What Are Short and Long Term Keywords in SEO?

A strategy that’s built around targeted long term and short term SEO keywords can give your website a major boost! 💥

What are Short Tail Keywords?

1-2 word phrases that have high competition in search engines and a lower probability of conversion.

What are Long Tail Keywords?

2+ word phrases that have lower competition in search engines and a higher probability of conversion.

What is Keyword Competition?

How many business are currently bidding on a specific keyword.

What is Keyword Traffic?

How many people are searching for a given keyword within search engines.

All of this can be found out on your Google Analytics account and other websites like Ubersuggest.

Choose long tail phrases with four or more words that focus on a very specific search interest – like “Marketing for London based Small Business Owners” or “Best SEO coach for small businesses based in London”

It might seem counterintuitive to choose such specific keywords, but long tail phrases act as low-hanging fruit that help you boost your website’s ranking!

While there is a lower search volume for long tail keywords, there is also less competition, which means that your website has a better chance of appearing in front of people who search those terms.

When you appear on the first page of a search engine in a highly targeted search, that searcher is more likely to enter your website. Buyers who search for long tail keywords are typically more engaged and further along in the buying process.

Long Term Keywords

On the other hand, long term keywords should be made of short tail or single word phrases that have higher competition and higher traffic.

Your long term keywords will represent generic search queries like “London Marketing” or “Small Business Marketing”.

People who search for these keywords are still typically in the awareness stage of the buying process, and they are looking for a broad overview.

These short tail keywords will be extremely competitive, and your website will require a lot more time to rank for these queries. But while short tail keywords require more time and effort, the payoff is greater.

If you can rank on the first page of a search engine for a high-traffic, short tail keywords, then you have the opportunity to present your website to thousands of people a day!

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