What is a longtail keyword and how do you find them?

If you’ve not done much research into blogging then you might still be asking yourself ‘What is a longtail keyword?’. Why are they important for bloggers?

I’ve been blogging for 9 years now and I have many blog posts that rank in Google. The problem is, I never did keyword research so Google just picks up random posts here and there. There were times when I would pick a keyword and aim for that, but I didn’t look into if I was able to rank for it. I just used Yoast SEO to make sure it was showing green for my keyword and off we go.

But that really isn’t the way to do it at all.

The result? – I ranked for some random things, but not always the keywords I wanted to rank for. This is mostly because the competition was too high. So means I’m not getting traffic to the right posts that could get me some conversions.

So over the past 9 months, I’ve tried to forget everything I previously knew and changed the way I do SEO. I was oversimplifying SEO. I was doing the same few tips and tricks you read on a typical blog post. It’s the basic, quick things we all do around alt text, headings, URLs, word count, quality content but it’s not enough.

If you are targeting the wrong keyword, or a keyword you have no chance in hell in ranking for then there’s no point in putting in all that work to end up on the 5th page of Google.

SEO is a long game. There are many parts to it. From making sure your blog is SEO friendly from a technical point of view, to the age, authority and amount of backlinks.

Although targeting longtail keywords is a great SEO strategy, it should be just one of the things you are doing as part of your SEO plan.

I wrote about my SEO plan last year if you want to see some of the other things I’ve been doing. Although I do need to create an updated SEO plan for this year!

So, let’s get into it then. Longtail keywords!

What is a Longtail Keyword and how do they work?

Longtail keywords are search queries that usually consist of three or more words. Three to five words is pretty standard, though they can be longer.

The key thing is that they’re specific. Instead of searching “shoes”, someone searches “wide-fit block heel court shoes for work”. That specificity is what makes them valuable.

Short, broad keywords — “dresses”, “shoes”, “gardening tips” — get enormous search volumes and are almost entirely dominated by big retailers or high-authority sites. As a blogger, you have essentially no chance of ranking for them. Longtail keywords are how you find the gaps: the more specific searches where real people are looking for exactly the kind of content a blogger can write.

They’re also higher-converting. Someone searching “what to wear to a winter wedding as a guest UK” is not idly browsing — they have a specific need and they want an answer. If your post answers it, they’ll read the whole thing.

Why should I use longtail keywords?

Because you cannot rank for the short stuff. I’m sorry, but you genuinely cannot. If you’re a lifestyle blogger and you write a post about “dresses,” you will never outrank ASOS, John Lewis, or Marks and Spencer for that term. Those sites have domain authorities in the 80s and 90s. Yours is probably somewhere between 10 and 40.

This is not a character flaw. It’s just how search works. Your job is to find the version of the topic where a blogger can actually rank.

Here’s a real example. Instead of “dresses”:

• dresses for a winter wedding guest UK
• how to style a floral midi dress in autumn
• the best 50s-style dresses for pear shapes
• what to wear to a garden party in the UK

These terms have lower search volumes, yes. But they’re achievable. A first-page ranking for a longtail keyword with 200 monthly searches is worth infinitely more than a tenth-page ranking for something with 50,000 monthly searches, because nobody scrolls to page ten.

The other thing: targeted traffic converts better. A reader who found your post by searching “how to style a black dress for a funeral UK” is there for exactly what you’ve written. They’ll read it properly. They might click your affiliate links. They might follow you. That’s a more valuable visitor than someone who ended up on a generic page by accident.

How to Find the Best Longtail Keyword for Your Blog

In this section, we will learn how to find the best longtail keyword for your business. Some tools can help us out with this! These tools help us find the best longtail keyword for our blogs by scanning popular keywords and telling us which is best fit for us. This doesn’t have to be the most popular one! We are looking for keywords that will easy for us to target. Picking the right longtail keyword is crucial because it can make or break your ability to drive traffic to your blog. It can be tempting to go for the most popular one, but remember – you have to RANK for it to see results!

I use a tool called Keysearch to find longtail keywords (use the discount code KSDISC to get a 20% discount). Keysearch is the best keyword tool for bloggers as it’s affordable. There are many SEO tools out there and many of them have loads of features that would be great for someone who is an SEO pro – but Keysearch just has the features about keywords and tracking your ranking.

What I love about Keysearch is that you can type in a keyword, then it will show a bunch of related keywords. You can click into others and search them and find a bunch of keyword ideas to aim for.

Ideally, you want a keyword that has a high search volume and a low score. Those that have a high score (red and yellow) are hard to rank for.

As you can probably guess, the keywords with the most traffic are usually the hardest to rank for. So it’s about finding a balance of something with a decent search volume and low score. If you are just starting out and don’t already get a lot of traffic from Google, then aiming for something with a search volume of 100-500 is fine. It’s better to rank on the first page for that, than on the 10th page for something with a higher search volume that won’t bring you any traffic.

100 views might not seem like much, but imagine if you get different posts getting 100 views each. It all adds up.

You can also use a free longtail keyword generator such as this one from AHREFS. This doesn’t have as much info on as Keysearch but maybe a good starting point, but I recommend at least trying the Keysearch 1-month free trial.

I’ve written a more in-depth post about Keysearch here.

Also worth mentioning: the Ahrefs free keyword generator is still useful for getting a sense of longtail ideas without spending anything. If you want to see actual difficulty scores and search volumes properly though, a paid tool like Keysearch is worth it. The 1-month free trial gives you enough time to keyword-plan several months’ worth of content.

How to Optimize your SEO for Longtails Keywords

Remember, a longtail keyword is a search query that has three or more words. Longtails keywords are often overlooked because they take too much time and research but it is time well spent and there are keyword research tools like Keysearch you can use it make it easier!

Longtail keywords are the perfect solution for small blogs who don’t have the budget to invest in PPC, but still want to compete for higher rankings in organic search, or for new blogs that don’t yet have a strong authority within Google.

Once you have your keyword, then I find using both Keysearch and RankMath together helps.

I love the content assistant on Keysearch which tells me which words I should include in my blog post and other information, such as what word count I should aim for. RankMath helps by checking I have the keyword all the right places and my on page SEO is the best it can be

As you can see, there are plenty of long-tail keywords benefits for bloggers and they really are the thing you should be working on in your SEO plan.

Keysearch Starter

Remember – You can sign up to Keysearch here and use the discount code KSDISC to get a 20% discount. There’s a 1-month free trial for new users.

Frequently Asked Questions: Longtail Keywords for BloggersWhat is the difference between longtail and short-tail keywords?

Short-tail keywords are broad, one or two-word searches: “shoes”, “gardening”, “recipes”. They have high search volumes and enormous competition. Longtail keywords are longer and more specific: “how to grow carrots in containers UK”, “what to wear to a winter wedding guest”. They have lower search volumes but much less competition, which means a smaller blog can actually rank for them.

How many words should a longtail keyword be?

Three to five words is the typical definition, but they can be longer. Voice search has made longer, more conversational queries common — things like “what can I plant in my garden in June in the UK” are entirely searchable phrases now. Don’t worry too much about the exact word count. Focus on whether the phrase is specific enough to have targeted intent.

Do longtail keywords still work for SEO in 2024 and 2025?

Yes, if anything more than ever. With AI overviews appearing at the top of Google for many generic searches, being visible for broad terms has got harder. Very specific searches are where there’s still room for well-written blog content. Longtail keywords with clear intent (how to do X, best Y for Z, what is the difference between A and B) are still where blogs can rank and get real readers.

What tool should I use to find longtail keywords?

I use Keysearch (use discount code KSDISC for 20% off — this was accurate when I first wrote this post, but worth checking). It’s the most affordable proper keyword research tool I’ve found, with enough features for bloggers without being overwhelming. Google Search Console is also genuinely useful for finding what you’re already ranking for, which gives you ideas for related longtail terms to target.

How do I know if a longtail keyword is good to target?

You want a reasonable search volume (even 100-500 per month is fine) and a low competition score. In Keysearch, aim for a green or blue score. In general: if the first page of Google results is full of huge authority sites or paid ads, the keyword is probably too competitive. If you see other blogs and smaller sites on page one, you have a shot.

Can I use more than one longtail keyword per blog post?

Yes — and you should. Your main focus keyword should appear in the title, URL, first paragraph, and a few headings. But related longtail terms can appear naturally throughout the post. Google is good at understanding topic context, so a post about “planting carrots in June” that also mentions “growing carrots in containers” and “when to harvest carrots UK” will have a chance of ranking for all of those.