Did you complete your site last week? As this week you’ll need to fill it with the first content. The info you publish must perform two functions, i.e. engage readers and drive traffic. While you know better what your target audience may like, it’s our part to help you generate content that will rank high in search engines.
You need to start out with keyword research. In simple terms, a keyword is a phrase that we type in the search box of Google, Bing, Yandex or any other engine. If you are involved, say, in fashion, generic keywords like “fashion,” “clothes,” “boots,” etc won’t bring any traffic. The competition is too high, especially for your startup site. That’s why you must use long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific phrases with at least three words, low competition and search volume, but higher conversion rates. For example, instead of “boots,” use something like “red leather ankle boots.” On the one hand, you will drive less traffic. But on the other hand, people who will come to your site will be really interested in your business. That’s what we know as “focus on quality rather than quantity.”
By means of long-tail keywords, Neil Patel increased his organic traffic by 173,336 visitors a month. And you can do the same with ease too. Learn how to find keywords of this kind and use them properly in your content.
How to Find Long-Tail Keywords
There are many tools to find long-tail keywords, both free and premium. The most common tool to use for free is Google Keyword Planner.
Here’s how to use this tool.
- Enter the Keyword Planner.
- Click “Search for new keywords using a phrase, website or category.”
- Add your main keyword to the field “Your product or service” and click “Get Ideas.”
- Click on the “Keyword Ideas” tab and choose phrases with 4 or more words.
Where to Add Long-Tail Keywords.
Headlines. Add a long-tail keyword to the headline of your post naturally. It will also be used as a slug of the URL, which helps search engines understand what your page is about.
Note that most long-tail keywords don’t sound natural, that’s why you can’t use them as is. Besides search engines, readers must be engaged enough with your headline to click on it and read the article.
For example, if you have a keyword “fashion store los angeles,” your headline may sound like “The Fashion Store Los Angeles Fops Prefer for Its Affordable Prices” or “Top Fashion Store: Los Angeles Clothes and Footwear to Live in Style.”
Introduction. This part can make or break the whole post. Don’t add a long-tail keyword just for the sake of it. Your keyword must fit into the content revealing its main point. Ask yourself what solution users want to find, when they type it in to the search bar. Convince them you provide that solution. If your introduction looks artificial, people will have no reason to read the whole post.
Main Body of the Post. Repeat your long-tail keyword a few times throughout the post, when appropriate. Make sure you don’t stuff your post with it to excess. Things don’t work that way anymore.
Subheadings. As a rule, web users scan the post before reading it or some of its parts. To make your content easy to scan, use subheadings with a long-tail keyword. It will prove one more time that your post has what’s promised in the headline.
To diversify subheadings, feel free to play with synonyms. If your long-tail keyword is “buy fashionable men’s clothes,” you can use “get stylish men’s garments” and the like.
Conclusion. Include a long-tail keyword in the conclusion of your post.
Keep in mind that long-tail keywords don’t work with mediocre posts. First and foremost, you must focus on the value you provide to web users rather than Google bots. If you don’t believe yourself your post deserves to rank first on the SERP, neither readers nor search engines will think that way. So, find similar posts and draw up a list of the reasons why yours is better.
Don’t expect to get high rankings at once. It takes time for a completely new site to rank well. Just be patient. In the end, you’ll be a winner.
To start with, a few posts a week will be enough. Try to write longer posts of 1,000+ words each. But it doesn’t mean you will go around in circles and use longer phrases to get the necessary length. Check out how you can say more by writing less.