Remember that classmate of yours who always used to stand among the toppers despite not studying as hard as you did? Long-tail Keywords are ‘that classmate’ in the classroom of digital marketing.
Though their search volume is not very high, they generate a higher return on investment as such precise phrases will only be used by those who know exactly what they’re looking for. So, these users are closer to the point of purchase than the audience that is ‘just getting an idea of what they want to buy’.
Now that you’ve identified your brand USP and know what your target audience needs, do your Long-tail Keyword research while keeping in mind that you use only those keywords that have low competition and a high search volume. Why? This rockets the rankings with negligible link building & domain authority, and drives traffic at a faster rate.How To Rank In Google Top Spots After June 2021 Update
Here’s how you find the best long-tail keywords for your brand:
Just Google them
Type a broad topic into Google. You will see a drop-down list of those terms that are frequently searched by people.
Add extra words to see more suggestions.
Thus, you’ll find less popular & specific searches related to the topic.
Besides, you will get more such keywords in the “People also ask” box.
… & the section of “Related Searches” at the bottom of the page.
Then, search for a long-tail keyword (that you’ve decided to use) on Google and check out the bottom of the page.
So if you search for “content marketing for businesses”, these are the results you’ll get:
Further, when you click on “Why Small Businesses Need Content Marketing”, you’d get:
Use keyword research tools
Semrush is one tool where you can search for “head terms” and get all the possible stats related to it. A search for “diet” reveals this:
It has the feature of Keyword Magic Tool where you can find long-tail keywords.
Further, you can even use filters like Keyword Difficulty, Number of Words, and Volume, to find these keywords as per a particular classification.
If you wish to keep a repository of keywords, simply select & add them to ‘Keyword Manager’. There is also an option to export these to Excel.
- By Volume
Once you enter the “head”, select the Volume filter and get keywords with low search volumes in your niche.
- By word count
Know the volume by a specific word count. Here, a word count of 8 has been used.
- By Questions
When you use this filter, you get the long-tail Keywords that are written as queries.
Here, there is a feature to see the “Traffic Share by Pages” report to discover the pages that get maximum traffic through the long-tail queries you just found out.
Through the Keyword Gap Tool on Semrush, you can add your domain & enter around four competitors at a time. You will find the keywords you both rank for and the respective SERP position you both have.
Another alternative to Semrush is Ubersuggest…
3. Mine your Analytics
Analytics reveal a majority of keywords, including Long-tail questions that will help you seal the deal.
You’ll be surprised to discover so many hidden gems (keywords) that are relevant to your company and not targeted. Here are the steps:
Simply visit the ‘Analytics’ section & locate organic keyword referrals. Scan all terms for suitable Long-tail Keywords on the basis of which you can deliver content. You could also set a time limit (like six or eight months) and get that data to identify patterns. For instance, if you search for “what is”, you’ll get: 
4. Look into your Search Query reports
These reveal the questions that users searched for that led them to click on your ads. Here, you can get to know about the keywords that are leading to actual conversions instead of just traffic. Chase for the Long-tail Keywords that lead to big conversions.
5. Alexa’s Competitor Keyword Matrix
Using this, you can launch a competitor keyword analysis & know which Long-tail Keywords are garnering traffic for your competitors.
Also find the keywords for which there is no traffic for your competitors so that you may use them to get that edge. To get these, use the keyword gaps filter or sort the ‘Sites’ column from Least to Most.
6. Google Ads Keyword Planner
Your Google Ads account has two options as seen here.
Through this tool, you get the estimated volume of impressions & clicks you can receive on running ads with these keywords.
It lets you know about the competition (in Google Ads) that there is for every keyword, the approximate amount you’d need to pay per click, & also gives a keywords list.
7. Social Media & Forums
Try searching for “Content Marketing” on Quora and get these results as the Long-tail Keywords or queries you can use.
The other simple option is to search for conversations online as these would let you know what people are searching for, or want to know about.
You can further utilize these to discover other Long-tail Keywords.
P.S. Your focus should be on the questions being asked by the people.
8. Search queries on Answer the Public
On this platform, all you need to do is simply type the term and press ‘Enter’ to get a wide range of “ways in which a particular question has been asked”.
9. Alexa’s Keyword Difficulty
Just enter the basic term that you have in your mind & click on ‘Find opportunities’.
Lo and behold! You’d generate a report of multitudes of similar keywords (including Long-tail ones). A bonus of using this tool is that here, qualifying metrics of Relevance, Popularity, and Competition are assigned to all keywords for you to decide upon the most targetable phrases.
10. Check out Wikipedia
This is the Wikipedia page for Quantum Mechanics:
Most of the headings can be used as Long-tail Keywords.
So, whether you have a brand that deals in cosmetics or offers plumbing services, finding the right Long-tail Keywords to drive leads is no longer Rocket Science for you.