8 tools for finding long-tail keywords

Tomaž Srpčič13.12.2018Marketing

When we optimize a website, we have to pay special attention to keyword analysis. This can help us adjust the structure and content of the website in order to reach higher rankings.

If you’re selling products or offering services in a very competitive niche and can’t seem to improve your rankings of main keywords, try targeting less competitive keywords. But why choose keywords or phrases with 20, 30 or 50 average monthly searches? Because most companies only focus on those keywords with the highest number of searches. Of course, focusing on the main keywords works but it also increases the costs of optimizing a website or online shop.

In my article, I’ll present the difference between main and long-tail keywords, after which we’ll take a look at 8 tools that help us search for long-tail keywords:

with less competition,
with a higher conversion level,
that are more specific for your niche.

Long-tail keywords enable you to gradually obtain more organic traffic on your website, so let’s begin!

What’s the difference between main and long-tail keywords?

One of the main processes when optimizing a website is analyzing keywords, on the basis of which we adjust the structure and content of the website. When preparing the content, we need to include both main and long-tail keywords. As an owner of a website, you want your keywords – so all the words people search for in search engines – to be as relevant to your service as possible.

Besides the main keywords we also know long-tail keywords. Those are search queries consisting of several words, which usually have a lower number of monthly searches. We are talking about more specific words that address a narrower target audience, which can improve the conversion rate. Those words are created by people searching for answers online.

Long-tail keywords, which help the user “solve their problem”, are more likely to rank higher in search engines.

In order to optimize your website, you need to be well acquainted with the difference between the terms main and long-tail keywords. Only so will you be able to perform onsite optimization and lower the costs of advertising.

Primerjava glavnih in daljših ključnih besed

Long-tail keywords, which help the user “solve their problem” or can offer them an answer to their query, are more likely to rank higher in search engines. Those words are usually more specific for a certain product or service. People who use long-tail keywords know exactly what they want and what they’re looking for. This means that they know the field because they did a thorough research or even compared the specifications, prices, models, brands or companies and are therefore closer to the end of the sales funnel in comparison with those who are searching on the basis of main keywords.

As an example, let’s take keywords that are directly connected with plastering or façade construction.

Main keywords: façade, façades, plastering, etc.
Long-tail keywords: how to choose façade color, renovating the façade in a block of flats, top layer of the façade, renovating the façade, repairing the façade, wooden façade, etc.

But how can we think of all those long keywords that don’t necessarily occur to us when we think about the word “façade”? Ask yourself different questions. By asking yourself a question and answering it, you have yourselves new content for the website. How do you do that? Put yourselves in the shoes of your customers and ask yourself what you would want to know about your service or product. Maybe how much time it takes to renovate a façade? The reasons for different prices? How to choose the color of the façade? What is the difference between a 10- and 15-centimeter width of the façade?

Now we have a couple of questions for which users are searching answers online. When even that isn’t enough, we can use various tools that will help us find the right questions.

How to look for long-tail keywords?

There are plenty of tools that help us look for long-tail keywords. Among the most important ones are Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends and Ubersuggest, while we will also present a couple of other useful tools.

1. Google Suggest and related searches

Google, with its search suggestions, offers an insight into the most frequently searched for terms, which are related to our main keyword. In our example, the main keyword is façade. Most of the terms Google suggests are actual search terms of Google’s users, so it’s important to include them in the website’s content.

How to find keywords using Google Suggest?

1. Go to google.com
2. Google your keyword
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and press the space bar
4. Open a few of the suggested terms
5. Repeat

If you’re wondering how Google Suggest influences your search terms, we must mention two factors. The search is influenced by the geographical location (where you’re located) and your search history. This is why the related searches are constantly changing.

2. Ubersuggest

Ubersuggest is a free tool for finding long-tail keywords. The tool was developed by Neil Patel, who is known as one of the leading experts in the field of digital marketing. The tool offers an extremely quick and easy way of finding keywords.

The main advantage of this search engine is the fact that it combines all related searches from Google suggest in one place but it also shows data from Google Keyword Planner and paid tools for finding keywords, such as Moz and Ahrefs. It’s also appropriate for quick searches, when we need ideas for new search terms.

How do we use Ubersuggest?
1. Visit the website neilpatel.com/ubersuggest
2. Choose the country and language
3. Choose the source from which you want to gain the information
4. Click “Look up”
5. You can export the data by clicking on the button “Export to CSV”

Why should we use Ubersuggest?

It offers a very transparent display of search results.
It’s free.
It also includes keywords and search terms that aren’t available in Google Keyword Planner.
It also includes data from Google Trends.
It offers a quick data export in the form of a table.
It’s easy to use.
There are no search limitations so you can use it as often as you like.
You can search for keywords in various languages.

3. Google Trends

Google Trends is a free tool that offers insight into how often a certain keyword or term is searched for. The tool is extremely useful for comparing two or more keywords or phrases. One of the advantages of the Google Trends tool, when compared with other similar tools, is the fact that it tells us where the keyword comes from and how it changes over a certain period of time. Even though the tool is updated on a daily basis, discrepancies are possible, since the tool adjusts the search results for an easier presentation of the terms.

How to use Google Trends for comparing keywords based on popularity?
1. Go to trends.google.com
2. Type in the desired keyword
3. Choose the country and time frame
4. When choosing the time frame, use different periods
5. Go to individual queries directly under the search results

Why should you use Google Trends?

It’s an incredibly useful tool if your company offers seasonal products. It can show you when something is in season so you can start optimizing the content before the peak of a certain search.
Use it to inform your customers about seasonal campaigns and discounts
It can help you plan your expenses and stock
Perfect for refreshing the content on your website
A useful tool when planning advertising campaigns
A great tool for comparing competitive brands
Perfect for local searches and shopping patterns

Additional search possibilities:

Searching for photos
Searching among news
Google shopping
Search terms on YouTube – use search results when optimizing your videos

4. Online forums

No, online forums are not yet extinct; some of them still get a lot of visits when compared with certain websites. However, today they are underrated even though they still hold a lot of information. A lot of them are very narrowly focused and only visited by people who are especially interested in a certain topic. When scrolling down the first page of search results, you are bound to find a forum or two.

If you visit an online forum and take a couple of minutes, you can find topics no one has covered yet. This means you’re only a few clicks away from finding answers and questions that will let you prepare quality content for your website. I would therefore advise you to take a look at forums that are appropriate for your industry and to play an active role in their debates. If there is a topic you can’t find, you can always start a new debate.

5. Google Search Console

If you’re searching for long-tail keywords, you can always turn to the Google Search Console. The Search Console lets you sort the keywords according to clicks, impressions, CTR and position. It lets you check which keywords bring you the most organic traffic or, in other words, which search terms bring users to your website. This lets you discover for which keywords you’re already ranking and keywords for which you didn’t know you were ranking.

First, make a list of keywords for which you’re already ranking. Sign in to the Google Search Console and choose the Search Analytics. At the bottom of the page, choose Export data and export the list of keywords.

Once the list is ready, it’s important to find those keywords from your field you could be ranking for. You can do this with the help of various online tools, such as Google Ads, KWfinder, Ahrefs and other.

6. Wikipedia

Why Wikipedia? It’s an important source of information and a great place for finding long-tail keywords. The popularity of the website shows that people want information and are persistently searching for it. I would therefore advise you to do what Wikipedia does. Use questions, answers and terms that are user-generated.

The advantages of Wikipedia:

It’s a global multilingual site.
It’s free.
It presents one of the greatest online sources of keywords in the world.

7. Keywords from your competition

The fact that the process of website optimization for search engines also includes an analysis of competitive websites is no secret. You can do so with paid or free tools. I will show you how you can do this completely free of charge. The information you’ll collect won’t only let you identify keywords but will also come in handy with meta descriptions and SERPs.

How do you analyze the competition’s keywords?
1. Google the desired keyword.
2. Click on the first hit.
3. Check out the source of the website by clicking Ctrl+U in Google Chrome.
4. Find the headers and recognize potential keywords.
5. Use the keywords you’ve identified on the page.
6. Don’t forget to check the content on the page and find keywords that are connected with your field.

8. Google Keyword Planner

When searching for keywords with the help of the Google Keyword Planner, we’ll take the example of the search term website optimization.

Why does the search for keywords start with the Google Keyword Planner? Because that is the first tool that comes to mind when we hear the phrase “keyword analysis”. The direct link with Google advertising sure doesn’t hurt. When we’re searching for long-tail keywords, we can turn to “Keyword ideas” and “Ad group ideas”, which show us related terms for the selected keyword or search term.

The second step is finding relevant keywords with a higher number of monthly searches. Why is it important for a keyword to be widely searched for? If there are almost no searches for a specific keyword, there is little chance of finding long-tail keywords for that main keyword. Once you find the appropriate keyword with a higher number of searches, find keywords that are composed of multiple words and have a lower number of searches in comparison with the main keyword.

However, keyword analysis is only the beginning. The selected keywords must now be used in the best possible manner. First, you need to decide for which keywords you want to optimize your website content. You need to segment your terms on the basis of your buyers’ intentions. Perhaps this analysis will help you add new content and search terms to your current collection of terms.

We all have a unique way and a favorite method for analyzing keywords and preparing content, but we can definitely make or jobs easier by using the above-mentioned tools. But if you feel as if all of this is simply too much for you, you can always stop by for a cup of coffee and together we’ll optimize your website!

Tomaž Srpčič

You won’t find Tomaž in our offices anymore, but we know that no matter where he is now, he is doing a phenomenal job. We’ve kept a piece of them with us as a memory. :)