The Importance of Long-Tail Keywords Updated over a week ago
Use Long-Tail Keywords to Increase Your Search Engine Rankings
These tips will show you how long-tail keywords are going to help you rank better in search results. Every insurance office wants to be on the first page of the Google Search Results. I get asked the question all the time “How do I get a better ranking?” and “Why am I not on the first page of Google?”
Insurance is one of the more expensive words in Google Adwords. There is so much competition for the keyword “insurance” that the price continues to climb. Competing with Geico and Progressive is hard to do, especially for head terms like “Auto Insurance”, “Home Insurance,” and “Business Insurance.”
Can I Even Rank on the First Page of Search Results?
Google continues to update its algorithm on a regular basis and tons of new content is being added to the web daily. It may seem impossible to show up on page 1 of a Google Search, but it is possible!
How Do I Get My Content to Rank Organically?
By using long-tail keywords in your website content, you can show up higher on Search Engine Result Pages.
What is a Long-Tail Keyword?
A long-tail keyword is a very targeted search phrase that contains 3 or more words. It often contains a head term, which is a more generic search term of 1 or 2 words in length. Think of it as a way to get more specific for your niche that you are targeting.
Important: By using 4 or more words for your long-tail keyword it will help eliminate a lot of competition for the phrase and will help get your page ranked on Google.
You will notice that long-tail keywords have much fewer searches, but you gain a higher probability of conversion. Here are some long-tail keyword stats:
How Do I Find Long-Tail Keywords?
There are free tools online! It is important to do research when looking for long-tail keywords. There are a few different ways you can find long-tail keywords and optional search terms. You can use free online tools and your staff as resources.
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www.keyword.io: When I do research for our clients. One of my favorite parts of the tool is that it provides me questions that are searched for that particular keyword. Questions are an important part of mobile search, you can learn more by reading my blog: “The Importance of Optimizing Your Insurance Website for Mobile Visitors.”
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Google Search Bar. Start typing in the Google Search Bar and you will notice that Google gives you suggestions in a drop-down. These are long-tail keywords that are associated with your initial search.
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Searches Related To Google also provides a list of searches that are related to your “keyword”, in this instance it is “home insurance.”
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Your Team! From CSRs to Producers, your team is asked many questions about insurance every day. Use these questions and answers on pages of your website.
How Competitive Is Your Long-Tail Keyword?
Research is important when it comes to the value of a long-tail keyword. You will want to look for keywords that are lower in competition, but still has a good number of searches. It’s important to remember, you are not going for search volume but instead for a focused search.
Instead of having tons of searches that don’t rank, it’s better to have a few searches that rank high.
Google’s Keyword Planner Tool will show you how much competition you are facing. When looking for your long-tail keywords, it is best to look for Low to Medium Competition to get higher rankings with Google. The first examples are for Auto Insurance, you can sort by Competition to find the lower competitive keywords.
This example shows the keyword competition for the long-tail keyword "Homeowners Insurance Average Cost":
By starting with a long-tail keyword in your Google Keyword Planner, you will find more long-tail keywords and their competition level. While keywords are very important, having valuable content that supports your keywords is imperative!
You’ve Found Your Long-Tail Keywords – Now What?
Use your long-tail keywords to create a keyword-rich headline for your page. Headlines matter to searchers which means they matter to search engines. Because there is so much information online, you will want to make sure that your headline stands out! When you use your long-tail keyword in your headline and in your content, it makes it stand out in the search engine results:
Need help with your headline?
Portent’s Headline Generator can give you inspiration!
Be sure to use long-tail keywords throughout your page and use as headlines with a Headline 2 tag. It is a great opportunity to ask questions, and then use the supporting paragraphs to answer the questions, which adds value to your page and presents your office as the experts!