

When a customer uses a highly specific search phrase, they tend to be looking for exactly what they are actually going to buy. In most cases, these very specific searches are likely to convert to sales compared to generic keyword searches that are more likely being used by consumers during the “research” phase of a buying cycle. For example:

You could be an electronics store and rank well for “flat screen tvs,” but a generic term such as that may not give you the most qualified leads? If you rank well for “where can a 50 inch flat screen tv,” however, you’ll be narrowing down your leads to only solid, qualified potential customers.

Where do you get started? The best way to create a list of long tail keywords is to think like your customer. What do they need? What key questions they might have about your product? What is valuable to them (Cheap, Brand name etc.)? What phrases are they most likely entering into their search engines? (You can utilize the Google Ads Search Query Report as a resource for finding additional long-tailed keywords based on actual search queries.)

Ask yourself these questions and you’ve got a solid foundation for building your list of long-tail keywords!