Short-Tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are usually brief and consist of one to three words and can be a broad term for a product, service or topic that accumulates a high volume of searches such as “black dress” or “digital camera”. Due to their generic features and high search volumes, it can be very competitive for businesses to rank high for such keywords.
Highly ranked keywords tend to attract a lot of traffic to your website because it’s less likely a person is going to scroll all the way to the bottom of the search results to find a black dress or digital camera. With that in mind, it reduces the conversation significantly although it can bring a lot of traffic to your site which in a way doesn’t make sense, however, as this is a general search term a lot of users enjoy browsing to assess the options and aren’t searching with the intention to immediately buy.
These keyword techniques are popularly adopted by digital marketing agencies to help brands understand and take advantage of the site and traffic they have and rank high for what they are popularly known for.
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords as mentioned in the name are longer and more specific to a product, service or topic consisting usually of 3 or more words such as “little black dress with sequins” or “high-quality digital camera for travelling” They are extremely specific and are after a site that delivers that niche. As they are so specific there is usually less competition for that keyword, few sites may not want to target that niche making it easier to rank highly using long-tail keywords.
They usually have a high conversion rate potential which means that when users land on your content through your long-tail keyword, they are often there to make a purchase but this isn’t always true, it appears more likely as they are after something extremely specific.
They are also not limited to just a statement, long-tail keywords can come in the form of a question for example, ‘What little black dress did Kendal Jenner wear last week?’ and or specific locations such as “where is the best SEO in manchester?’. This can inspire sites to take advantage of these niche searches and create content that will drive traffic to their site and establish authority.
When using long-tail keywords, it is essential that the content is up-to-date and completely relevant to the search term you’re ranking for, as this can have detrimental effects on your ranking if determined by SERPs as irrelevant.
Main Differences
Based on the definitions it can be obvious what the differences between the two are:
- Short-tail keywords are more generic while Long-tail keywords are more specific.
- Short-tail keywords can generate higher traffic only if you rank higher while Long-tail keywords may generate a lower volume but you are more likely to rank higher.
- Short-tail keywords are harder to rank higher while using Long-tail keywords there is more opportunity to.
- Short-tail keywords are often used in the early stages of the buying cycle and are exploring your options while Long-tail keywords are used when you have specific requirements and aims.
In SEO and content marketing, both short-tail and long-tail keywords can be useful and valuable. While short-tail keywords can generate traffic and visibility among consumers and a sense of brand awareness, long-tail keywords can bring in active buyers or users who are highly motivated. An effective SEO strategy often involves the combination of the two, as they both bring balance and offer things the other doesn’t.