Professional online marketers know how important it is to incorporate long-tail keywords into their search engine marketing (SEM) mix. This is because they know that if you want to make money on the internet, you’ll want to target online buyers, not casual surfers. And now, with over 70% of all organic searches made using long-tail keywords, it has become more important than ever to make sure that you are using the right ones.

Long-tail keywords are much more specific, and therefore, they are more targeted to the right buyers. And that is who you want to target, right? Buyers, not searchers!

It goes without saying that buyers are more keywords-specific about what they are looking for. So, it’s best to find long-tail keywords that are:

  • More than three words long
  • Not highly competitive
  • Not highly searched

This means that you’ll want three or more words that have low competition from other advertisers and low search volumes, which means not as many people are searching for that exact term.

“Why would I want keywords fewer people are searching for?”

Using a keyword with low search volumes will give you a more targeted audience and less competition. This way, it will be easier for you to rank your business on the top positions in search engine result pages (SERPs).

Say you own a local shoe store and you want to target buyers for the word “Shoes.” In this case, it will be difficult to ranking for such a generic term that advertisers with some huge pockets are also bidding for. Now, say you narrow your audience some more and go with “Converse shoes.” Sure, it is still a very competitive keyword, but since it is a little targeted, it has lower search volumes than “shoes.” Similarly, “women’s converse shoes” will have an even lower search volume. Narrowing it to a location, like “women’s converse shoes Joliet,” will make sure that the keyword is most targeted to buyers looking for this specific product in a specific location. Lower searches? Sure! But also, less competition and very high chances of connecting your Joliet business with the right customers who are closer to the point of purchase.

If that was not enough to convince you, consider that with Siri and voice home Hubs, more people are searching for long-tail keywords today than ever before.

How do you find long-tail keywords?

One quick and easy way is to look at competing websites for the product you are selling and see what keywords they are using. You can do this by right-clicking on a blank part of their webpage and from the dropdown box that appears on your computer clicking on “view page source.” You can then use the search box in the window that opens to search for the word “keywords.”

Alternatively, if you are good at keyword research, you should be able to read their on-page content and pick out the keywords and key phrases that they are targeting in their content, so that you can focus in on their specificity. Either way, it’s important to find the correct long-tail keywords for your own online marketing to attract buyers who are close to the point of purchase so that they buy from you and not from one of your competitors.

Make the Most Out of Your Paid Search Efforts in Joliet, Illinois

If you would like to partner with a top-rated SEM agency that can help you come up with the right set of long-tail keywords tailored for your local business in Joliet, Illinois, Digital Destination is here to help.

Contact us today to learn more about our keyword research and other SEM services in Joliet, Illinois.