7 Brands Excelling with Long-Tail Organic Traffic

Undoubtedly, long-tail keywords hold great appeal for content marketers, bloggers, and SEO experts. The rationale behind this is quite straightforward: consumers frequently employ long-tail keywords, and their likelihood to make a purchase is higher when they do so.
To optimize your performance on search engines, it is advisable to direct your attention towards longer variations of the main keywords. As an illustration, instead of targeting the fiercely competitive keyword "running shoes," you can attain high rankings by focusing on "best women's Nike shoes" within your title and creating valuable content centered around this specific key phrase.
Numerous brands that have conducted research on and targeted long-tail search terms have witnessed significant increases in their organic traffic and rankings. However, it's important to acknowledge that immediate organic traffic boosts are unlikely to result from creating content centered on long-tail search phrases.
Nevertheless, your primary focus should be on the long-term strategy. This is when your web pages gradually begin to appear in search results, even for keywords that were not initially your primary targets.
If you are willing to adopt a patient approach, long-tail keywords can substantially augment your organic traffic and lead to better conversion rates compared to broader head terms.
In this article, I will present seven outstanding examples of brands successfully generating long-tail organic traffic. Feel free to share this guide with your team or clients to persuade them that long-tail search is the future of SEO, applicable to both B2B and B2C companies.

Let's begin our exploration of Amazon, the top-ranked global e-commerce platform:
 

As the world's premier online shopping destination, Amazon owes a significant portion of its sales success to the utilization of detailed, niche-specific product descriptions. According to research by Search Engine Guide, an impressive 57% of Amazon's total sales are attributed to long-tail search queries.

Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired, noted that

The best way to dominate the web in the face of stiff competition is to optimize for long-tail search.

Understanding user intent can be challenging when dealing with head keywords, but it becomes much clearer when users input longer variations of their search queries.

In essence, long-tail search optimization revolves around catering to highly motivated consumers who express their intentions through extended search terms, typically consisting of four or more words. Long-tail keywords represent more precise and targeted search phrases.

So, which products tend to excel in online organic search? The answer lies in products that are not readily available in physical brick-and-mortar stores. This is why consumers turn to the internet to search for them.

The advantage of long-tail keywords lies in their inclusion of a broader head keyword, accompanied by modifiers or additional words that refine their relevance to a specific audience. For instance, consider the term "clothing" as a vague head keyword. While it may garner a substantial number of searches, it lacks specificity. If you operate a clothing blog, competing with larger authority sites can be daunting.

In contrast, a term like "top men's clothing brand" offers a well-defined focus, appealing to a highly specific audience—men seeking the finest clothing brands. To illustrate this concept further, consider Amazon as a case study. Have you ever noticed that when you enter any product-related keyword into Google, Amazon's results consistently stand out?

If you're operating your own online store, you're likely acutely aware of the intense competition you face. It's not just Amazon that poses a challenge; you're also contending with millions of other online stores and affiliate websites vying for visibility using similar keywords to secure high rankings on Google.

The question has evolved beyond a simple desire for your product pages to reach the top spot. In today's landscape, the real question is: "How can you achieve high rankings for relevant keywords amidst such formidable competition?"

Fortunately, there's a strategy that can be employed, particularly for those of us who aren't in Amazon's league: focusing on less common keyword phrases while still establishing dominance within our niche. Many well-established brands boast substantial annual marketing budgets, often in the range of six or even seven figures. For these giants, investing in long-tail keyword searches may not yield the desired return on investment.

Another factor to consider is that long-tail keywords typically have lower search volumes. You can't anticipate creating a significant impact with them, especially if your website is extensive.

Additionally, targeting long-tail search phrases requires a long-term commitment. Achieving first-page rankings for these terms won't happen overnight, even though they aren't highly competitive.

This is because Google has revised its algorithms and policies. Contemporary SEO is about intention and quality content. In the past, merely incorporating a keyword of this nature into your title could have propelled you to the first page within a month.

To secure a prominent position on Google's first page, it remains essential to produce top-notch content, engage with your target audience effectively, and boost your social media presence.

While it might be tempting for larger brands to disregard long-tail keywords, those of us who blog and market for smaller brands can actually harness their potential. There exists a plethora of opportunities to achieve high rankings on Google by shifting from competition to collaboration.

By aligning your efforts with those of authoritative websites, you'll uncover concealed opportunities and long-tail keywords that have been overlooked. This becomes your competitive advantage.

Take, for instance, Amazon's product descriptions, which are both detailed and inclusive of the product's name, model number, color, and occasionally its size.

In addition to these descriptive product pages, the customers also provide lengthy, in-depth reviews of each product.

When you perform a search, you'll observe that Google now prioritizes pages that are pertinent to the search query rather than solely relying on exact matches for long-tail keywords. This approach makes sense because users might not always use the exact same terms when searching. 

For instance, when I looked up "men's wallet with coin compartment," not all the search results had that exact title, but all of them were highly relevant to my query.

Valuable Tip: If you're selling either physical items like jewelry and watches or digital products such as software, ebooks, and plugins, there's no need to insert your targeted long-tail keywords verbatim into your product title.

Certainly, if they fit naturally, you can include them, but your main focus should be on enhancing the overall user experience when consumers read your content.

Avoid the repetitive use of a specific long-tail keyword, as this can lead to issues like keyword stuffing, which should be avoided.

When you craft a lengthy article exceeding 3000 words, you'll naturally find that numerous keywords fall into their proper places. Over time, your webpage will begin ranking for various long-tail keywords that you didn't initially target.
 

According to data from Altimeter, a staggering "70% of marketers lack a consistent content strategy."
This is one of the primary reasons why B2B content marketing often falls short. Without a well-defined strategy, regardless of the effort and time invested in your business, you will continue to face challenges.

I'd like to share a short success story that can inspire you to recognize the potential in your own content.

Marcus Sheridan is a renowned content marketer who has achieved remarkable success. He is recognized for his distinctive teaching approach, which heavily incorporates storytelling.

However, his journey to success was not always smooth sailing.

Marcus found himself in a precarious situation with his swimming pool company, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. He had exhausted various marketing strategies in a bid to attract high-end leads and clients.

In a last-resort effort to rescue his failing business, Marcus decided to embrace inbound and content marketing. He took note of well-established statistics, such as HubSpot's report stating that companies that engage in blogging generate 126% more leads than those that do not.

Determined to turn his fortunes around, Marcus dedicated himself to mastering the fundamental principles of inbound marketing and fostering connections with potential customers. This shift in strategy had a profound impact on his business.

River Pools and Spas quickly evolved into one of the most reputable and authoritative websites in the swimming pool industry worldwide, attracting more than 500,000 visitors each month.

What's intriguing is that Sheridan didn't simply follow a standard content marketing playbook. Instead, he delved into understanding his audience, discovering that a significant portion of them had a pivotal question that needed addressing before they would consider making a purchase: they wanted to know the pricing of fiberglass pools.

During that period, only a few swimming pool websites existed, and they primarily focused on sales without genuinely assisting people or resolving their queries. Sheridan meticulously conducted research on long-tail keywords and subsequently crafted an extensive blog post titled "Understanding the Cost of Fiberglass Pools." Astonishingly, this single blog post has resulted in generating sales exceeding $2 million.

By the way, that long-tail search term currently has an average monthly search volume of just 320.

However, it's a valuable long-tail keyword worth pursuing, particularly if you're marketing a high-end product such as fiberglass swimming pools.

Imagine you operate a website that compares cars. You aspire to achieve top rankings for numerous keywords, but achieving this goal appears challenging. Instead of becoming frustrated, consider exploring long-tail keywords that your competitors may have overlooked:

Step one: Visit Google AdWords Keyword Planner. Enter a search query (e.g., "honda civic vs toyota corolla") and click the "Get ideas" button:

Second step: Craft captivating titles filled with relevant keywords. Your content's title holds the utmost significance on your webpage.

As per Brian Clark, the founder of Copyblogger, a staggering 8 out of 10 individuals will peruse your title. An engaging headline possesses the power to persuade them to delve into your blog post.

As a guideline, it's advisable to incorporate a general word or phrase alongside your chosen keywords. Many people mistakenly create content solely centered around the keyword phrase, neglecting the importance of crafting a natural-sounding title.

Here are some examples of distinctive titles enhanced with general modifiers:

• "Corolla 2014 vs. Civic 2014: Vital Features You Should Be Aware Of"
• "5 Key Considerations: Corolla 2014 vs. Civic 2014"
• "Selecting the Perfect Car: Honda Civic vs. Toyota Corolla 2014"
• "Before Making a Purchase: Honda Civic vs. Toyota Corolla 2014 – A Must-Read"

Observe how I've integrated generic phrases alongside the keywords. This approach ensures that the titles have a natural flow, aligning perfectly with what Google seeks in your titles, content, anchor text, and links.

Back in December 2012, KISSmetrics witnessed a substantial influx of 142,149 visitors who discovered our platform through long-tail keywords. This period also marked the initiation of new user sign-ups for our analytics software. Although this event occurred quite some time ago, its significance remains paramount.
This experience taught us an invaluable lesson: the effectiveness of long-tail keywords in conversion.

For me personally, this moment became a pivotal turning point. Beforehand, I had diligently invested substantial effort into identifying my target audience and followed what I believed to be the "right" approach, but the results were underwhelming. I consistently produced valuable content, yet the organic traffic generated seemed insufficient in comparison to the time and resources expended. The moment we embraced the utilization of longer and more specific search terms, KISSmetrics' audience experienced exponential growth.

So, instead of solely focusing on broad terms like "marketing funnel," I began delving into more detailed queries such as "how marketing funnels work."

Consistency has yielded significant rewards. If you're not crafting blog posts targeting longer search terms to attract motivated customers, you're missing out on a substantial stream of organic traffic.

Distinguishing between someone searching for "build an email list" and someone looking for "get my first 1000 email subscribers" reveals a substantial contrast.
Esteemed content and inbound marketing authorities such as Derek Halpern and Jay Baer have also achieved remarkable outcomes by harnessing the power of long-tail keywords throughout the years. They've imparted their knowledge on how to attain organic traffic and higher rankings by seamlessly incorporating long-tail search phrases into their content.

Successful content marketing hinges on the ability to break complex tasks into more manageable components. Based on my personal experience, long-tail search terms simplify content strategy by enabling you to produce content that caters directly to user intent. This approach offers a compounding effect on your organic results, as the efforts you invest today will continue to yield dividends in the long run.

Keep in mind that the type of content you publish on your blog plays a pivotal role. If you aim to drive more visitors, "how-to" and "top list" articles tend to excel. However, if your goal is to attract leads and clients who are ready to engage with your business, prioritizing case studies is a strategy we frequently employ on KISSMetrics' blog.

Numerous SaaS companies initially teetered on the edge of survival, but today, they flourish with robust websites.
One of the most effective strategies to emulate their success involves crafting top-notch content centered around easily rankable keywords. These keywords may not boast high search volumes, but they tend to yield superior conversion rates compared to their more competitive counterparts.

However, it's crucial to note that the process goes beyond simply targeting long-tail search terms with the hope that customers will flock to your site.

You must also fine-tune on-page elements to align with these long-tail keywords.

It's not merely about incorporating keywords into title tags and sprinkling them throughout the content. In the past, many SEO experts relied solely on this approach until 2013. Nowadays, the user experience a page offers is just as pivotal.

Let's take a brief look at the on-page factors that can significantly boost your Google rankings once you've optimized them:

Topic or Theme of the Page: The primary on-page factor of importance is the topic or theme of your page. Is your website's focus and subject matter easily discernible to search engine crawlers? You might argue that authoritative sites like Mashable cover a wide array of business-related topics, including entertainment. And you'd be correct; many websites do so.

However, these sites are already considered authoritative by Google. This trust is based on the credibility of the hosting domain and the inbound links they receive.

These authoritative websites have the potential to rank highly for almost any primary keywords related to various topics, provided that there is some level of reader engagement. However, if you're new to the scene, it's advisable to narrow down your focus.

Clearly define your niche right from the beginning. Inform Google that you specialize in a particular area, such as social media expertise, rather than being a general small business consultant, for instance. Be precise in your chosen topic, and ensure it is evident in every piece of content you create.

The key factor to consider nowadays is the concept of authority in modern SEO. When you engage in activities such as link building, enhancing social signals, and garnering comments or press mentions, these signals collectively contribute to boosting the authority of your website.

While it's possible to cover a range of 4 to 6 topics, as I do on QuickSprout, each of these topics should be closely aligned with a single overarching goal: assisting B2B companies in increasing their search traffic and revenue.

The main focus should be on building authority because, in the long run, it's the authority that will enhance your search engine rankings, rather than the sheer quantity of links you accumulate. In essence, it's the authority, not just links, that will attract clients to your business.

Use of relevant keywords, most individuals are aware of the importance of incorporating keywords into the title, meta description, image ALT tags, and content. However, the critical question is whether they are using these keywords effectively.

The traditional approach to keyword optimization involved simply stuffing keywords into your title and keyword tags, with the belief that Google would recognize which keywords your website was targeting. Consequently, these keywords would inform Google's web crawler about your website's primary subject.

Nonetheless, there's an important caveat here: modern SEO is less about keywords and more about understanding user intent. In other words, it's about comprehending what users are seeking and why they are searching for specific terms.

So instead of adding several related keywords in meta tags, focus on writing copy and a meta description that answers the question asked (implicitly or explicitly) by the keyword. There’s no need to optimize for all these keyword phrases:

For instance, if your primary keyword happens to be "social media management tools," you can address the underlying query instead of directly inserting the keyword phrases:

If you're in search of the ideal tools to streamline your social media management tasks, with the aim of gaining more followers, driving traffic to your website, and even potentially boosting sales, this blog post or piece of content is here to provide the answers you seek.

You may have noticed that I didn't explicitly mention the precise long-tail keyword. That's because both Google and users are more concerned with receiving informative responses.

All that truly matters to users is finding a comprehensive solution to their queries, and this aligns perfectly with Google's objective, which is why they continually update their algorithms.

The depth and value of your content are crucial factors. Recent data indicates that 15% of on-page SEO revolves around the depth and quality of the content presented. Therefore, when you are targeting long-tail keywords, it's essential to ensure that your content is thorough, practical, and genuinely helpful.

SerpIQ conducted a study aimed at assessing the influence of content length on search rankings. Their research revealed that the typical length of content ranking on the first page of Google search results is 2,000 words or more. On average, the number one search result contains almost 2,500 words.

Page's User Experience: A crucial on-page element that holds significant importance for both users and Google is the user experience of the page. This encompasses aspects such as design, quality, and usage metrics.

When it comes to crafting a memorable user experience, your primary focus should be on the practical utility of your website. Your passion should lie in delighting your users and ultimately converting them into loyal customers.

From Google's perspective, if users are not actively engaging with your content - for instance, by sharing it on social media, leaving comments, clicking on internal pages, and so on - it indicates that your website's usability is subpar. This can, in turn, negatively impact your organic search rankings.

While optimizing your web pages for long-tail keyword queries is undeniably important, it should always be driven by the goal of enhancing the overall user experience rather than attempting to manipulate search rankings.

It's crucial to recognize that visitors who land on websites through longer and more specific search queries tend to be more motivated and further along in the conversion journey. Consequently, they are more likely to convert into customers compared to visitors who arrive through broader, head search terms.

Discovering highly-converting long-tail search terms, which boast a 2.5 times higher conversion rate than primary keywords, can be accomplished using various tools.

WPBeginner, a reputable blog specializing in WordPress plugins and digital marketing tools, managed to increase its organic traffic by a remarkable 20% within a mere two-month timeframe.

The WPBeginner team harnessed the power of HitTail, a premium long-tail keyword research tool designed to enhance search traffic. I have personally utilized HitTail in the past to identify lucrative keywords, around which I then crafted valuable content.

HitTail offers the capability to monitor your most effective keywords while also delving into your website's search data to identify poorly-performing long-tail keywords. This valuable tool aids in enhancing your keyword utilization.

Getting started is effortless – simply embed the tracking code on your WordPress website, and it will operate quietly in the background. Once activated, this code will commence recording search hits and vital keyword-related information.

The HitTail algorithm will scrutinize these keywords, providing you with a curated list of untapped long-tail keywords that you haven't previously targeted. This presents an excellent opportunity to ascend the ranks and secure a coveted spot in Google's top 10 search results.

As an example, WPBeginner managed to boost its search traffic by an impressive 20% within a mere two months. This achievement wasn't solely due to content creation centered around less competitive long-tail search terms; it was also attributed to the monitoring of keywords employed by their target audience when seeking WPBeginner via search engines.

Empowered with these newfound keywords, the WPBeginner team optimized their on-page elements and concentrated on crafting comprehensive, instructive, and tutorial-driven blog posts to address user inquiries. Following this strategy is recommended for similar success.
 

Have you given up on the idea of optimizing your website for search engines? Perhaps you've had some unpleasant experiences in the past. However, if you've taken the time to read this post, you may realize that there are still substantial benefits to be gained from a strategic and up-to-date approach to SEO.
According to a study conducted by Outbrain, search engines are the primary source of traffic for content websites, surpassing social media by over 300%.

As bloggers, we have access to remarkable opportunities that can significantly expand our blogs. Who would have imagined that crafting articles could have the power to change lives and transform basic WordPress blogs into multi-million-dollar digital publishing enterprises?

This is precisely what happened with Copyblogger, all thanks to the effectiveness of content marketing. Blogging stands as the most potent tool for driving your content marketing strategy forward. Maintaining a blog with consistent, solution-oriented posts can propel your web pages to prominent positions in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

According to HubSpot, "companies that actively maintain a blog experience a 434% increase in indexed pages. Furthermore, those with a greater number of indexed pages tend to generate significantly more leads."

This is how Glenn Gabe, a digital marketing consultant working at G-Squared Interactive, achieved his success. He identified a gap in information regarding the Samsung Captivate that his competitors had overlooked. By strategically targeting relevant long-tail keyword phrases, he managed to rank highly for 896 lucrative keywords.

Glenn attributes his search engine ranking and organic traffic achievements not solely to these long-tail keywords but also to his effective utilization of them in crafting a profitable marketing campaign.

He has kindly shared three straightforward strategies for addressing similar gaps in your niche by leveraging long-tail keywords:

You’ve got to study your Google Analytics data very well because it’ll help you spot these voids.

Other brands have followed a similar approach. ITCN found an opportunity, optimized for long-tail search, and generated $1,000 sales in 5 days.

Many successful brands are actively pursuing long-tail organic traffic by following a set of strategic actions. To embark on a similar journey, your first step is to identify long-tail keywords capable of boosting traffic to your website.

Ubersuggest stands out as an invaluable tool for this purpose, offering a wealth of keyword suggestions derived from a single search term. Here's a breakdown of how to make the most of it:

Step #1: Input Your Main Keyword into the Ubersuggest Search Bar

Step #2: Navigate to Keyword Ideas

Click “Keyword Ideas” in the left sidebar:
For the head keyword “social media marketing” you’re provided with 472 keyword ideas:

Step #3: Evaluate Suggestions

In addition to the compilation of 472 keywords, each keyword is accompanied by specific data:

• Volume: The average number of monthly searches on Google for the keyword.
• CPC: The average cost per click for a Google Ad related to the keyword.
• PD: An estimate of competition in paid search (higher numbers indicate greater competition).
• SD: An estimate of competition in organic search (higher numbers indicate greater competition).

For the purpose of this discussion, our primary focus is on how brands are generating long-tail organic traffic. Therefore, your attention should be directed towards search volume and SEO difficulty.

As a general guideline, the most advantageous keywords possess high search volume and a low SEO difficulty score. Aim for a search volume exceeding 2,000 and an SD score below 40.

Step #4: Analyze Keywords

Continuing with the aforementioned example, the phrase "social media marketing strategy" presents a promising opportunity. It receives an average of 2,400 monthly searches and boasts a relatively low SD score of 20.

Upon clicking on this term, you will find the following results:

Next to my profile picture, you'll find information about the average number of backlinks and the domain score of the web pages ranking in the top 10 on Google. This provides you with a benchmark to aim for in your SEO efforts.

Additional data includes:

• Estimated Monthly Visits: This figure represents the estimated traffic a web page receives from Google for a specific keyword.
• Backlinks: The count of inbound links coming from other websites to the page.
• Domain Score: A score indicating the overall authority and strength of the website.
• Social Shares: The total number of times the URL has been shared on social media platforms.

This data assists you in answering important questions such as:

• What level of traffic can you anticipate if your web page attains a top-ranking position on search engine results pages?
• How many backlinks should you aim to acquire in order to compete effectively with the top 10 search results?
• What type of content tends to perform well on social media platforms?
• How does your website's domain score compare to that of the top 10 search results?

By following these steps, you'll be able to identify several long-tail keywords that can significantly boost your website's organic traffic.
 

In conclusion, it's a common misconception that search traffic is exclusively reserved for large brands or those with numerous backlinks. This is not the case! As demonstrated by the case studies shared on this page, some of the websites mentioned are not necessarily large authority sites, while others have been in existence for over a decade, like Amazon. These examples illustrate how various brands have harnessed user needs, created valuable content, and provided an excellent user experience to drive long-tail organic traffic. This is the path to success